Now that I've spent over a year in Boston, I feel pretty confident saying I like but don't love the East Coast. What can I say? Northern California is a perfect fit for my temperament. That said, dude, there are a few things that the East Coast just. does. BETTER.
Pizza. Wolfgang Puck may have started the West Coast's pizza revolution, but his poncey little concoctions have got nothing on the greasy, flavorful slices you can find by the half-dozen on any block in Boston or New York. And, yes, the East Coast has converted me to the fold-over.
Public transportation. Hey, there's got to be some advantage to living in cities that were planned before the advent of motor vehicles, right?
Fashion. There's nothing like a California girl, trust, but ladies of the East Coast dress so well you might be tempted to forget it. I attribute this to the weather: because the seasons change so much, women here have to be masters of layering for every possible climate. Plus, it's up to fashionplates to add color to those grey winter days.
Ice cream. Back when I lived in the Bay Area, I used to routinely drive twenty minutes each way to go to the only microcreamery in the tri-city area. In Boston? I walked past three just this afternoon.
Sports team pride. Sure, the South has got its football, and the Midwest is pretty much synonymous with NASCAR (keep it, dudes), but never in my life have I seen whole cities so unanimously up in arms about sports all the dang time as on the East Coast. Whether it's baseball (go Sox!), basketball, rugby, lacrosse, croquet -- you name it, people get crazy. In Boston, at least, I think it's because sports obsessions are a combination of the three great pastimes: drinkin', fightin', and hometown pride.
Hey East Coast, I think you're pretty okay. Especially as long as you keep feeding me. What do you guys love or hate about the region you're currently living in?
Now that I've spent over a year in Boston, I feel pretty confident saying I like but don't love the East Coast. What can I say? Northern California is a perfect fit for my temperament. That said, dude, there are a few things that the East Coast just. does. BETTER. 
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7 comments:
Drinkin' & fightin' are definite reasons to enjoy a pastime.
I'm still not convinced by East Coast pizza. Or East Coast weather. If Wolfgang Puck is what you think of for West Coast pizza, you are totally missing out.
But damn if I am not terrified of what to pack to look cute when I'm there (next week!)
i am SO all about the east coast. i'm a southern girl by extraction, so i'm very much about the football, but the east coast can't be beat for baseball and hockey.
plus, it's fascinating to this gulf-coast kid that leaves can be other colors besides green and dead.
Midwest=NASCAR?? No, no...Midwest=College Football. Period.
Here's what I like about the Midwest, and Columbus in particular:
1) Our cold winters seem to breed particularly creative people. Columbus is chock full of cool artists, crafters, and cool people who like to turn old bread factories into communal creative spaces.
2) Columbus plays host to an ice-creamery that has been featured in the NY Times, the Food Network, etc.. The ice-creamery is known for using freshly farmed ingredients from central Ohio itself (helllooo, Sweet Corn and Black Raspberry!)
3) Columbus is ranked in the top 15 most gay-friendly cities in the US (LA is actually ranked BEHIND us)
4) The people here are made of "hearty stock" so it's okay if you put on a few pounds...you'll actually fit in a bit better.
I live in North-Central PA, so I feel like I'm on the cusp between the northeast and the midwest - we get some of the best and some of the worst of both worlds. I was raised in Texas, so PA definitely has WAY better pizza... but no Mexican food. NONE. (OK one restaurant but it s-u-c-k-s!)
The thing I like most about my (decidedly rural) area are the outdoor activities - floating on various moving bodies of water, camping, or just driving around admiring the beautiful mountains - and the fact that beer is traditionally consumed throughout said outdoor activities. And I love the dive bars. There is just something homey and downright fun about a dive bar, even if you're the only person in it.
I'd like to add historical tours/buildings/ships/houses/villages to the list of things the northeast does well. We can bore the crap out of an elementary school field trip in five minutes flat. Probably because if anything is remotely old and/or old-looking, we slap a plaque on it and tell people to tread lightly. We've also gotten really good at embellishing historical stories (see: Paul Revere's Ride).
The Midwest is in no way synonymous with NASCAR. I promise you, I've lived in the Midwest all my life and never met a single person who cared anything about fast cars going 'round and 'round on a track. We're more of a baseball/football/basketball people. Just sayin'.
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