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HI,
I am one of those people who moved from the West Coast, or as you Floridians like to call it the "Left Coast".
I think I can answer your question with a definate "yes, it is a west-East thing". I live in Tampa and absolutely hate it here. I have been here fourteen years, due to having elderly parents who live here. I have quite a few friends here, but have never managed to relate to them or their lifestyle. I definately think it is a West vs East thing, not just a Florida thing. I moved from San Francisco which is about as liberal as you can get, then arrived in Tampa to what I consider to be as right wing - Christian conservative, as you can get.
I have never felt comfortable living here. I disagree with everyone about everything! That includes my friends. To elaborate a little - the gas wars- out west people believe in conserving. Here people seem to think it is their God given right to use up every resource available. Style - I could never imagine living in a huge house, with elaborate decoration. Here it seems to be the desired thing. Food - MEAT, MEAT, MEAT! I have never found a decent restaurant here, and if I did - it went out of business. People here eat huge portions of greasy fried junk! That seems to be the norm. I have never seen so many overweight people as here. I too do not like L.A., but because it is like the East Coast. In case you are not aware of it. Southern California and the rest of the West Coast like Northern Ca., Oregon, and Washington have little in common with each other. Most westerners opt for simplicity over elegance, wide open spaces over urban sprawl, and difinately are much more liberal in their political and environmental thinking. I hope I helped to answer your question.
Ken in Tampa
I live in LA and I think a lot more people in LA share your opinion on "lifestyle choices."
Gas: I think we should conserve. I don't drive much and walk or take public transport when I can.
Style: Isn't it cool how compact they can build housing and shopping areas if they go vertical? There are some cool cool strip malls in LA that are four stories high and have parking underground! Also, the European style of having housing over the stores in the mall is very vogue right now. Check out the mall in Pasadena. They tore the roof off of it and built apartments overhead. I hate sprawl. I want to live somewhere where I can walk to a lot of places.
Food: I like lots of choices but I don't look for oversized greasy portions.
LA is different from SF but I think we tend to agree on a lot of things. I grew up in Florida where the ideal was to live in a suburb where you drove to almost everything. 18 mile drive to the mall? No problem. 75 mile drive to look for bras that fit? No problem. I can't imagine that kind of lifestyle anymore. Bras that fit? Shoot! There must be 100 stores in a 20 mile radius! Mall? Two miles. Bigger mall? 5 miles.
Yes, we have Manhattan Mall here in New York. It's actually a sucky mall, but the idea in itself is good. The problem there (other than the boring stores), is that the elevator system at MM is too slow and you have to wait forever to go to another floor. I don't know why they didn't start doing this in the '50s(?) or whenever the whole strip mall phenomenon began to take off--a lot of our problems wouldn't exist if we had.
Probably no one will agree with me, but in general I think it would be better for the environment if more people lived in apartments instead of houses. They could make the apts larger to accomodate families. If you go to Hong Kong and other Asian cities everyone is living in apartments and they seem to do ok.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UB50
Style: Isn't it cool how compact they can build housing and shopping areas if they go vertical? There are some cool cool strip malls in LA that are four stories high and have parking underground! Also, the European style of having housing over the stores in the mall is very vogue right now. Check out the mall in Pasadena. They tore the roof off of it and built apartments overhead. I hate sprawl. I want to live somewhere where I can walk to a lot of places.
If you lived here you would see how 'overnight' these changes are happening. Who says I am miserable? Did I say that? NO, I am ANGRY to have what I built plundered and destroyed by the local lawmakers, market, etc.
Not that I should rise to your 'challenge', which is personally attacking, rather than a generalization, I will clue you in on what I have done to try to better this community. I went door to door, sent letters to winter residents who did not know me, who I had to introduce myself to and explain my 'cause' to. I asked for signed signatures for a petition to stop 'job shop' employees who slept in our yards, **** in our yards, stole from us, etc. I made a wonderful contribution to put an end to that.
I have sent monies to charities that were not particuarly in our budget.
I have confronted criminals (once, rather than our judicial system supporting us, made us pay for what the crook stole from us).
I have been fighting now for 6 yrs for a local noise problem that our deed restrictions should protect us from. Have taken in orphaned animals that sure didn't make my life easier.
And just what else should I DO? I PAY exhorbinant taxes to a system that should deal with these things. NOT make my life decline (and that is my BIGGEST gripe), that the quality of life in Fl is just trashed.
I want out, but I am still here because I fight for what I deserve! I don't just run. I have ties and roots. Seems to me that moving along so 'easily' as you inferm would be more assessable to those who have no ties.
So all I can say to you is, GOOD TRY.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 121804
Then why are you still here? It isn't like all of what you have mentioned happened overnight. You could have left if you are/were so miserable. It's not impossible if one gets off the soapbox, dries up the tears, & does something productive to make their life more productive.
And have you done anything publicly to help all the situations you mention?
The previous post is on target. South Florida is a metro area of 5 million people when Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are lumped together, as I believe the statistical bureau now does. That puts South Florida behind the "Big Three" metro areas (New York, L.A., Chicago) in population and in the same league as Boston, Philly, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and the San Francisco Bay area. All of these areas have major urban problems. "Mayberry" left and went away from all these places a long time ago, and South Florida is no different.
Thats fine but NY, L.A., Chicago you expect these issues. You also have an infrastructure of police and hospitals. You also have a career with decent pay.
You do not have this in S Florida- It is a metro area and proclaims itself to be world class; when it is real estate development built on sand.
Florida, in general is a cultural wasteland, in fact, I think T.S. Eliot had it in mind when he wrote a poem that most Floridans haven't read.
It has beautiful beaches, or did. I surf, the waves are ok, but the beaches are so crowded with tourists anymore that you'll have a hard time with that too, or even finding a moment of peaceful zen.
Most of the people on here defending it are probably people who have lived here all of their lives. Which is fine in a sense. Nothing wrong I guess with defending ones home. But its not for everyone, and there's also nothing wrong with complaining about it. It is in fact, evident from these posts that people just get angry about someone else expressing disatisfaction with their home turf. In fact, to me they proove something that I feel about Florida. Its full of aggressive people with chips on their shoulders.
Thats fine but NY, L.A., Chicago you expect these issues. You also have an infrastructure of police and hospitals. You also have a career with decent pay.
You do not have this in S Florida- It is a metro area and proclaims itself to be world class; when it is real estate development built on sand.
OK, I'l bite. South Florida DOES have a lot of growing up to do in these regards. Never said it didn't. The area must diversify beyond the real estate/tourism sectors and attract 21st-century industries that someday might offer good jobs and growth potential (such as the Scripps Institute in Palm Beach County in the biotech industry). The infrastructure (police, hospitals, schools, etc.) must catch up to population growth, and salaries must catch up to the cost of lving. This will take time and investment, and I don't find a lot of willingness here to make that sort of commitment. Local governmental officials would rather find ways to waste money and line their own pockets.
But, having said that, I still maintain that some of the urban woes that make people in South Florida flee for Tennessee, North Carolina, etc., would make them want to leave the other areas I listed, too. For example, I spend a lot of time in Arizona visiting family and I've met lots of people who have moved away from Phoenix (an apt comparison for South Florida in terms of rapid population growth and development) for Tucson, Flagstaff, Sedona, wherever because they simply don't like what Phoenix has become.
Last edited by chisoxfan; 06-04-2007 at 11:43 AM..
This sickened me for nights. I'm surprised it's still assessable. Watch the people in their vehicles stopped at the red light, trying to scurry off to work in the am., drinking their starbucks, undoubtadly. Look at the 4' swath of blood in the road as this woman was dragged miles during and after her death. Look at who was arrested.
Who notices? Did you read about this in your paper in your home state?
Human life means nothing in Fl. Only the buck means anything in Fl ~ This s___ makes me so mad!
I know there are other atrocious crimes in other states, but here it is just commonplace. Yawn. People are too busy 'arriving' in Fl to let this kind of thing interfere with their mentality.
To respond to the previous post & to the ORIGINAL topic -
yes, it's an East/West thing. Extreme SOFL (as the previous post just showed) is alot like NY. Everyone's in a rush. No one cares. We're selfish. I'm from NY & have been in Miami for 13+ years. I love them both! If you don't like it, move out west! I don't like the whole airy fairy artsy fartsy west. So I don't live there! I lived in CO & AZ & have been to CA. Don't like Cali. CO is nice - actually where I was (CO Springs) is quite conservative! So CO was cool. (Too cool! ) I do like AZ & would consider living there. But you can keep the left coast thank you very much. We're the RIGHT coast baby! (As far as I'M concerned - THAT'S WHY I LIVE HERE!!!)
This sickened me for nights. I'm surprised it's still assessable. Watch the people in their vehicles stopped at the red light, trying to scurry off to work in the am., drinking their starbucks, undoubtadly. Look at the 4' swath of blood in the road as this woman was dragged miles during and after her death. Look at who was arrested.
Who notices? Did you read about this in your paper in your home state?
Human life means nothing in Fl. Only the buck means anything in Fl ~ This s___ makes me so mad!
I know there are other atrocious crimes in other states, but here it is just commonplace. Yawn. People are too busy 'arriving' in Fl to let this kind of thing interfere with their mentality.
We didn't hear about it here in the Panhandle, which does not surprise me. They keep these things underwrap so people visiting and potential visitors don't realize what a piece of crap Florida is. As long as we meet our tourism budget.....everyone is happy. I can't wait to get out of this place.
Florida, in general is a cultural wasteland, in fact, I think T.S. Eliot had it in mind when he wrote a poem that most Floridans haven't read.
It has beautiful beaches, or did. I surf, the waves are ok, but the beaches are so crowded with tourists anymore that you'll have a hard time with that too, or even finding a moment of peaceful zen.
Most of the people on here defending it are probably people who have lived here all of their lives. Which is fine in a sense. Nothing wrong I guess with defending ones home. But its not for everyone, and there's also nothing wrong with complaining about it. It is in fact, evident from these posts that people just get angry about someone else expressing disatisfaction with their home turf. In fact, to me they proove something that I feel about Florida. Its full of aggressive people with chips on their shoulders.
What I see is another person that doesn't realize that there is a whole state in between the coasts and away from the tourist areas.
It's not the criticism per se, it's the generalization of it to an entire state. It's the ignorance and prejudice that some of us find offensive.
Florida is not Miami. Many of us do not live in a place populated by aggressive people with chips on their shoulders.
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Another day in Fl paradise.
- 
) I do like AZ & would consider living there. But you can keep the left coast thank you very much. We're the RIGHT coast baby! 
(As far as I'M concerned - THAT'S WHY I LIVE HERE!!!)
