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.
I lived there (Salem) for a year and that was my experience, for the most part. Granted, the culture shock was that I moved up there from living in Miami for 8 years, where people are virtually the exact opposite in every sense, but I found MA a beautiful, but tough place to live in terms of being able to make friends and "connect" with people on a one-to-one basis.
I did find many Bostonians in particular to be quite brash, though not necessarily rude (it was just their mannerisms). It's a beautiful city, but I agree with you that people seemed very snobby, stuck up and rather full of themselves, along with being overly obsessed with education.
I went to NH a few times and loved the scenery, thought it did have more of a "conservative" vibe. I'd love to drive through White Mountains again though.
Don't get me wrong, I love New England in terms of its rich history, scenery, old buildings and quirky towns and cities, but it was a difficult place to make friends. I always felt like I had to prove myself or go the extra mile to earn respect, just because I was not Joe Bloggs from down the street, if that makes sense? I don't want you to take my post as criticism, because it wasn't intended to be a bashing-type post. I just found the "reservedness" to be very different to how the British people are considered reserved. It definitely felt more selective in MA, rather than borne out of shyness or awkwardness.
I moved up there thinking that it would ease my homesickness because I'd find it to be more like the UK than Florida, but in reality, it was just as foreign (appearance of the cities aside). I really don't think there is anywhere in the US that is much like the UK or northern Europe. That's something I have now accepted, at least.
Thank you, dragonborn, for all the nice things you said. I apologize for my little rant. I hope you are able to go and live in England. For me it was a lifelong dream but the closest I could come was to marry one of them--and he likes it HERE.
Thank you, dragonborn, for all the nice things you said. I apologize for my little rant. I hope you are able to go and live in England. For me it was a lifelong dream but the closest I could come was to marry one of them--and he likes it HERE.
You should have married me instead because I'm going back at some point
Seriously, I do love New England. I'll be going back for a holiday at some point as I still need to explore VT properly and western MA. I actually have to drive up there next week to bring my ex wife and our cats & furniture back down to FL. 3,200 miles there & back which will either kill me or my car (or both!).
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,060,466 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonborn
You should have married me instead because I'm going back at some point
Seriously, I do love New England. I'll be going back for a holiday at some point as I still need to explore VT properly and western MA. I actually have to drive up there next week to bring my ex wife and our cats & furniture back down to FL. 3,200 miles there & back which will either kill me or my car (or both!).
I guess the original is still the best though, aye .
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.
.
