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I'm actually shocked everytime I go someplace new and find out that there are normal people there just like at home!
People from NYC don't have horns or breathe fire
People from the South really are educated and have teeth and shoes
People from California aren't all like the Celebrities
Basically People are People, every area of the USA is just a beautiful as the next.
I don't understand having to but down another area just cuz it's different than yours.
Being in a place where you can turn left without making a U-turn, and places where all the streets have the lane in the middle for turning from either side.
I'm not sure how those lanes are used in other states, but in Texas those are left turn lanes only. They're not MEANT for people to enter and exit however they please but I do see people do it all the time as I'm sure you've seen people do it to. Also, people like to drive in it like it's an extra lane. Had to say something about this cause this is like my major pet peeve when driving. I've had numerous close calls with head on collisions and side swipes because people don't use that lane correctly.
When I went East I was shocked by the density of the cities vs. the Midwest ... and then compare that to the West, where it seemed you could drive for hours and not see a town. Especially Wyoming ... I saw more dead cattle or animals than people. I was actually literally happy to see a gas station, which meant I got to see people!
I was awed at how beautiful some towns in Montana are. Absolutely gorgeous.
I was shocked at first when I moved to Seattle. I was helping register people to vote during what's called the Fremont Fair, held every summer solstice. Little did I know it should be called the "naked parade" as that's exactly what it was ... hundreds of people walking around with no clothing in the parade. Funny story is my first girlfriend in Seattle was a participant.
Another thing that shocked me in Seattle was the fact that the first time I went to a normal looking bar nearly half the females there were actually dudes, or transgender. I guess I had always been accostomed to seeing some sort of clue in the name or exterior appearance. I didn't think it was wrong or anything (one TG woman had me fooled real good), but it was just ... different.
In Phoenix I was shocked that people felt like it was their god-given right to have green grass lawns and demand that water from the coast get desalinized and sent to them, or that water be diverted from the Great Lakes (!) to them. Screw that. You're in the desert, get real. Also, people there were the most rude, obnoxious, gun-toting, crazy-driving, ultra-conservative, and self-important people I've ever met. In my short time (3 months) there I made friends with only transplants (a girl from CA, a girl from MI, and a dude who I worked with while I was there who was from Texas).
Don't be such a drama queen with your sweeping generalizations. You worry about your water issues and AZ will worry about their issues. I've never heard anyone in PHX demand that water from the coast get desalinized and sent to them or diverted from the Great Lakes. BTW, do some research on where PHX water sources come from before you post. Perhaps Phoenicians didn't take kindly to your attitude which may be why you only made friends with two people.
On a trip a few years ago, I was shocked by how thinly populated northern MS still is, and how dark the night sky is there, away from the small towns.
On a trip during the early 90s, I was shocked by how much the area around Traverse City, MI, reminded me of the Western US - the aspens, the hills, the scrub growing in places - the general look of the land. It amazed me to see that sort of country in the Eastern Time Zone.
Remembered another one. Driving around 1,500 miles on back roads on a trip to Oregon in 2001, I remember being surprised at the number of unkempt rural homes, barely an hour outside Portland. It was comparable to some of the poorest areas of Pennsylvania and upstate New York, and worse than anything I've yet seen in WV, VA, KY, and TN.
I had some major culture shock when we lived in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia; we arrived in town in May, and saw many boys and men were walking around with their shirts off. It was a regular sight, and I even once saw a guy walking shirtless through the frozen section of the supermarket. I've never lived anywhere else where so many people regularly walked around shirtless unless they were at the beach or maybe sitting in their backyards.
I was also surprised at how few people walked to the downtown (a small but nice downtown), even if they lived within easy walking distance. (NOw I know better and realize that unfortunately the reality of walking anywhere is not the norm for many Americans)
I visited North Carolina for the first time last year. I was shocked at how much forest exists, even as you get into metro areas. (Certainly not a western-type forest, but green trees everywhere.) As I drove through Raleigh/Durham I was surprised at how little of the actual cities you see, mostly you see tree-lined freeways. I was also suprised how aggressive the drivers seemed to be..., much more so than the midwest. Maybe a NASCAR mindset?
Remembered another one. Driving around 1,500 miles on back roads on a trip to Oregon in 2001, I remember being surprised at the number of unkempt rural homes, barely an hour outside Portland. It was comparable to some of the poorest areas of Pennsylvania and upstate New York, and worse than anything I've yet seen in WV, VA, KY, and TN.
I have seen some stuff like that in rural SC and MS.
Another one for me was that in rural Southwestern NC the rural areas were almost all black, and cities were fairly White. In NY it's the opposite, rural areas are almost all White, or Indian (Native American), cities are very black.
I'm actually shocked everytime I go someplace new and find out that there are normal people there just like at home!
People from NYC don't have horns or breathe fire
People from the South really are educated and have teeth and shoes
People from California aren't all like the Celebrities
Basically People are People, every area of the USA is just a beautiful as the next.
I don't understand having to but down another area just cuz it's different than yours.
That's true, but being shocked at something doesn't necessarily mean in a bad way. I agree that people are people (and also don't like massive generalizations about the "type" of person in a city or state) but also believe that there are differences between regions. Different histories, cultures, traditions, and physical environments all contribute to giving a place its own sense of unique identity. This thread is interesting because it does highlight some of those differences or perceptions of differences. Regional variations make life interesting.
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