East coast vs. west coast let’s get ready to rumble…

[SoulRaven]

East coast vs. west coast let’s get ready to rumble…

There seams to be a constant riff among contributors in this regard.

My hope is that we can keep decorum alive and not have this escalate to a Tupac/Biggie situation.

But my question is why so very few contributors in the middle?

Is it the fact that tin cans make poor tornado shelters?

 

[sephson]

Is it the fact that tin cans make poor tornado shelters?

They bounce around really well here in earthquake country! :angel:

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

1. Tupac.

Having no experience with either us coast post age 5 I can safely say....I don't know. I'm stuck in the middle with you.

I know the marketing team for the west coast has done a better job on me aapparently as i don't even consider the east coast an option. The legal climate doesn't exactly scream "good times" on the east coast and the desire to avoid mosquito factories and humidity domes doesn't exactly send me that way either.

I see very little in cultural references about the free spirited east coast hippies. Uptight over wealthy snobs who use exclusionary tactics to keep me out? I hear and read about that all the time. Marketing? Maybe.

And yet we shall go check them both out and wander amongst the trees to find new friends.

 

[Willy]

East coast.. you've got Florida.. and my condolences. ..Willy.

 

[Lucky mike]

I prefer the East Coast.....there is less BLM over here but things are closer during travel....Bar Harbor & down East Maine is an experience........I find the money factor better.....as far as boondocking I've never had issues...

Florida is great in the winter or I just head west for the desert country!!

I did the California thing ....outside of the mountains and the redwoods life is just too fast....Oregon Was beautiful & Washington Too!

but the smokey mountains , white mountains ...upstate NY...& Vermont get my vote......

 

[decodancer]

East Coast for me. The fall season in the north east is breathtaking. Winter is equally beautiful if you don't have to drive in it. Even if you do, the main roads are clear within hours, it's just no big deal. You can be out in the country yet only minutes from a Broadway show. New Yorkers get a bad rap. They are friendly and helpful, just in a hurry with no time for nicety's. Even something really odd doesn't raise an eyebrow. You never have to wonder what somebody thinks of you, they come right out and tell you. I much prefer that to the sweet smile and gossip behind your back. Every part of the country has it's pretty places, the north east accepts me just the way I am and I will always consider it home.

 

[Suanne]

I grew up in So Cal. And, I've been in WA State for the last 35 years. So, I definitely know the west coast. In my road travels over the past 5 years, however, I've also spent significant time along the east coast. Here is what I like and dislike about each coast. Note: I'm taking the word "coast" pretty literally here, meaning next to the ocean or in a city/town next to the ocean.

What I like about the east coast is exploring the place where the USA began. I found lots of preserved history to see and learn about, both positive and negative. Furthermore, the east coast is arguably the seat of financial power in NY, NY, as well as a hub for theatre and US fashion. Although not on the ocean, DC is an area of both political power and cultural wealth as the US Capitol and the Smithsonian Museums. I also love the National Parks on the east coast -- Acadia, Biscayne, Everglades, and the yet-to-be-explored Dry Tortugas; and a little further inland there's -- Shenandoah and Congaree. I love the four seasons in the northeast.

For the west coast, I like the weather, even the rain in the PNW. When it's warm or hot in the southwest, I like that it's typically low humidity. I like the numerous expansive open spaces, national forests, BLM land, etc. Los Angeles is probably considered the center of the film industry and movie stars. I love the National Parks along the west coast as well -- Olympic, Redwoods, and the yet-to-be-explored Channel Islands; and a little further inland -- North Cascades, Mt. Rainier, Crater Lake, Lassen, Yosemite, Pinnacles, Death Valley, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Joshua Tree. I love that most of the coastline is available for public access. I like that snowy or freezing weather rarely affects the coastal roads and towns.

What I don't like about the east coast is the humidity when it's over 70 degrees. I also don't like the population density. (A great visual of this density can be seen on photographs of electric lighting taken from orbiting satellites over the US at night.) I really don't like that most of the coastline is built up without public access. I also experienced a small bit of snobbery regarding it being the "right" coast. I also don't like that northeast winters typically include significant cold and snow.

What I don't like about the Southern California coast is the beautiful body snobbery of some of the locals.

As you can tell by my likes and don't-likes, I prefer the west coast. But, I still want to return to explore the east coast more than I have. Who knows what else I might find to like there

Suanne ... who wants to spend time in Acadia NP this year with a work-camping brother.

 

[SoulRaven]

As an esteemed member of east coast polite society, who has been as far west as Dayton Ohio, I have just one question toward the Westerners.

With such low humidity how does one safely extract a hard crusty booger?

 

[Willy]

BTW.. I'm solidly for the west coast. ..Willy.

 

[akrvbob]

When I look at my Bucket List, very few of those places are east of the Rockies. Dozens are west of the Rockies.

I need three things.

1) Mountains, real wild mountains with no roads and no trees at the top.
2) Desert, real, deadly, vast, wild, deserts with sunsets nearly every night that knock you off your feet.
3) WILD Places that will kill me in a heartbeat if I disrespect them.

The west has those places in abundance, the east has nearly none.

If you don't NEED those things, the east is a great place!
Bob

 

[mockturtle]

Bob, I totally agree with all three criteria!

 

[Zil]

East coast vs. west coast let’s get ready to rumble…

There seams to be a constant riff among contributors in this regard.

no conflict in my mind.
But!
In season, give me jersey corn and tomatoes.

 

[mockturtle]

As Rudyard Kipling famously said, 'East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet.'

 

[Donedirtcheap]

As an esteemed member of east coast polite society, who has been as far west as Dayton Ohio, I have just one question toward the Westerners.

With such low humidity how does one safely extract a hard crusty booger?

Nasal irrigation bro, nasal irrigation, neilmed and kleenex.

 

[SoulRaven]

If you are into cities, NYC is hard to beat. I'm lucky to have a friend there so I have a home base for exploration.

My favorite day out of 365 is embarkation day of my annual fall cruise ship vacation. I buy a last minute deal at rock bottom prices of less than $50 per day per person. The destination could be Bermuda, Bahamas, or Canada.

My companion and I board the Martz bus for the 7am run to New York City. Excitement builds in New Jersey when we first see the skyline of Manhattan from about 10 miles out. The driver pays the toll and then we head under the Hudson River via the Lincoln Tunnel and then magically enter the light of day in Hells Kitchen.

Then it’s back into darkness as we enter the business (garage) level of the Port Authority Bus Terminal. We stop at a coffee shop I order two coffees and two bagels with cream cheese for $10 and tell the clerk to keep the change for we are on vacation. We watch the people dressed in their cosmopolitan best as the make their connections for weekend leisure travel.

After a trip to the restroom we head out of the terminal to street level and queue up to the taxi stand. Within minutes our luggage and we board a Hybrid Ford SUV medallion cab. In a few minutes we make the mile and a half to the NYC passenger ship terminal along the Hudson with a ten spot covering the fare and tip.

We disembark the taxi right at the front door bypassing the stevedores because we travel light and carry (roll) our bags right on/off the ship. My luggage is just an expanded pilot case with a garment bag that holds my tuxedo and sport coats. We take the elevator up to boarding level and wait a bit until we are called for first on priority boarding. After check in it’s off the obligatory gangway photo.

We enter the ship and are greeted by the staff they handle our luggage to our suite. I make sure the stateroom is up to our standards; the room steward greets us and suggests we visit the lido buffet for brunch. As a seasoned and savvy travelers we ignore his suggestion and head directly to the main dining room to a set table of fine china and quality linens. We look over the menu but I order off menu a petite filet mignon with a cold smoke salmon appetizer with assorted cheese plate then a crème Brule dessert.

After lunch we explore the ship more thoroughly if is one we have not sailed on. We spend time on deck watching the loading of food, fuel, and spirits. During this time the waterway is full of commercial and recreational vessels and the air is a constant buzz of helicopters and light planes.

Four P.M. comes quickly all aboard is sounded, the bow thrusters move the ship off the dock, then the main engines go into reverse, then ship turns 90 degrees to the south and we head to the harbor.

We stand on the port side admiring the sights and sounds of lower Manhattan eventually passing Battery Park and Governors Island. Then we move to the starboard side going past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. As we go under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge the ship is so big it almost touches the bottom.

Now we are out of the harbor we smell the salt air and our on our way.

 

[LeeRevell]

Being a Floridian, I am by nature an "East Coaster", but there are certainly many different levels of "east coastness", just as with the west coast. North Florida is vastly different from Central and South Florida too. Totally different cultures.
The North East, Central East and South East are quite different too.
Then there is a vast difference between the Big City Metroplex areas vs. the suburban/rural areas.
Some areas are nice geographically and historically but their political climate makes them places I simply have no desire to go. Or I may make a short visit then leave.
What we can tolerate depends on where and how were raised.
Nowhere is 'perfect', but some places are simply more or less perfect than others.

 

[Patrick46]

Nowhere is 'perfect', but some places are simply more or less perfect than others.

This!! ^^^

Some 26+ years ago, we (my wife & I) decided it was time to leave central Wisconsin. We were pretty much both raised there, and due to the way things in our area were growing, we knew it was time to grow roots, or bail...so We split!

Marie had gone to school in Rhode Island for marine biology, and wanted to live right on the ocean. She also had extended family in the Boston area...so she was suggesting we head back East.

I, on the other hand, had been living on the road for a number of years as a long-haul trucker. (Oddly enough, Rhode Island is the only state I've never been to.)
I hated getting dispatched to the East Coast, and loved my runs to the West Coast. Back East, it just seemed things were crammed together (which they are), the roads were alot rougher (which they are), and the people seemed to be alot colder (which they were to a long-haired hippy freako like me!)

We were also ready to get out of living in the snow...even though we loved snomobiling.

We considered California, but didn't like the crowds, didn't like the high cost of living, and didn't like the way the ground moved around. I had trucked up and down I-5, and loved how green and fresh Oregon is. I also liked the laid-back attitude of the folks out here, and the fact that there wasn't anywhere near the population that they have in Cal.

Another odd little thing that tugged me hard toward Oregon, was a book I found back at the library in Wisconsin. It was called "Rolling Homes".
This book influenced me in a major way! It's a book about folks who built old busses and trucks into ...Rolling Homes! The gal who wrote it lived in San Fransisco, and I actually got her on the phone...even though the book was written in the 70's. I learned that a solid majority of those rigs came from the Eugene Oregon area, and most of the photos in the book were taken at the Oregon Country Fair.

So, in June of '88, we moved out here, and we both strongly believe that this was the second smartest decision we both have ever made! We live 1 block from the bay (there's a tugboat dock at the end of our street), and we're only a 15 minute drive to the beaches...so my wife loves that!
I have been to the Country Fair nearly every year we've lived out here (26 years now), and have worked as a crew member and even a vendor as well. When we first went to the Faire, there were TONS of schoolies & funky trucks, but (I believe due to the cost of fuels & insurance), they just don't show up like they used to. But I'm still totally into 'em, and I've been surrounded by them ever since!

And this is what brought me HERE!!!

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I'm a Southwest kind of guy, having been raised and spent much of my life wandering around here. I couldn't resist seeing other parts of the country tho. I've had a great time in most of the places I've been, including the crowded ones that I wasn't quite as impressed with in a positive way. Had lots of fun in Fla each time I've been there.
I loved seeing the east coast and its hills.

I've been to Cali-fornica and there's a lot of pretty places, but too damn many idiotic laws for all kinds of crap and some of it is too crowded. The Oregon coast is beautiful and seemed to have some down to earth people that were friendly.

Yet, I'm still drawn to the stark rawness of the Four Corners states and Nevada. All the elements that stimulate me the most are here.
I admire our forefathers who came across on ships to settle the coastal areas, but those who trekked across mountains and challenged the vast deserts to settle new lands inspire me most of all.
I know a places where deep, old wagon ruts from the early settlers still can be seen. At one place the ruts lead to the edge of a canyon 750' deep and 450' across. The only way to the other side is lighten the load in the wagons and lower them, horses, oxen, and people....then raise them on the other side. We're talking about days, if not a week or so just to get past this one obstacle.
Metal detecting revealed hardware (hinges, nails, etc) from rotted furniture and other items that were left behind. there were even fruit and walnut trees planted near a spring. Imagine the heartbreak of leaving behind family heirlooms in the dust, things they brought to start a new life. And, how many other places are there just like that one.
That's only one of the more minor hardships when we think of the lives lost and all the rest. Settling this part of the country was a brave undertaking and these are the people who impact my interest in U.S. history.

Edward Abbey is sort of my "modern day hero"....

“Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you -- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls.”

 

[sparky1]

Been in all (4) corners of the lower 48 states, Maine
Seattle, San Diego, Miami, setteled down to my mini farm in southern Virginia, yep, I get snowed in for a few days,& yesterday it was 96 degrees. but i'm happy mowing the grass & camping somewhere free if possible, just mellowing out,

 

[highdesertranger]

for me it's kinda of a no brainer. all 11 western states and Alaska have a lot more gold than the eastern states. did I mention a lot more. I also love the wide open spaces and lack of people and infrastructure outside the major cities. plus I get along with rural people better, you know rednecks. did I mention there is a lot more gold out west. highdesertranger