This is what it's like to live in the Seattle-Bellevue metro area (Kirkland: dangerous, suburb) - Washington (WA) -Seattle and King County Suburbs - Page 6 - City-Data Forum

usernametaken · 12-05-2022, 12:27 PM

One could make a case that a large portion of the suicides in East and South Asia and honor killings in Islamic countries are ultimately due to people being overly friendly (aka nosy). Your standing in your immediate densely populated community can be critical to your happiness in life. And ensuring your family is not dishonored in Islamic countries can be a matter of life and death. Everywhere you are being watched by "friends". In Iran, the friendly concern for your head covering is now global news. One of my southern US friends told me that the friendliness there is ultimately a need for gossiping and small talk! In Italy and Spain, the socializing and siesta lifestyle is often blamed for their economic problems versus northern Europe.

How Sweden survives without small talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JrfZH3VZSI

jabogitlu · 12-05-2022, 02:38 PM

The U.S. South is definitely a hotbed of gossip lifestyle. (I grew up in an Appalachian town of 16,000.) I'll take polite disinterest of the PNW any day. I genuinely know where I stand with most northwesterners.

homesinseattle · 12-05-2022, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

The U.S. South is definitely a hotbed of gossip lifestyle. (I grew up in an Appalachian town of 16,000.) I'll take polite disinterest of the PNW any day. I genuinely know where I stand with most northwesterners.

Where are you from jago? I know the Western NC Appalachians (Boone, Newland, Asheville, Sylva, Brevard) really well.

jabogitlu · 12-05-2022, 07:05 PM

Very cool

I grew up in the Tri-Cities (TN/VA), but Asheville and Boone are both within 90 minutes of my family's place. If I was moving back, I'd definitely be looking mostly at the NC highlands, mostly around Madison County for me. Great part of the country.

homesinseattle · 12-05-2022, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Very cool

I grew up in the Tri-Cities (TN/VA), but Asheville and Boone are both within 90 minutes of my family's place. If I was moving back, I'd definitely be looking mostly at the NC highlands, mostly around Madison County for me. Great part of the country.

I know Tri-Cities well, have flown in there a number of times. My family of origin lives in Miami but for many years we’ve had a little cabin in a true “holler” just south of Newland NC that even you have probably never heard of, Minneapolis NC

. Another way to get there is to head north of Weaverville, take 19E east past Spruce Pine to Minneapolis. Some things I remember about Tri-Cities: we would go to TN to buy fireworks, there was also some epic fun 5 “bars in 1 bar” place there, country music but much more than that. Also, for years it seems that Tri-Cities had this tower at the airport that you could actually go up on and watch the planes come in and depart. Oh, and my grandfather had a little cabin near Franklin-Sylva when I was young. The waterfalls and rivers near there are quite beautiful, we were regulars at that Sliding Rock place near Brevard! Good fun, ice cold.

Bluefox · 12-05-2022, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker

I've driven everywhere. Seattle has some decent, friendly drivers.

Agreed. There are plenty of jerks on the road to be sure but overall the drivers here tend to be better than anywhere else I’ve lived. Even the jerks seem to be more attentive to their aggressive driving which IMO is way better than some idiot playing on their phone while driving.