Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do you ever feel trapped because you're not close to an ocean? That's my major gripe/fear of the midwest. The fact that it almost suffocates me. How do you do it?
I can't imagine not living at least a few hours drive from an ocean, hearing and seeing the waves crash on the sand. Its freedom.
you can't judge everything based on where you were raised. You're used to the ocean, you can't imagine life without it. Other people weren't raised near the ocean, so they get along fine without it. I dont see how someone can feel trapped when they have a ton of open space around them. The ocean is more of a boundary than anything, does that not trap you in? I'm sure you dont swim to Hawaii whenever you want. At least in the Midwest people can travel all directions to whatever cities they want.
I never really thought about it until I visited the West coast a few months ago. Ever since then I have felt a mild sensation of being trapped/limited. Which is weird because it would be easier or at least more convenient for me to move across land than water.
every time I see the ocean I think "it looks like Nebraska, but blue" then I want to get the hell away from it because it's a huge dark void full of sharks, riptides, and tsunamis. Then I go hike in the mountains because that's where real beauty in this world lies.
Do you ever feel trapped because you're not close to an ocean? That's my major gripe/fear of the midwest. The fact that it almost suffocates me. How do you do it?
I can't imagine not living at least a few hours drive from an ocean, hearing and seeing the waves crash on the sand. Its freedom.
Trapped?? lol. I guess I don't really get the whole draw of standing and staring at an ocean. I've seen an ocean maybe 40 or 50 times in my life, and normally after a minute or two of looking out and taking it in - I'm over it and get on with my day. I've really never met anyone in the Midwest who talks about oceans or wishes they were near an ocean for any reason other than weather moderation.
I guess I'd personally feel more trapped surrounded by open water than I do surrounded by open land.
Well, here in Michigan we have the Great Lakes, as a pp mentioned. Now, to a Californian that probably sounds like nothing, but in reality, they are a lot like the ocean, or at least they give one the same sensation as being next to an ocean. They have beaches with waves, and you can't see across to the other side. That's the basic ocean experience that most people have who don't surf or parasail, or whatever else people do in the ocean. Also, our beaches don't have a lot of the problems that I saw when I visited some SoCal beaches a couple of years ago, such as panhandlers, massive crowds, etc. and you'll never get attacked by a shark in Lake Michigan!
Do you ever feel trapped because you're not close to an ocean? That's my major gripe/fear of the midwest. The fact that it almost suffocates me. How do you do it?
I can't imagine not living at least a few hours drive from an ocean, hearing and seeing the waves crash on the sand. Its freedom.
Even though you are just trolling for a flame thread, I'll still answer.
We have sugar sand beaches and waves crashing into them. Water you can't begin to see the other side of and 1000' long ships visiting our ports. Don't need to be close to an ocean, we have the Great Lakes.
Before any of you start shouting how I can't understand the difference... I lived in Maine for 20 years, I know ocean and I know the Great Lakes. Other than the smell of the ocean (1/2 the time good, the other 1/2 nasty), and the nasties that inhabit salt water (jellyfish, sharks, etc...) and can ruin your day at the beach if you get into one; you can't tell the difference standing on the shore.
Sure you really can't surf, even though there are some that will swear up and down you can... they're delusional, you really can't. At least to the same degree you can on the ocean, but surfers make up a small, might even say, tiny portion of those who actually go to an ocean shore. So for 95% of the people visiting either place, surfing is a moot point.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
