West Coast or East Coast? The two are so different, you can’t even imagine until you’ve been to both. On one side you have avocado-eating hippies and on the other you have fast-paced people and aggressive sports fans. So what is actually different about the two? As a born and raised California girl, and now an east coast transplant, I can say I’ve had a culture shock with moving here.
1. Weather (duh)
Well this is the obvious biggie between the two coasts. The main stereotype is that west coast people can’t handle any weather changes. Honestly, this one is really true. I love cold weather but even I was in for a shock living in a place that snows for the first time. In California, winter is a cool 50 degrees and when it “rains” it sprinkles. East coasters are the badasses that will go out for a stroll in the dead of winter.
2. Clothing
Besides the obvious fact that pretty much everyone in college wears sweats and T-shirts to class, east coasters dress a lot nicer and more uniform than west coasters. When I came here, I looked around and saw that tons of people wore Sperry’s and Vineyard Vines. The frat boys here looked like they just stepped off daddy’s yacht but I’m used to more the-stoner-next-door kinda look.
3. Slang
The slang and expressions on the east coast are HELLA different. Case in point, with that classic California word that I have never heard once out here. Pretty much the first year here was learning all the new phrases and slang words. “I’m in my bag” was a new addition to my list, along with “wicked” and “brick”. What even is the English language?
4. Attitude
Pretty much this biggest thing I noticed in the move out east, was how people act in public. I find myself getting stared at all the time for no reason. People are constantly sizing everyone up. On the west coast, people act weird in public and that’s just part of a normal day. You can also expect to have at least one random conversation with a stranger almost any time you leave your house. Because people don’t give a f*ck out there and will just insert themselves in your life. While people out here will just put their headphones in, give you a glare and go about their merry day.
5. COFFEE
I grew up hearing the name Dunkin’ Donuts maybe like once or twice. But here on the east coast, there’s one on every other block. Having been used to a Starbucks every five steps and artisan independent cafes, I turned my nose up at Dunkin. But after a bit of living here, I’m slowly drinking the kool-aid; and by kool-aid I mean Dunkin’s iced coffee.
It’s safe to say there are some great and distinguishing things about both sides of the country. I will always be biased towards the west coast because of roots and all that, but the east coast is also a place I now call home where I have found amazing people. So I think it’s always a win exploring a new place. Who knows, maybe I’ll even stay out here.