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As for "big fancy cars by most Americans standards"- drive down Greenwich Ave. or Boston Post Road in Greenwich (where I was born), pretty much any road in NJ and a majority of NY and tell me that they are "out of place". I'm a pauper by comparison! My Porsche is a 99- I know people you couldn't GIVE a 99 model ANYTHING to...
I daresay the median income of the two areas you cited is much higher than that of most areas in NePA. Again, you're comparing the norms of an area with one set of priorities and economic means to an area of another set. I never said you were materialistic, I just said, from the perspective of most natives of much of NePA, a Porsche or Vette is a luxury. Hence their description of it as a "big fancy car".
I do agree with the people being nice- to an extent. Our neighbors are very nice people, although not the types we would usually hang around (not money or class- more age and mentality). Though, many of the people we have seen outside of the community haven't been the best. Hell, at Mr.Z's, my wife when 7 months pregnant was trying to cross in the rain and nobody would stop to let her. This was not the first time, either- but it was the first time when she was obviously showing and people still had no common decency to let a woman, let alone a PREGNANT woman cross. Maybe because she showed too many teeth when she smiled, they knew she wasn't one of them .
I agree, we should have done more homework instead of putting ourselves at the mercy of our realtor. Between her hyping it up and us thinking "it's only xx minutes from NY, can't be that much different" (bwahaha, right), we figured we'd give it a go. We won't make the same mistake again though!
As for the community, we live in Conashaugh Lakes. I talk to people in the area that say it is one of the nice communities (same as our realtor), but I don't know. The deliverance comments are about coming to PA in general, not necessarily our community.
Also, just to clarify- I don't mean to label everyone as simple, but if I'm going to be considered materialistic for enjoying nice things, then the people doing the labeling are going to get labeled as simple
As for "big fancy cars by most Americans standards"- drive down Greenwich Ave. or Boston Post Road in Greenwich (where I was born), pretty much any road in NJ and a majority of NY and tell me that they are "out of place". I'm a pauper by comparison! My Porsche is a 99- I know people you couldn't GIVE a 99 model ANYTHING to...
I daresay the median income of the two areas you cited is much higher than that of most areas in NePA. Again, you're comparing the norms of an area with one set of priorities and economic means to an area of another set. I never said you were materialistic, I just said, from the perspective of most natives of much of NePA, a Porsche or Vette is a luxury. Hence their description of it as a "big fancy car".
I do agree with the people being nice- to an extent. Our neighbors are very nice people, although not the types we would usually hang around (not money or class- more age and mentality). Though, many of the people we have seen outside of the community haven't been the best. Hell, at Mr.Z's, my wife when 7 months pregnant was trying to cross in the rain and nobody would stop to let her. This was not the first time, either- but it was the first time when she was obviously showing and people still had no common decency to let a woman, let alone a PREGNANT woman cross. Maybe because she showed too many teeth when she smiled, they knew she wasn't one of them .
I agree, we should have done more homework instead of putting ourselves at the mercy of our realtor. Between her hyping it up and us thinking "it's only xx minutes from NY, can't be that much different" (bwahaha, right), we figured we'd give it a go. We won't make the same mistake again though!
As for the community, we live in Conashaugh Lakes. I talk to people in the area that say it is one of the nice communities (same as our realtor), but I don't know. The deliverance comments are about coming to PA in general, not necessarily our community.
Also, just to clarify- I don't mean to label everyone as simple, but if I'm going to be considered materialistic for enjoying nice things, then the people doing the labeling are going to get labeled as simple
I don't think you are being fair about the pedestrian issue though. When I go running for exercise through the more urban and suburban parts of the Wilkes-Barre area in the warmer months I'll often wear a pair of designer shades, a tight-fitting Armani Exchange t-shirt (that I got on sale at King of Prussia! LOL!), and a pair of Hollister running shorts. Obviously I dress pretty preppy and chic for a mere 22-year-old runner. However I, too, never have people stop for me at crosswalks (as they're SUPPOSED to in adherence to PA's NEVER enforced motor vehicle laws), have people make right-hand turns on red into my path at busy intersections, and have been bumped on more than one occasion by the side view mirror of a vehicle while running on the road side (sidewalks aren't common here either, which also irks me). I think it just has to do with everyone in NEPA being in a mad hurry to get absolutely nowhere. You should see the big-box store where I work on Sundays. Everyone is tapping their feet, sighing, looking at their watches, and practically doing the "pee pee dance" in the background to distract me while I assist other people who came before them. Isn't Sunday of all days supposed to be a "day of rest?"
Then you can go to certain parts of our area and be treated like royalty. My partner, whom I'm on a "break" with right now (and who is also on the flamboyant side, if you catch my drift), and I head to Downtown Honesdale quite a bit to enjoy the food at Elegante. Every visit we are surprised we only had to wait a few seconds to cross busy Main Street as the friendly motorists would wave us across crosswalks. There must be something up in the water in Wayne County to make people behave so much more politely than they do in your area (I'm guessing you were referencing the Marshall's Creek Mr. Z's) and in my own native Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, where people blow by me on I-81 when I'm already doing 15 miles over the speed limit as if I'm standing still!
Funny you mention the never enforced MV laws- it is a damn free for all out here with drivers. They are used to no enforcement and it shows in their driving. I admit, I am a lead foot (duh. as if my cars didn't say that lol), but I still drive respectfully. Not many others around here do, that's for sure...
The Mr Z's I was talking to is the one here in Lords Valley (Hawley?). Just extremely rude drivers and they're all the locals, not the city folk they always accuse of being rude. Actually, the mid 30's-40's "uppity" women in their Lexus SUV's and such are usually the only ones to stop and wave you by lol.
There is nothing wrong with liking nice things, wanting nice things, buying nice things, having nice things.
What is wrong is... looking down on and not wanting to be exposed to those who don't share your desire for the more expensive things in life. This is the impression that I'm getting. Thinking that you are better because you have better things.
If you ever get a flat tire on Rt 84 and my husband stops to help you in his 1995 rusted Ford Pick-up with 260,000 miles on it after working an 18 hour day, please be sure to tell him that you really don't like to 'mix' with people like him so he doesn't waste his time.
Kwiktsi, please don't label everyone in NEPA as being "simple." One need only head just northwest of Scranton to the Abingtons or just south of Scranton to Glenmaura or Greater Pittston to find a BMW and Audi adorning every other driveway. McMansions are popping up here like hemorrhoids. I know of at least two women who head to New York City regularly to keep up with the latest fashion trends. There are just as many materialists in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area as any other medium-sized metropolitan area.
To be fair you did NOT do your homework before you purchased your home. Pike County is what it is---a rural, laid-back area where people light up around hunting season, look forward to meeting friends at the grocery store, vote Republican, volunteer in their communities, and take pride in having deer as their backyard pets. While Pike County has consistently been the fastest-growing of Pennsylvania's sixty-seven counties, it is still very largely rural. No offense intended on behalf of Summering, DavidWebb, or our other fine Monroe County contributors on this forum, but after spending considerable time in The Stroudsburgs and getting that "attitude" it's certainly not an area I'd like to call home. Pike County is a world apart.
People there are genteel small-town folks. If they're "simple" in your eyes, then so be it. They'd also be the first ones to rush over in their pajamas to give you a warm cup of coffee and a blanket if your home were to catch fire some night. They'd also be the first ones to rush into your home to perform the Heimlich maneuver on your choking child after hearing about the incident on their police scanner. They'd also be the first ones to pull over in their pick-up trucks (complete with Bush/Cheney bumper sticker) to help you change your flat tire. They'd be the first to throw you a charity spaghetti dinner at the village church to help raise money for your spouse after learning of his or her diagnosis with a chronic and/or life-threatening illness. Don't knock the very same folks who may prove their weight in gold someday. No, they may not have college degrees or European SUVs (or in some cases even all of their teeth), but I'd take neighbors like those ANYDAY over the latte-sipping and PDA-pounding fakes I'll probably be befriending when I move into a loft in the city to pursue my career ambitions.
I've grown up in Greater Pittston's materialistic and rapidly-expanding suburbs, and I'd NEVER wish such an environment upon my own future children. Why do most people build McMansions and drive Jaguars anyways? It's to feel better about themselves, pure and simple. Purchasing such assets leads one to believe "Hey, I'm successful." A Jaguar is an upscale-looking Ford (literally). Nothing else besides a fancier hood ornament and more exorbitant price tag. Similarly, a yuppie is only a dressed-up bumpkin. Inside we all have a heart, stomach, capillaries, and tendons. On the outside though we just make ourselves appear differently because deep down inside some of us are just a tad bit insecure. You drive a Corvette and a Porsche. Good for you. Everyone in my family and extended family is college-educated and has a stable, lucrative career. Do you see me bragging about my engineer brother-in-law, professional NFL cheerleader cousin, or FBI agent uncle? No. Why? Humility is a beautiful thing, my friend. Those who are truly successful in their lives feel no reason to make others feel insecure about their own lives by rubbing that aforementioned success into the faces of others.
Just remember that you can't take your Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses, Prada handbag, or Audi TT Roadster with you when you pass away. What you can do with your affluence though is leave an everlasting legacy of altruism. To this day everyone knows the name "Carnegie." Similarly, if I ever find myself to be in possession of great financial wealth I hope to donate as much of my good fortune as possible to as many important causes as possible to make sure the name "ScranBarre" lives on forever as well. Bill & Melinda Gates won't just die as "stuck-up rich people." They'll die knowing that they helped to medicate and improve the lives of countless third-world Africans. Think about that the next time you put down your neighbors for being "lesser than thou."
Gosh darn This is why I LOVE this kid!!!!!!
Paul, if you were my son, Id be SOOOOOOOO freakin' proud of you!!!!!
Heck...I'm still proud of you!
I'm just glad we didn't refi when it was re-appraised!
THAT'S A GOOD THING! My friends just had their home re-appraised for a re-fi and it appraised at well over 200,000 - but the home will only sell for about 169,000 at that. Fortunately they only re-financed a fraction of what they were going to be allowed.
This is how many folks have gotten into the trouble they're in - by re-financing for what the mortgage company said they could have on the house and now they owe more than it's worth.
There is nothing wrong with liking nice things, wanting nice things, buying nice things, having nice things.
What is wrong is... looking down on and not wanting to be exposed to those who don't share your desire for the more expensive things in life. This is the impression that I'm getting. Thinking that you are better because you have better things.
If you ever get a flat tire on Rt 84 and my husband stops to help you in his 1995 rusted Ford Pick-up with 260,000 miles on it after working an 18 hour day, please be sure to tell him that you really don't like to 'mix' with people like him so he doesn't waste his time.
I never once said I look down on anyone for anything. Actually have said numerous times that I don't.. Hell, I am the first to share anything of mine with anyone- including my help... I also NEVER said I wouldn't "mix" with people just because of their background- in fact, to that I also said the opposite- I have friends from all walks of life. I only said that the people here aren't our crowd- my wife and I are 27 and 35yrs old and like to go out, do the car thing, boat, snowmobile, etc. and there aren't many we have met that have even remotely the same interests. Maybe you have some sort of inferiority complex because I sure as hell don't have a superiority complex....
What I ***DID SAY*** is that this area isn't for me. Are there a lot of white trash scumbags? To be blunt- absolutely, but there are scumbags everywhere. This all started because someone commented on how much we spent on our friggen washer and dryer, sorry- we bought it because we wanted it, not because it is any better or worse than anyone else has- I could give two ****s what others have to be frank... I also didn't mention the price to rub it in or act like I'm hot **** because of what they cost, I only included the price of them since it fit the discussion about the value of the house. If you took it as me bragging- please- it's a friggen washer and dryer. If I *wanted* to brag or act arrogant, I can find better things to brag about lol.
You guys apparently only like to see things how you want and that's it... I never said I am better than anyone- but I am used to living in "nicer" areas. You can't fault me for being raised in "modern" civilization and not the mountains... It's not my lifestyle, bottom line.. If you want to read too deep into it, then sorry, I'm not going to keep arguing. I am not stuck up, conceded, arrogant (well, a little when pushed), "high class", rich, or whatever else you people call us city folk who have moved here- but I do like nice things and I don't see a problem with that...
I'm done with this. You guys want to twist this how you see fit, so enjoy.. I'm too busy trying to get out of the twilight zone I currently live in and back to civilization to waste any more time trying to explain to people who only want to see things their way. Enjoy your life how you see fit and I'll do the same.
Last edited by kwiktsi; 11-17-2008 at 04:12 PM..
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