Any Bostonians in this forum? How long did it take you to get adjusted to life in CA?

[UserName14289]

Originally Posted by Yankee Doodler

I grew up in Massachusetts, lived in and around Boston for a few years, and moved from there to LA in 1990. Southern California felt like a foreign country to me; I would've felt more at home anywhere in Canada. The hot weather, extraverted culture, Hispanic influence (must they put salsa and jalapenos on everything?), smog, graffiti, traffic, it all was too much. I'm a lot more comfortable in the Bay Area (although still confronted by jalapenos), but sometimes I miss the four seasons and think of retiring in New England. On the plus side, I think people in California are generally much friendlier than northeasterners, and you can get a good job without having to "know somebody" as you do in Boston.

I disagree. In my opinion, people in CA may smile more on the street at you than in the northeast, but there's little behind those smiles. In contrast, people in the northeast might be less free to share a smile on the street, but are genuinely friendly underneath the exterior. People on the east coast also tend to look out for their neighbors, whereas in CA it's overall more of a "me first" mentality. Broad generalizations, of course. Not everyone fits this bill. Just my experience.

[Fiona8484]

Originally Posted by UserName14289

I disagree. In my opinion, people in CA may smile more on the street at you than in the northeast, but there's little behind those smiles. In contrast, people in the northeast might be less free to share a smile on the street, but are genuinely friendly underneath the exterior. People on the east coast also tend to look out for their neighbors, whereas in CA it's overall more of a "me first" mentality. Broad generalizations, of course. Not everyone fits this bill. Just my experience.

I 100% agree with this and find it very accurate when comparing CA to the NE.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Yankee Doodler

I grew up in Massachusetts, lived in and around Boston for a few years, and moved from there to LA in 1990. Southern California felt like a foreign country to me; I would've felt more at home anywhere in Canada. The hot weather, extraverted culture, Hispanic influence (must they put salsa and jalapenos on everything?), smog, graffiti, traffic, it all was too much. I'm a lot more comfortable in the Bay Area (although still confronted by jalapenos), but sometimes I miss the four seasons and think of retiring in New England. On the plus side, I think people in California are generally much friendlier than northeasterners, and you can get a good job without having to "know somebody" as you do in Boston.

Hot peppers: figuratively and literally "the spice of life!" But then, I also like hot kimchi.