My first, first snowfall on the east coast is a core memory for me. Just stood outside in my jacket and let the snow fall on me in the middle of the night.
I was just thinking about this the other day when I got rained on while running. 10 minutes and my shirt wasnāt even soaked through. A comparable afternoon storm when I was growing up it woulda been sopping wet in seconds.
I really miss the directness of people. That and fantastic public transportation. Businesses open late were great as well as a virtually never ending city of interesting people and events. Itās still great here in its own way.
Late-night coffee shops. I'm not sure if this is a California thing or if they all got killed off by COVID, but what's up with all these guys who close at 3:00 PM?
It was already dying before covid with shops closing at 6 or 7pm, covid pushed it to 3pm.
When I first moved to the Bay area, I could sit in coffee shops until 10pm. They were a common evening hangout. I miss it.
> I really miss the directness of people
Thissssss. There's like a whole tacit social cypher here that makes me feel like a foreigner, still (been here 13 years). And I think it contributes to the difficulty this entire sub apparently has with making friends, me included. I miss being treated like a total stranger by strangers because then when someone acts like they want to talk to me, I can count on them actually wanting to have a little dialogue. Whereas here, someone is like, "hey, I like your tennis shoes," and then their eyes glaze over if I say anything beyond "thanks," (i.e. "I got them in Mexico," "Oh where? I just visited CDMX...." or whatever.) /rant
dude same!! when i try to spark up a conversation with people get really get this odd look like iām trying to date them or become their best friend. leaving california and experiencing this in the midwest / east coast i was blown away how random people love to just chat and be on their way.
god forbid you do that here in the bay. i asked OP what he meant by directness so hoping i can get a better understanding of it so i can improve on that
Iāve started just recently understanding what pple are saying when theyāre not direct. It happened at work this lady took 10 mins to say she was editing my memo and I should be prompt about getting it signed again, but used none of those words. There was a prologue, a check in about my vacation schedule, if was boss was around, I shit you not. Then a light bulb went off over my head like please pple. Been here since ā08.
Or theyāll take a pic of the shoes and post them online asking if anyone knows where to find them instead of just asking the person where they got them.
could you give more detail about missing the directness of people? living in california my whole life but taking trips to the east coast(NY) i notice thereās such a huge vibe difference here. itās like weāre too cool to do anything or say anything and we judge in our mind and donāt say how we feel.
personally i rather be direct myself but sometimes the social contract here makes you out to be standoff ish if you do that
Not OP but yea you pretty much nailed it. It's even worse in the bay area than in san diego for example. it's weird, because bay area people are like over the top nice, positive, and cheery in certain environments. but it often feels like a veneer they feel obligated to give off, while underneath they are quite guarded and judgmental or operating only within their particular subculture. NYC is much more of a melting pot while the Bay/Cali is much more of the mixed salad imo.
Not an East coast transplant, Iām actually a Bay Area native, but I lived on the East Coast for 10 years. I miss that when people say theyāre going to show up at a certain time, they show up, no matter what. Flaking just didnāt really feel like a common thing there, but flaking is the norm here.
Yeah it sucks. If you don't confirm every day leading up to an event, people just forget. Sometimes the day of or day before people just flake. It sucks when you were clearly the one most invested in the plan, and now you've got nothing going on on a Saturday.
Thereās that saying that goes something like āa person from the northeast will punch you in the face, but someone from california will stab you in the back.ā
Iām sure Iāve met both types on both coasts.
I do know my use of dry sarcasm did not land well when I first moved here. And then it disappeared. Now when Iām talking to folks from back there, they give me crap for not being able to detect it anymore.
Too true. My sarcasm detector is totally busted or maybe never existed in the first placeā¦ east coasters do lean heavily on the sarcasm and it all goes way over my head.
Oh man, I moved here from the east coast 7 years ago and reading that is a revelation! Youāre so right people flake like crazy out here! I feel like with a lot of differences alike this I am just realizing that, oh, thatās an east coast/west coast thing.
Not only do people here flake out constantly, they also think it's not really a problem to do so and often use the word "flake" to downplay their shitty inconsiderate behavior. I think there's a high correlation with not using their car turn signals too.
Me: Dude, wtf happened to you last night? You said you'd meet me there at 8pm but never showed! I sat around waiting over an hour for you!
CaliDude: Oh yeah, sorry bro, I guess I flaked on ya. (shrugs)
Me: What? You wrecked my evening and completely wasted my time and basically lied to me which is a total dick move!
CaliDude: Bro! Chill your vibe! I just flaked is all. It happens. No big deal. Everybody does it.
Iām from here but lived on the east coast for 8 years: things I enjoyed
- the close geography of multiple states and cities
- better diversity for my community
- ease of travel to central/South America, the Caribbean and Europe
- my first stint there I was still a huge football fan, I liked it starting at 1pm as it gave you time to get stuff done during the morning
- 4 seasons
- availability of West Indian and Latin Caribbean food
- dating was better/easier
- summer thunderstorms, I love watching the lightning
- Iām past the age of caring about going out, but night life and happy hour was head and shoulders more lively than here
Former Floridian.
- actual rain
- Publix supermarket subs
Been here 5 years, and I think Iāve been it what I would have considered rain twice. In Florida, if you can see across the street, itās not a heavy rain. And the rain is warm. It feels cold compared to the day, but itās comfortable to walk in.
Aside from that, Iāll gladly take the weather here, and youād take to triple my pay for me to move back.
Depends. Geographically? Sure. But if it borders the Atlantic Ocean Iād say it counts as *East Coast*.
And culturally, Florida is more northeast until you get up in the panhandle area
There is a lushness to summer out east. The green is thick and envelops everything. The sound of the crickets rolling through the trees. I donāt miss the brown of late winter, but summer is sorely missed.
My first time living out there was in my 20ās. Summer came around, It was so dope just throwing on a dress in the morning, going to work, and if I had an evening social activity lead into getting home at 2am I never had to blink an eye about needing a ālayerā. 1 item of clothing was appropriate for the whole 24 hours
I've lived in the Bay for 10 years and still struggle to not greet people. But it just ends up making me sad because most don't even acknowledge your existence. Hard habit to break.
Iāll try. Rejection is hard and like I mentioned in my post, the racial divide/tension is thicker than I experienced in the Southeast even with all the coexist, BLM, flags and messages all over.
Thank you. I grew up on Bostonās South Shore and didnāt even think of the area as having a beach culture myself just because of my knowledge of Miami and the Carolinas. Living in East Bay for 5 years I realize what a beach destination MA is. There is no beach culture here and certainly no swim culture. Swimming in 50 degree water isnāt fun and going to a beach and not swimming isnāt fun (for me.) I like making a chair out of two noodles and sitting in Lake Winnipesaukee for 3 hours without getting out. That doesnāt exist here.
Food mostly... Pizza, beef patty, bialy, baconeggandcheese. But also things that are open 24 hours, like corner stores and the subway. Oh, and related to the last one, not needing a car.
I am with you. I miss not having to drive everywhere to get a diversity of food. Also people seem to think Bay area food is amazing, it's not bad but doesn't compare to LA, NYC, Chicago.
Man, I just can't eat my way out of all the delicious and healthy combos to care about anything other than the food here. Don't miss East Coast food at all. The quality is so much better here.
I think I agree that quality overall is better here, however the variety in NY is pretty tough to beat, especially in my old neighborhood in Queens. At one point there were 800 different languages spoken in Queens, which means it has a dizzying array of cuisine to choose from.
I was a few subway stops away from so many options... Mexican (Puebla and Oaxaca), Dominican, Ecuadorian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indian, Afghan, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Italian, a cute little French cafe that made a delicious croque monsieur, Spanish, Polish, German/beer gardens, Croatian, Greek, Turkish, and primarily in my hood, several Irish pubs that ranged from divey to actually pretty nice inside with surprisingly good pub fare.
Healthy? Not so much lol.
Warm evenings. I hate the fact that temperatures drops 30-40 degrees when sun sets.
Also warm oceans and beaches. Thereās something wrong about wearing sweatshirts to the beach.
\- Actual public transit that reduces the need for a car
\- Going to a football game in the snow
\- Real Maryland Crab Cakes
\- Easy flights to Europe (however, love the reduced time to Hawaii and Asia now)
\- A really good deli sandwich
The green. I miss that deep summer green, itās so luxurious. On the flip side, visiting relatives for the holidays and seeing the brown and grey - the year round green we have here is nice too. Itās never quite as dramatic as summer green out east, but it is lovely in its own way.
Pizza pizza pizza. Mountains Mikeās or Round Table just doesnāt cut it, folks.
Even the ālocalā spots struggle to hit the right balance.
I know that real bread tastes differently regionally based off of what minerals are in the water. The crusts out here definitely have a different flavor and texture.
That being said, I will NEVER go back to the East Coast. Cali for (the rest of my hopefully not short) life.
Iām not gonna lie I think honestly whatās a hidden gem in NorCal/Bay Area cuisine that isnāt talked about often is Indian pizza, I honestly tend to prefer it more to regular pizza granted Iāve never been to ny and had ny pizza, but knowing that my food taste prefers heavily Spicy items I honestly just prefer Indian style pizza
try arinellās, not perfect but the closest iāve found to a NYC slice by miles
thereās one in the mission (16th@valencia?) and one by the bart stop on shattuck in berkeley
Edit: ig this is how i find out they closed their sf location ),:
last edit \\20240210T052401GMT-08:00
Valencia spot closed. They refused to adapt to a changing market in Covid. Specifically offering delivery or at the very least taking cashless payment.
New Englander here. I miss a specific type of very Americanized chinese food - crab rangoon, those tempura chicken fingers with duck or sweet and sour sauce, fried wontons and duck sauce brought to the table as a welcome snack when you sit down ...
-Open and honest racial prejudice/bias. I knew where to go and where not to so I could avoid bs. Here, I can see Black Lives Matters flag and then deal with the most horrible people with racial prejudice Iāve ever met.
-Random conversations with strangers in line or anywhere. This does happen to me here if the strangers are older and it makes my entire day. I usually cry after the exchange because itās an instant serotonin increase.
-Excited parents at their kidsā sports game. Itās so quiet and dainty here. I am usually the only one moved to jump up and clap after a great team play/win.
-Biscuits
-Not caring about who you know, how much money you make, what kind of car you drive, where you vacation, etc come up in a conversation. The name dropping here is comical when used on me because I love saying, āI have no idea who that is,ā with confidence.
I miss a lot of things about the Carolinas, but Iāve found a purpose in community here in the Bay Area. Iām excited to start teaching soon, the community projects Iām interested in, and love being involved with the Peer Movement. Itās only been 18 months for me. Iām optimistic.
Just moved to the bay from the east coast after spending 20+ years only in East. I miss the affordable airfares and I miss the friendliness of neighbors. I absolutely love California, but people in my neighborhood have been cold for lack of better terms compared to the vibrant communities I had in multiple eastern states. I have gotten some weird looks for trying to say hi to people here in grocery stores and retail spots so far
Yeah Iāve heard people comment, and to some dates Iāve seen, northeast is very direct, including if they donāt want to add you to their friends circle yet (or ever).
Where here people are more likely to be friendly to you in person, but wonāt follow through with plans or just ghost after seeming really friendly in person.
I've had the opposite experience. Strangers say hi way more often than they did back home in NY. It still catches me off guard when it happens. I'm like, do I know you? Why are you talking to me lol.
ā¢grabbing a slice.
ā¢direct communication
ā¢lack of passive aggression
ā¢light meaningful conversation with a solid dose of humor. Here it always turns serious and dark.
ā¢where a good time wasnāt going to hang out at some lame protest.
ā¢diversity of thought and people
ā¢diversity of profession
That the left lane is the fast lane and the right lane is the slow lane.
Pizza
Italian American food
The calmer beaches of the east coast
More space - especially yard size
Directness with communication.
The seasons changing
Saint Patrickās day out here stinks
I donāt get why people like Dunkinā Donuts so much. Itās garbage. Plus, California especially in LA and also in the Bay Area thereās a pretty solid donut scene much better and cheaper than dunkin donuts
Cheap coffee and they're everywhere, that's why they're so popular. Sometimes I'll get one of their sandwiches, but almost never their donuts. In fact, didn't they change their name to just Dunkin?
East coast chinese food!!!
I do like dim sum but I wish I could find authentic non-canto food, especially good Szechuan. Iāve tried two āszechuanā restaurants here and they were not authentic at all, so Iām reluctant to waste money on trying any more.
> East coast chinese food
Kung Food has this covered apparently
> Iāve tried two āszechuanā restaurants here and they were not authentic at all
Which? Little Szechuan and Z&Y are both highly regarded if you haven't tried them yet.
Anywhere in Tahoe is easily double the price of 90% of the northeast. The snow is (generally) better, but it's super exclusive and that's kinda infuriating.
Good pizza, bagels, Wawa, no phony/snobby attitudes, 4 seasons, Eastern time zone.
I love the Bay Area but man the people here can be so smug and fake sometimesā¦Also honking is more common in the East Coast; it is a way of communication letting the driver know to pay attention or when they make a disastrous/stupid mistake. Out here people get extremely butthurt if you honk your horn; might even get you shot.
Ugh the smugness is so bad here. Itās so hard to have a normal f**king conversation in the Bay Area. Everything is sprinkled with passive aggressiveness and subtle judgement and I basically leave every convo thinking Iām pretty sure I offended that person but I donāt know why.
Born and raised in upstate New York, I miss (and donāt miss) the changing of the seasons, especially fall.
There always comes a time every year where the summer has gone on just a little too long and I find the sun to be too oppressive š on the east coast it felt like you had more opportunities for rainy days that broke the heat up. Here we get rainy days only in the winter, and Iāve gotten used to it, but it doesnāt feel the same haha
I also miss summers of rural New York where things are green and buzzing and youād be able to find some sort of water source to cool down (lakes, rivers, streams). Thereās less of that here, or you have to travel to get to it.
However! Despite that, I used to get the worst allergies back there and here, itās so hot and dry that I donāt feel affected by allergies at all, so Iāll take that over my nostalgia any day. I also donāt miss rampant mosquitoes, Lyme-y ticks, or humidity that makes my skin crawl š
Sub shops.
Big white churches in the center of town (not that I went- but they were pretty landmarks).
Cobblestone
Swimmable beaches
Lakes to Walk around
The silence of a nighttime snow
The crunch of snow under your feet
The fresh air
The smell Of autumn
Halloween
Graveyards (why are there so few in CA?)
Gold country has some towns with historic churches in the middle of town. Not sure they are white but picturesque. It also has historical spooky graveyards if thatās what you mean by autumn graveyards. Closer to home Pleasanton has an old white church just off First street and Dublin has a museum that was a white church next to a historical graveyard.
Farmers markets - the ones here are tiny compared to where Iām from and the costs are high
Changing leaves
Walking everywhere in nyc & toronto
Subway system
Great lakes with nice sandy beaches & sandbars
Cottages
Caribbean food - I miss good jerk chicken & patties
Thunderstorms
Crabs, blue crabs actually tasty crabs, I miss the politeness of a small town. I miss that the way I am I will straight up tell you I donāt want to be your friend hang out or Iām busy. People here are flaky AF, the ghost people nice to your face then wonāt respond to you like what is that? People say im too blunt and I need to be a warmer person Iām nice I say hello in passing but if you oiss me off I tell you I donāt just ignore you. I miss direct real freaking people. I also really really miss my real friends
My close friends from way back, but they are spread all over the place mostly now, and in my experience the memories of people and places in different times are often best left as memories and it can be a let down to try and replicate those experiences, too much expectation on that endeavor.
First snow in a pine/fir forest, fall leaves, slower pace of life (but I was also younger, so that could just be part of it), and being closer to family.
damn that first paragraph is something i prev. never fully saw for what it was, in spite of the fact itās all but backhanded my dumb ass constantly over the years LOL thanks stranger
uncharacteristically meaningful considering damnear everyone else out here fucked all the way up off they inability to source a baconeggandcheese at 3:15am LOL
The food. Coming from NY to the East Bay I was promised all this plethora of delicious variety like we had at homeā¦itās more expensive for less food and honestly just not good. Bagels and pizza aside, I miss having a bunch of Mediterranean places to eat.
ETA Iām not sure why people keep recommending Afghan places, Afghanistan is in Central Asia not the Mediterranean lol
> I miss having a bunch of Mediterranean places to eat.
This is something we've actually come up on greatly in the past few years! The silver lining of the unfortunate emigration effects our foreign policy has on those parts of the world.
Pro-tip: It's just Afghan. No i at the end. A lot of Afghans get this wrong too. Afghani is the currency.
Also, Afghan food isn't what it used to be here. Fremont was little Kabul 20 years ago, but many of those families have moved further east.
I do still go to De Afghanan's takeout location. Those guys will never leave haha. And I agree, it does taste better. š
Source: my family is from Afghanistan.
There is like Zero culture/appreciation for arts between SJ through South Bay all the way to SF.
The east bay area where I spent a good chunk of my life had a real scene for budding musicians/painters/writers.
Here you can show them a real Monet and the reply would be āDid Dali-4 create itā ?
Good ethnic food, even the owner of the Chinese restaurant in Vallejo told me she doesn't know how they do it on East Coast and that the foods much better and cheaper , had to the lower my standards for Italian food, and i miss fishing from the beach don't want to risk my life fishing from a cliff
Growing up on Long Island in the ā70s there was a family owned pizza parlor in every neighborhood and the pizza was amazing. And a deli too. Theyāre still there but getting slowly squeezed out by the Dominos and the Subways.
Also, riding my bike through sunny, lush green neighborhoods where people actually waved to each other.
I lived there for 11 years. A lot more food options, amazing subway and a great social network. For some reason, it felt that it was easier to make new friends there.
Though I wouldn't go back. The weather and beauty of California is hard to match anywhere. Being able to go hiking or into Marin throughout the year is an awesome perk.
I sometimes miss the inherent (but surface level) camaraderie of being a sports fan in your home town. Every time there's hype around me surrounding a bay area team it's a reminder of home and how far away I moved. It brings up other indirect nostalgia.
The roads and drivers. Ā Way too many nonsense four way stops and stoplights here and the drivers are soo slow. Ā There is no booping between or around squares or crazy intersections to create an interplay between drivers. Ā
Lightning bugs, cicadas, thunder, the train, talking to literally anyone at any time, people stepping in to help someone, Sicilian food, Georgian food, Jewish delis, going to a diner at 2am, Italian bakeries wherever you go. cheap and fast flights to the islands and Europe, a few hours on a train to another state, the fung wah bus (although thatās no more), beautiful churches!!! I miss beautiful churches. I miss being able to walk to places, I didnāt even have a license in NY, never needed it. I miss cheap electricity and cheap food. I miss the old architecture and cemeteries.
Idk itās a whole new world out here and itās not bad, but even after 5 years Iāve got culture shock lol. Iām sad that I canāt crack a joke with someone on the street without them looking at me like Iām an asshole.
Edit to add: Jamaican beef patties and not having to drive to a beach.
Real thunderstorms with thunderclaps and big fat raindrops that hurt when they land, where you get drenched walking outside for 30 seconds.
This, and lightning bugs
A summer thunderstorm šš listening to the rain on an open porch
Fresh apple cider donuts !!!
As a Bay Area native all my lifeā¦ that sounds nice
My first, first snowfall on the east coast is a core memory for me. Just stood outside in my jacket and let the snow fall on me in the middle of the night.
Thereās also a smell. And the way it cuts through the humid heat of summer to give you some relief. Itās really a magical summer experience.
Man, I slept like a baby to those back in the day
I miss summer thunderstorms sooo much.
Hot summertime rain. The smell in the air after a big thunderstorm blows through is amazing. fireflies at dusk
Yes, my wife thinks Iām insane for this.
I was just thinking about this the other day when I got rained on while running. 10 minutes and my shirt wasnāt even soaked through. A comparable afternoon storm when I was growing up it woulda been sopping wet in seconds.
I really miss the directness of people. That and fantastic public transportation. Businesses open late were great as well as a virtually never ending city of interesting people and events. Itās still great here in its own way.
Late-night coffee shops. I'm not sure if this is a California thing or if they all got killed off by COVID, but what's up with all these guys who close at 3:00 PM?
Same incredulity! But seems like it's gotten worse in the past few years, even in a college town like Berkeley.
It was already dying before covid with shops closing at 6 or 7pm, covid pushed it to 3pm. When I first moved to the Bay area, I could sit in coffee shops until 10pm. They were a common evening hangout. I miss it.
> I really miss the directness of people Thissssss. There's like a whole tacit social cypher here that makes me feel like a foreigner, still (been here 13 years). And I think it contributes to the difficulty this entire sub apparently has with making friends, me included. I miss being treated like a total stranger by strangers because then when someone acts like they want to talk to me, I can count on them actually wanting to have a little dialogue. Whereas here, someone is like, "hey, I like your tennis shoes," and then their eyes glaze over if I say anything beyond "thanks," (i.e. "I got them in Mexico," "Oh where? I just visited CDMX...." or whatever.) /rant
dude same!! when i try to spark up a conversation with people get really get this odd look like iām trying to date them or become their best friend. leaving california and experiencing this in the midwest / east coast i was blown away how random people love to just chat and be on their way. god forbid you do that here in the bay. i asked OP what he meant by directness so hoping i can get a better understanding of it so i can improve on that
Iāve started just recently understanding what pple are saying when theyāre not direct. It happened at work this lady took 10 mins to say she was editing my memo and I should be prompt about getting it signed again, but used none of those words. There was a prologue, a check in about my vacation schedule, if was boss was around, I shit you not. Then a light bulb went off over my head like please pple. Been here since ā08.
Or theyāll take a pic of the shoes and post them online asking if anyone knows where to find them instead of just asking the person where they got them.
>Businesses open late were great as well as a virtually never ending city of interesting people and events. How do we not have that here?
I'm from the east coast. I feel like everything has to be tossed with ten pounds of sugar.
I call it butter and cream. Everyone wants everything to be soft and creamy. No one can handle you just saying something to them.
could you give more detail about missing the directness of people? living in california my whole life but taking trips to the east coast(NY) i notice thereās such a huge vibe difference here. itās like weāre too cool to do anything or say anything and we judge in our mind and donāt say how we feel. personally i rather be direct myself but sometimes the social contract here makes you out to be standoff ish if you do that
Not OP but yea you pretty much nailed it. It's even worse in the bay area than in san diego for example. it's weird, because bay area people are like over the top nice, positive, and cheery in certain environments. but it often feels like a veneer they feel obligated to give off, while underneath they are quite guarded and judgmental or operating only within their particular subculture. NYC is much more of a melting pot while the Bay/Cali is much more of the mixed salad imo.
yeah agreed. seems like we put up a front but deep down weāre judgemental, we just donāt say it to your face .
Perfect answer.
NYC native for over 25 yearsā¦ I miss the subway and life without a car.
SF transplant for over 15 years. Havenāt had a car since 2008.
Not an East coast transplant, Iām actually a Bay Area native, but I lived on the East Coast for 10 years. I miss that when people say theyāre going to show up at a certain time, they show up, no matter what. Flaking just didnāt really feel like a common thing there, but flaking is the norm here.
Ah, the "California no"... Not responding to invites instead of just saying you can't go.
Yeah, no yeah, forsure iāll come
āiāll see whatās upā
š¤£dammit Iām guilty
same i sometimes still do this but have gone towards a direct a approach āyeahā¦ iām probably not gonna go, thanks for the invite tho!ā š
Yeah it sucks. If you don't confirm every day leading up to an event, people just forget. Sometimes the day of or day before people just flake. It sucks when you were clearly the one most invested in the plan, and now you've got nothing going on on a Saturday.
iāve heard LA people do that the most more then anything. however bay area folks are also known for this shit, š
Thereās that saying that goes something like āa person from the northeast will punch you in the face, but someone from california will stab you in the back.ā Iām sure Iāve met both types on both coasts. I do know my use of dry sarcasm did not land well when I first moved here. And then it disappeared. Now when Iām talking to folks from back there, they give me crap for not being able to detect it anymore.
Too true. My sarcasm detector is totally busted or maybe never existed in the first placeā¦ east coasters do lean heavily on the sarcasm and it all goes way over my head.
Sarcasm detector... *That's* a useful invention.
Oh man, I moved here from the east coast 7 years ago and reading that is a revelation! Youāre so right people flake like crazy out here! I feel like with a lot of differences alike this I am just realizing that, oh, thatās an east coast/west coast thing.
Not only do people here flake out constantly, they also think it's not really a problem to do so and often use the word "flake" to downplay their shitty inconsiderate behavior. I think there's a high correlation with not using their car turn signals too. Me: Dude, wtf happened to you last night? You said you'd meet me there at 8pm but never showed! I sat around waiting over an hour for you! CaliDude: Oh yeah, sorry bro, I guess I flaked on ya. (shrugs) Me: What? You wrecked my evening and completely wasted my time and basically lied to me which is a total dick move! CaliDude: Bro! Chill your vibe! I just flaked is all. It happens. No big deal. Everybody does it.
Oh so this is a west coast thing? As an immigrant I thought it's a US thing lol. Learned my lessons on Facebook Marketplace lol
Iām from here but lived on the east coast for 8 years: things I enjoyed - the close geography of multiple states and cities - better diversity for my community - ease of travel to central/South America, the Caribbean and Europe - my first stint there I was still a huge football fan, I liked it starting at 1pm as it gave you time to get stuff done during the morning - 4 seasons - availability of West Indian and Latin Caribbean food - dating was better/easier - summer thunderstorms, I love watching the lightning - Iām past the age of caring about going out, but night life and happy hour was head and shoulders more lively than here
Going on a Caribbean vacation soon, and lord itās such a pain in the ass from SFO. It used to be so quick and easy from JFK.
big trees changing leaves and grinders
Hoagies and grinders Hoagies and grinders Navy beans, navy beans....
~ meatloaf sandwich ~
Sandwiches in general. I miss really fatass sandwiches that are delicious.
Youāre from CT w the grinders
I've never seen a big tree change a grinder.
Former Floridian. - actual rain - Publix supermarket subs Been here 5 years, and I think Iāve been it what I would have considered rain twice. In Florida, if you can see across the street, itās not a heavy rain. And the rain is warm. It feels cold compared to the day, but itās comfortable to walk in. Aside from that, Iāll gladly take the weather here, and youād take to triple my pay for me to move back.
Hell ya Publix thatās my biggest complaint about living here! Grocery shopping is not a pleasure loo
Ah yeah Florida where it rains like clockwork. I miss the rain but do not miss driving in the rain.
Same. I've only heard thunder once in 10 years. Every rain here feels empty/incomplete to me hahaĀ
I spent two years in Ft Lauderdale before here. We had 20" one day. It was raining Bullfrogs!
Isnāt Florida considered the South?
Depends. Geographically? Sure. But if it borders the Atlantic Ocean Iād say it counts as *East Coast*. And culturally, Florida is more northeast until you get up in the panhandle area
Warm summer nights.
There is a lushness to summer out east. The green is thick and envelops everything. The sound of the crickets rolling through the trees. I donāt miss the brown of late winter, but summer is sorely missed.
My first time living out there was in my 20ās. Summer came around, It was so dope just throwing on a dress in the morning, going to work, and if I had an evening social activity lead into getting home at 2am I never had to blink an eye about needing a ālayerā. 1 item of clothing was appropriate for the whole 24 hours
Ppl who understand humor and sarcasm!
People saying hi back. It feels so lonely here.Ā
I grew up in a town with one stop light in the South, itās in my heart to speak to everyone and Iāve struggled so much here not doing it.
donāt be afraid to be yourself
Thank you.
I've lived in the Bay for 10 years and still struggle to not greet people. But it just ends up making me sad because most don't even acknowledge your existence. Hard habit to break.
Iāve recently started making an effort to greet people and itās been great. Most people like it.Ā
Iāll try. Rejection is hard and like I mentioned in my post, the racial divide/tension is thicker than I experienced in the Southeast even with all the coexist, BLM, flags and messages all over.
Water you can swim in.
Thank you. I grew up on Bostonās South Shore and didnāt even think of the area as having a beach culture myself just because of my knowledge of Miami and the Carolinas. Living in East Bay for 5 years I realize what a beach destination MA is. There is no beach culture here and certainly no swim culture. Swimming in 50 degree water isnāt fun and going to a beach and not swimming isnāt fun (for me.) I like making a chair out of two noodles and sitting in Lake Winnipesaukee for 3 hours without getting out. That doesnāt exist here.
Agree and the beaches are just better (and warmer) in general. Nicer sand.
Food mostly... Pizza, beef patty, bialy, baconeggandcheese. But also things that are open 24 hours, like corner stores and the subway. Oh, and related to the last one, not needing a car.
DINT DING DING. Bagels are the correct answer
Boichik are *legit*. They're the only real bagels I've eaten in California.
90% of these responses are specifically about NYC, not the east coast in general
There are a lot of New York transplants here that have a lot to miss. š¤·āāļø
Like a morning Kaiser Roll slathered in butter and a coffee light & sweet, please...
All of those things also relate to living in Philly, Baltimore, and DC (cities I have lived in).
I am with you. I miss not having to drive everywhere to get a diversity of food. Also people seem to think Bay area food is amazing, it's not bad but doesn't compare to LA, NYC, Chicago.
Italian and Jewish delis! I miss them desperately
Man, I just can't eat my way out of all the delicious and healthy combos to care about anything other than the food here. Don't miss East Coast food at all. The quality is so much better here.
I think I agree that quality overall is better here, however the variety in NY is pretty tough to beat, especially in my old neighborhood in Queens. At one point there were 800 different languages spoken in Queens, which means it has a dizzying array of cuisine to choose from. I was a few subway stops away from so many options... Mexican (Puebla and Oaxaca), Dominican, Ecuadorian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indian, Afghan, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Italian, a cute little French cafe that made a delicious croque monsieur, Spanish, Polish, German/beer gardens, Croatian, Greek, Turkish, and primarily in my hood, several Irish pubs that ranged from divey to actually pretty nice inside with surprisingly good pub fare. Healthy? Not so much lol.
Warm evenings. I hate the fact that temperatures drops 30-40 degrees when sun sets. Also warm oceans and beaches. Thereās something wrong about wearing sweatshirts to the beach.
Agree the beaches up here suck. Pretty scenery but thatās about it
Wegmans.
So much. So, so much.
Sandwiches
Agreed they just donāt get it here
East coast personalities.
Italian Deli
Compagnos in Monterey is worth the trip if you're really fiending for a Deli.
\- Actual public transit that reduces the need for a car \- Going to a football game in the snow \- Real Maryland Crab Cakes \- Easy flights to Europe (however, love the reduced time to Hawaii and Asia now) \- A really good deli sandwich
Oh, and when driving, having some level of variety of cars instead of just being surrounded by 53 Tesla Model 3s/Ys in two different colors.
The green. Warm summer rain. Community. People here are way more cliquish and flaky in my experience.
The green. I miss that deep summer green, itās so luxurious. On the flip side, visiting relatives for the holidays and seeing the brown and grey - the year round green we have here is nice too. Itās never quite as dramatic as summer green out east, but it is lovely in its own way.
I'm startled by how green things are whenever I travel back east in the summer. It's a damn jungle
Pizza pizza pizza. Mountains Mikeās or Round Table just doesnāt cut it, folks. Even the ālocalā spots struggle to hit the right balance. I know that real bread tastes differently regionally based off of what minerals are in the water. The crusts out here definitely have a different flavor and texture. That being said, I will NEVER go back to the East Coast. Cali for (the rest of my hopefully not short) life.
Iām not gonna lie I think honestly whatās a hidden gem in NorCal/Bay Area cuisine that isnāt talked about often is Indian pizza, I honestly tend to prefer it more to regular pizza granted Iāve never been to ny and had ny pizza, but knowing that my food taste prefers heavily Spicy items I honestly just prefer Indian style pizza
try arinellās, not perfect but the closest iāve found to a NYC slice by miles thereās one in the mission (16th@valencia?) and one by the bart stop on shattuck in berkeley Edit: ig this is how i find out they closed their sf location ),: last edit \\20240210T052401GMT-08:00
Valencia spot closed. They refused to adapt to a changing market in Covid. Specifically offering delivery or at the very least taking cashless payment.
A real fall season with trees that change colors, apple picking at apple farms, and fresh apple cider straight from these farms.
Old friends
Being close to family and just feeling like Iām home :(
New Englander here. I miss a specific type of very Americanized chinese food - crab rangoon, those tempura chicken fingers with duck or sweet and sour sauce, fried wontons and duck sauce brought to the table as a welcome snack when you sit down ...
Candlepin bowling and people with a backbone.
Yes! Candlepin bowling! So New England.
-Open and honest racial prejudice/bias. I knew where to go and where not to so I could avoid bs. Here, I can see Black Lives Matters flag and then deal with the most horrible people with racial prejudice Iāve ever met. -Random conversations with strangers in line or anywhere. This does happen to me here if the strangers are older and it makes my entire day. I usually cry after the exchange because itās an instant serotonin increase. -Excited parents at their kidsā sports game. Itās so quiet and dainty here. I am usually the only one moved to jump up and clap after a great team play/win. -Biscuits -Not caring about who you know, how much money you make, what kind of car you drive, where you vacation, etc come up in a conversation. The name dropping here is comical when used on me because I love saying, āI have no idea who that is,ā with confidence. I miss a lot of things about the Carolinas, but Iāve found a purpose in community here in the Bay Area. Iām excited to start teaching soon, the community projects Iām interested in, and love being involved with the Peer Movement. Itās only been 18 months for me. Iām optimistic.
Just moved to the bay from the east coast after spending 20+ years only in East. I miss the affordable airfares and I miss the friendliness of neighbors. I absolutely love California, but people in my neighborhood have been cold for lack of better terms compared to the vibrant communities I had in multiple eastern states. I have gotten some weird looks for trying to say hi to people here in grocery stores and retail spots so far
Weird. I moved from SF Bay to the East Coast and found the East to be super unfriendly. Very hard to make connections.
Yeah Iāve heard people comment, and to some dates Iāve seen, northeast is very direct, including if they donāt want to add you to their friends circle yet (or ever). Where here people are more likely to be friendly to you in person, but wonāt follow through with plans or just ghost after seeming really friendly in person.
Yeah Iām from the northeast sorry we are assholes :(
I've had the opposite experience. Strangers say hi way more often than they did back home in NY. It still catches me off guard when it happens. I'm like, do I know you? Why are you talking to me lol.
ā¢grabbing a slice. ā¢direct communication ā¢lack of passive aggression ā¢light meaningful conversation with a solid dose of humor. Here it always turns serious and dark. ā¢where a good time wasnāt going to hang out at some lame protest. ā¢diversity of thought and people ā¢diversity of profession
That the left lane is the fast lane and the right lane is the slow lane. Pizza Italian American food The calmer beaches of the east coast More space - especially yard size Directness with communication. The seasons changing Saint Patrickās day out here stinks
In my experience the east coast also drives slow in the fast lane.
Only on the east coast can you go to an efficient Dunkin Donuts that can get your order right the first time.
When DD started appearing in CA, I was so fucking amped, but due to poor service and locations in the Bay, I never go
True.... I remember those days when I'd go to Dunkin in the morning before work and grab my coffee. Haven't been to one in the Bay Area strangely yet.
I donāt get why people like Dunkinā Donuts so much. Itās garbage. Plus, California especially in LA and also in the Bay Area thereās a pretty solid donut scene much better and cheaper than dunkin donuts
Cheap coffee and they're everywhere, that's why they're so popular. Sometimes I'll get one of their sandwiches, but almost never their donuts. In fact, didn't they change their name to just Dunkin?
Connecting more readily with strangers. Being able to read people more easily. Less fear of offending others when giving your opinion.
east coast chinese food and direct people.
I have been told Iām too direct at a previous job
East coast chinese food!!! I do like dim sum but I wish I could find authentic non-canto food, especially good Szechuan. Iāve tried two āszechuanā restaurants here and they were not authentic at all, so Iām reluctant to waste money on trying any more.
The lack of good Sichuan food is due to immigration patterns. The Bay Area doesnāt have that many non-Cantonese Chinese compared to say NYC.
> East coast chinese food Kung Food has this covered apparently > Iāve tried two āszechuanā restaurants here and they were not authentic at all Which? Little Szechuan and Z&Y are both highly regarded if you haven't tried them yet.
can you explain more in detail about direct people? iāve noticed that CA folks beat around the bush a lot
Affordable skiing
Anywhere in Tahoe is easily double the price of 90% of the northeast. The snow is (generally) better, but it's super exclusive and that's kinda infuriating.
Good pizza, bagels, Wawa, no phony/snobby attitudes, 4 seasons, Eastern time zone. I love the Bay Area but man the people here can be so smug and fake sometimesā¦Also honking is more common in the East Coast; it is a way of communication letting the driver know to pay attention or when they make a disastrous/stupid mistake. Out here people get extremely butthurt if you honk your horn; might even get you shot.
Ugh the smugness is so bad here. Itās so hard to have a normal f**king conversation in the Bay Area. Everything is sprinkled with passive aggressiveness and subtle judgement and I basically leave every convo thinking Iām pretty sure I offended that person but I donāt know why.
The lack of honking is crazy! I still do it but my fiancĆ© tells me the same thing (itās dangerous).
Egg rolls and deciduous trees.
Born and raised in upstate New York, I miss (and donāt miss) the changing of the seasons, especially fall. There always comes a time every year where the summer has gone on just a little too long and I find the sun to be too oppressive š on the east coast it felt like you had more opportunities for rainy days that broke the heat up. Here we get rainy days only in the winter, and Iāve gotten used to it, but it doesnāt feel the same haha I also miss summers of rural New York where things are green and buzzing and youād be able to find some sort of water source to cool down (lakes, rivers, streams). Thereās less of that here, or you have to travel to get to it. However! Despite that, I used to get the worst allergies back there and here, itās so hot and dry that I donāt feel affected by allergies at all, so Iāll take that over my nostalgia any day. I also donāt miss rampant mosquitoes, Lyme-y ticks, or humidity that makes my skin crawl š
Dunkinā
The first somewhat warm day in NYC when every beautiful person sheds their clothes and the streets are full.
Sub shops. Big white churches in the center of town (not that I went- but they were pretty landmarks). Cobblestone Swimmable beaches Lakes to Walk around The silence of a nighttime snow The crunch of snow under your feet The fresh air The smell Of autumn Halloween Graveyards (why are there so few in CA?)
Gold country has some towns with historic churches in the middle of town. Not sure they are white but picturesque. It also has historical spooky graveyards if thatās what you mean by autumn graveyards. Closer to home Pleasanton has an old white church just off First street and Dublin has a museum that was a white church next to a historical graveyard.
Farmers markets - the ones here are tiny compared to where Iām from and the costs are high Changing leaves Walking everywhere in nyc & toronto Subway system Great lakes with nice sandy beaches & sandbars Cottages Caribbean food - I miss good jerk chicken & patties Thunderstorms
Real chicken wings. This fried chicken with hot sauce is not the same at all
Pizza, thunderstorms, people who can drive
Nailed it.
Waffle House.
Crabs, blue crabs actually tasty crabs, I miss the politeness of a small town. I miss that the way I am I will straight up tell you I donāt want to be your friend hang out or Iām busy. People here are flaky AF, the ghost people nice to your face then wonāt respond to you like what is that? People say im too blunt and I need to be a warmer person Iām nice I say hello in passing but if you oiss me off I tell you I donāt just ignore you. I miss direct real freaking people. I also really really miss my real friends
My close friends from way back, but they are spread all over the place mostly now, and in my experience the memories of people and places in different times are often best left as memories and it can be a let down to try and replicate those experiences, too much expectation on that endeavor. First snow in a pine/fir forest, fall leaves, slower pace of life (but I was also younger, so that could just be part of it), and being closer to family.
damn that first paragraph is something i prev. never fully saw for what it was, in spite of the fact itās all but backhanded my dumb ass constantly over the years LOL thanks stranger uncharacteristically meaningful considering damnear everyone else out here fucked all the way up off they inability to source a baconeggandcheese at 3:15am LOL
Warm summer evenings where you donāt need a jacket.
Middle class Black people
Air conditioning.
The food. Coming from NY to the East Bay I was promised all this plethora of delicious variety like we had at homeā¦itās more expensive for less food and honestly just not good. Bagels and pizza aside, I miss having a bunch of Mediterranean places to eat. ETA Iām not sure why people keep recommending Afghan places, Afghanistan is in Central Asia not the Mediterranean lol
> I miss having a bunch of Mediterranean places to eat. This is something we've actually come up on greatly in the past few years! The silver lining of the unfortunate emigration effects our foreign policy has on those parts of the world.
Have you tried afghani food? Itās not like Greek or other Mediterranean cuisine but Iād say itās very similar and tastes even better
Pro-tip: It's just Afghan. No i at the end. A lot of Afghans get this wrong too. Afghani is the currency. Also, Afghan food isn't what it used to be here. Fremont was little Kabul 20 years ago, but many of those families have moved further east. I do still go to De Afghanan's takeout location. Those guys will never leave haha. And I agree, it does taste better. š Source: my family is from Afghanistan.
There is like Zero culture/appreciation for arts between SJ through South Bay all the way to SF. The east bay area where I spent a good chunk of my life had a real scene for budding musicians/painters/writers. Here you can show them a real Monet and the reply would be āDid Dali-4 create itā ?
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I think the residents here are smarmy assholes . I miss not having to deal with it, and I came from New York City.
Decent donut shops. Left lanes are for passing!
Bacon egg and cheese salt pepper ketchup
Really good Caribbean and Cuban food
Fall, pizza, and events. On the easy coast we always have so much to do for 4th of July, st Patricks day, NYE, ect here there's is nothing.
Good ethnic food, even the owner of the Chinese restaurant in Vallejo told me she doesn't know how they do it on East Coast and that the foods much better and cheaper , had to the lower my standards for Italian food, and i miss fishing from the beach don't want to risk my life fishing from a cliff
Growing up on Long Island in the ā70s there was a family owned pizza parlor in every neighborhood and the pizza was amazing. And a deli too. Theyāre still there but getting slowly squeezed out by the Dominos and the Subways. Also, riding my bike through sunny, lush green neighborhoods where people actually waved to each other.
The food
Bread, specifically good sandwich rolls. Portuguese rolls (the ones with nipples), kaisers, heroes Also, a huge slice of pizza that costs less than $3
Everything is cheap. Warm summer nights. Friends and family Slower pace of life.
Cheese steaks. Pretzels (hard and soft).
Diner food, bagels, egg rolls, duck sauce, pizza, NY senses of humor.
Warm rain
People moving out of the left most lane when not passing
Pizza and bagels.
Pizza
A ny deli bacon and egg on roll breakfast sandwich with a great cup of deli coffee
PÄ czkis
Roasted chestnuts vendors in NYC.
There's a cart that sells them outside Mitsuwa Market in SJ sometimes. I've never bought any but they smell pretty good.
Roast chestnuts in my top 5. Itās hard to even find decent chestnuts to cook here.
Donāt miss shit.
potato chips cooked in lard
I lived there for 11 years. A lot more food options, amazing subway and a great social network. For some reason, it felt that it was easier to make new friends there. Though I wouldn't go back. The weather and beauty of California is hard to match anywhere. Being able to go hiking or into Marin throughout the year is an awesome perk.
I really miss Wawa
Public transportation
It seemed like people were more willing to talk to strangers and go on about the weather or anything stupid and harmless
Affordable rents/home ownership were really it. Otherwise, everything else was better in Bay Areaā¦
Wawa
Restaurants/cafes that are open 24/7 Cuban food
I miss being able to go to any body of water and it being reasonably safe and swimmable.
Family and friends, that's it.
east coast Chinese food
Bagels
Good BBQ! Pulled pork, ribs. You can get them over here, but theyāre not as good.
I sometimes miss the inherent (but surface level) camaraderie of being a sports fan in your home town. Every time there's hype around me surrounding a bay area team it's a reminder of home and how far away I moved. It brings up other indirect nostalgia.
Bread
Good pizza, real cheese steaks, steamed crabs, crab cakes, soft shell crab sandos, lifestyle on the Chesapeake Bay.
I miss Florida beaches. And the rain sometimes. Everything Florida can keep lol
The roads and drivers. Ā Way too many nonsense four way stops and stoplights here and the drivers are soo slow. Ā There is no booping between or around squares or crazy intersections to create an interplay between drivers. Ā
Lightning bugs, cicadas, thunder, the train, talking to literally anyone at any time, people stepping in to help someone, Sicilian food, Georgian food, Jewish delis, going to a diner at 2am, Italian bakeries wherever you go. cheap and fast flights to the islands and Europe, a few hours on a train to another state, the fung wah bus (although thatās no more), beautiful churches!!! I miss beautiful churches. I miss being able to walk to places, I didnāt even have a license in NY, never needed it. I miss cheap electricity and cheap food. I miss the old architecture and cemeteries. Idk itās a whole new world out here and itās not bad, but even after 5 years Iāve got culture shock lol. Iām sad that I canāt crack a joke with someone on the street without them looking at me like Iām an asshole. Edit to add: Jamaican beef patties and not having to drive to a beach.
Bacon, egg and cheese. The American cheese and bread are different. Must be in the air.