<p>dmd77 - have you seen the TV show Everyone Hates Chris? Same plot…</p>
<p>As a child, my family moved frequently; I counted 18 times by age 16, so I can relate to many different parts of the country. I am totally stymied when asked where I am from, because I really couldn’t say any particular place or even region! My favorite regional bias story comes from a co-worker in White Plains, NY when discussing group travel tours. He said, “Oh, I wouldn’t like that because I would get stuck sitting next to someone from Omaha or someplace like that”. Little did he know that not only had I lived there for nearly 3 years, but my dad was a current resident of Omaha. I told him to “expand yourself!”</p>
<p>dmd-</p>
<p>Not sure how long ago that was. Dare I assume it was about 30 years ago? If I judged every place by what happened 30 years ago, I wouldn’t travel south of Delaware. </p>
<p>Anyway, not trying to persuade. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion based on experience and everyone has the “Once, many years ago…” stories about everywhere. Someone tried to steal my son’s bike in Phila when he as 8 (unsuccessfully), but I don’t think that makes the city unfriendly. My son may have added to the unfriendliness by successfully boxing for his bike. Anyway…it is interesting to read how people judge various places. (which I guess is the whole point of this thread) </p>
<p>I’ve never found any one place in the US to be especially unwelcoming…even NYC. The Caribbean is another story. Maybe I’m just jaded because I live in a place that people view as unfriendly. Maybe I’m unfriendly too, so I don’t notice it. Or maybe I just live in an especially friendly community.</p>
<p>I think in Seattle we are “nice” but not necessarily friendly.
It must be the Scandinavian reserve combined with the grey winters.
I have friends who are Asian- Taiwanese/Chinese and they are much more hospitable than I am, but that is more of their culture I have an impression than personality type.
I like to keep to myself- and have control over the numbers of people in my house- I have lived in places where my roommates were much more social and it drove me crazy-
Nice and honest though- Seattlities are for the most part my recent breakin to my car not withstanding.
I was just commenting to the grocery store clerk about how I used to just carry my wallet- but then would leave it in produce only to find it in my mailbox ( about 1/2 mile away) a few minutes later- intact
I met my husband when I was with a girlfriend when I was 18 in her unreliable car- it broke down in front of an older couples house in Seattle, the very gracious gentleman who lived there insisted on going to the parts store to get whatever it needed, while his wife gave us cookies and milk!.
After this my friend refused to go back to the Eastside where any normal person ( that was where we were from) would retreat to, but continue on to a large park that was known as a teen “hangout”.
Once there, the car repeatedly stalled, and two young men who had AAA ins called for a jump for us, and I married one of them a few years later.
Looking back- we were very fortunate, but we jsut beleived in the goodness of others, and they came through!</p>
<p>Marite on Texas:</p>
<p>"Well, isn’t it? A law unto itself, a state (of mind) as much as the land of fruits and nuts to the West? "</p>
<p>Don’t forget the “bushes”. Or should I say the fruit and nut bushes?</p>
<p>My Seattle experience would fall in the honest and friendly category with great difficulty moving past friendly to real friends. The local papers have done many articles on “Seattle Nice” which means a gracious meaningless invite that never comes to fruition and other difficulties for outsiders to breakin to the established social groups.</p>
<p>Momsdream, the last time I was in Phila was in 2002 for my 30th high school reunion. Not a fun welcoming visit. All my HS male friends (except for the 3 who’d killed themselves) had become their fathers–even while criticizing themselves for doing so. Lots of heavy drinking. These were not people who were having fun.</p>
<p>Perhaps I just know all the wrong people in Phila.</p>
<p>Barrons, I’ve certainly talked to people here in Seattle who think it’s difficult to make friends here–but I’ve found it easier than any other place I’ve lived. </p>
<p>Maybe I just know all the right people in Seattle.</p>
<p>Try telling people you are from Detroit… Talk about a negative reputation!</p>
<p>I always point out that there are 800,000 people in the city itself and 4.5 million in the metro area. There really are many nice things about Detroit and its surrounding metro area.</p>
<p>Of course, mass transit is not one of them.</p>
<p>yes but dmd are your friends * from * Seattle?
;)</p>
<p>You gotta love stereotypes. Try being a native Las Vegasite…er, Vegan…hmm, well whatever we are, we don’t give a rat’s a** what we’re called. 
My college years were in Santa Cruz (du-uude), then Berkeley (riots). Now, here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have our own neighborhood stereotypes. Speaking for 99 percent of the suburban population, we adore self-help, law books and drive-thru gourmet coffee places. Oh, and big, flat-screen, plasma TV’s. :p</p>
<p>EK4: some of my friends are from Seattle. And some are not. I assume by “from Seattle” you mean that they grew up here?</p>
<p>along:</p>
<p>tut, tut. I won’t go into that particular thicket! ;)</p>