What makes California unique?

May 13, 2009 12:04 PM

How can I best prepare myself for a move out of the state?

I'm a 21 year old California girl, born and raised - I've lived in the Inland Empire, Orange County, the Bay Area, Sacramento and now live in San Diego, so I consider myself PRETTY well-versed in everything California.

I'm moving to Boston in August as part of a year-long program that may turn into a permanent move.

This question is two-pronged, meant for both California natives and everyone else:

1) For the natives (or the well-versed): what are some things that are "typically" Californian that I should try to experience/do before I leave the state? Don't discount obvious answers; list everything! (i.e. fish tacos, Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland)

2) For the non-Californians: What are some general characteristics of Californians that you have met? Cultural, linguistic, philosophical.. etc. I want to make myself aware of these things before I jump ship.

posted by brynna to travel & transportation (20 comments total)

For clarification - is #2 asked because you want to know what others might expect from you?
posted by lunasol at 12:10 PM on May 13

#2 - I would say you should just be yourself and not try to conform to any California "stereotypes".
posted by stevechemist at 12:18 PM on May 13

Not exactly - I am interested to know what others might expect from me, but I have am not planning on consciously refuting or affirming these generalizations.. just plain interest, I guess.
posted by brynna at 12:18 PM on May 13

Some people will have typical expectations: southern Californians are thin, blond, and obsessed with appearances. Northern Californians are hippies who eat granola all day, that is, when they aren't smoking pot. Some folks will assume you are probably pretty liberal. People might comment on leaving good weather behind, especially next winter.

But really the most annoying thing when you meet someone new is if they constantly talk about their old place. So try to avoid sentences that always start, "Well, in California..."

And good luck!
posted by bluedaisy at 12:30 PM on May 13 [1 favorite]

Oh, and people will say annoying things like, "California? Oh do you know Ahhhhnoooold?"
posted by bluedaisy at 12:31 PM on May 13

Or they might say, "You Californians think you're so liberal, but we have gay marriage here!"

Okay I'm done now.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:32 PM on May 13

For number 2:

There is an accent, but I personally cannot imitate it. It's definitely there; I can recognize it when I hear it on C-SPAN radio.

Everyone I've met from there rips on what we Easterners call "mountains" -- the Appalachians. They are beautiful; leave'em/us alone and enjoy them. They have a special mystical quality of their own.
posted by jgirl at 12:37 PM on May 13

One thing Californian transplants are known for on the East Coast is constantly commenting on how much better things are in California. So, you know, don't do that.
posted by lunasol at 12:56 PM on May 13 [1 favorite]

the west coast is a lot more relaxed and casual, in general, than the east. There is probably a more striking contrast in the older generation than the current one, but I think it still exists. Food definitely has more hispanic influence, but you've lived in big cities so you know there's plenty of variety to be found, and the same will be true in boston. However, all the salsa I had in boston was AWFUL so watch out. I feel like the western states have better microbrews and generally better taste in beer. And of course, the weather will dictate a shift in your activities -- fewer beach BBQs to say the least. You do have an accent, and bostonians will think yours is as weird as you think theirs is. Girls in cold places don't shave as often (pity) and people will keep asking when you got back from vacation with that great tan. Some people think that californians are all like the ones we see on TV: self-important, shallow, vapid, etc. It will be up to you not to live up to these stereotypes. I think that cali also has more of a meritocratic culture; the east coast tends toward insularity and old boys' clubs. Without prior connections, you may have a more difficult time making friends or business contacts. This may or may not be true in your particular experience.

Things you should do in cali if you haven't: hotel del coronado, 24-hour mexican drive-thru california burritos / fish tacos, san diego zoo and wild animal park, embarcadero, lost coast brewery in eureka, the redwoods, wine country, beaches beaches beaches, hollywood, chinatown, phillipe's and roscoe's and the original pantry in LA, the standard hotel rooftop bar, venice beach, la jolla cove / avenida de la playa, the salk institute, the getty center in LA, balboa park, pasadena, j-tree national park, death valley, yosemite, lake tahoe, the dunes on the 8 between phoenix and san diego, dave and buster's, pat and oscar's, in-n-out, indian casinos, the mission restaurant in san diego, seaworld... and lots more, I'm sure.

friend of mine is moving from san diego to cambridge in a few months (I live in phoenix) so this is a timely question!
posted by Chris4d at 1:01 PM on May 13

You're moving to Boston? Learn to like Baseball, if you don't already. I was not a sports guy at all before I lived there for 5 years. That's not to say the city is sports-centric; it's very diverse. It just always seemed to me that baseball in Boston brought together EVERYONE at the bar (dive, club, whatever). It's also a really easy way to start a conversation with a native. I mean, you don't have to be obsessed, I'm just saying it could be a good ice breaker tool. And trust me, if you're not a fan and you make it past 1 year, 1.5 years, you will be: the Red Sox are an unstoppable city-wide fever. I laughed at the guy that said that to me when I moved there, now he just smiles at me funny when I wear my hat :/

California natives are annoying in much the same way New York City natives are annoying: there's a belief that where you're from is the center of the world. As stated above, avoid sentences that start with "Well, in California...".

I think you picked (forced into?) the right city for your first out-of-California experience. You will find a lot of out-of-towners by virtue of the universities of the area. As such, the entire city is geared toward said people. Have fun, go Sawx.
posted by teabag at 1:04 PM on May 13

Seconding lunasol. I didn't want to mention it, but, that it's out there, I hate it!

I've been known to suggest they go back.
posted by jgirl at 1:06 PM on May 13

I never thought myself terrifically stereotypically "East Coast" until I visited California for the first time, on business, at which point I was assured by strangers that whoa yeah, I am. And BTW why do I talk so damn fast and wear so much black?

I was a little surprised that there's still such cultural differences, with how much people move around. So, some of the below is extrapolation from the opposite side, and some of it is based on cultural differences noted between me and a dear friend who's from roughly the Sacramento area.

a) We dress a little more formally here than in CA. When invited to an event, you can assume that you should dress about one step higher than you might in CA. If you read the "what to wear to an interview/wedding/graduation/dinner party" AskMes, you'll note that there is frequently an east coast/west coast divide.

b) In CA, I felt like I was going to lose my mind from people telling me all friendly-like to "relax," especially in business situations. DUDE, you told me that my copy/collate for which I paid extra for a rush order would be ready an hour ago. Cabbie, if you're really interested in a fare, please find the gas pedal this year. So, people may seem a little impatient in general to you.

c) Similarly, opinions in discussion may be presented in a more argumentative fashion than you expect. I know there are argumentative people in California, but I think that general discourse here is a little more aggressive...and this be considered friendly, not combative.

d) Our buildings are ancient in comparison to yours. On the west coast, we're like Europeans scoffing at the Americans thinking that 1776 was "a long time ago." I live in a neighborhood of typical rowhouses which are all at least 100 years old. In San Diego, a number of people asked if I had to go by historical preservation ordinances. Nope, this is just how the houses are here -- masonry foundations, no earthquakes.

e) The ocean is on the other side. Did you grow up near the ocean? It is freaking *weird* to realize that the sun is on the wrong side. On preview, seconding jgirl's comment about the mountains. No, they're not very pointy. Yes, they are still mountains. Shuddup.

f) We can be a bit dumbassed about grokking just how enormous and diverse California is. How long does it take to get straight down the coast from San Fran to San Diego...over 7 hours, right? From Boston, you can drive five hours north and be in Montreal, five hours south and be in Philly.
posted by desuetude at 1:24 PM on May 13 [2 favorites]

Eat as many burritos and tacos as you can, because you'll get to the East Coast and wish that the burrito tunnel really existed.
posted by rtha at 1:58 PM on May 13

Incidentally, I recall one comment by a California girl who came to visit my family when I was growing up. She was shocked to notice the rain in Virginia falling straight down. Apparently, for her, she was always used to seeing the rain coming in at one angle or another, but never straight down. Having lived a year and a half in Orange County, I don't quite recall noting that the rain didn't come straight down, but that's one thought.

Can I thrice the mountains thing? Besides, the Appalachians are among the oldest on the planet, so neener neener.

If you're into homes and don't doing some driving, go to San Simeon, the home of Hurst. It's a magnificent relic of the Gilded Age in California, and then head over to San Jose, and check out the Winchester House for its absolute kookiness. There are a lot of big, fancy Gilded Age homes in the NE of America, (and one awesome one in North Carolina), so you'll be able to at least reference one of California's most famous should people bring up the subject.

Also, go to Long Beach and check out the Queen Mary. Go to Huntington Beach, Surf City, USA, and go have a Ruby's burger on the end of the pier. Speaking of piers, go to Santa Monica's, go to Griffith Observatory and wink at Dean's bust, and realize that there have been dozens upon dozens of films set there, and there will be dozens upon dozens of films that will take place there. Go see the La Brea Tar Pits. These are all things Californians suggested I do when I lived there, hence the native suggestion through a second degree.
posted by Atreides at 2:12 PM on May 13

In the East, we don't wear those jeans that have the seam curving across your butt.

In the East, we shop from Cabela's, not Sheplers. (I've been to Susanville, Gilroy, etc.)

Regarding desuetude's point (f), we would not drive the equivalent distance from LA to San Francisco and back for dinner in one day, as my college roommate's Southern Cali family did from time to time.

In the East, you won't find huge crosses on a hillside, unless it's on the grounds of a religious institution, and even then, probably not. You also won't find the initials or name of a town in huge letters on a hillside.
posted by jgirl at 2:13 PM on May 13

Oh, in Massachusetts, "elastics" are rubber bands. A "frappe" is a very thick milk shake, not to be confused with a "thick shake." A "rotary" is a traffic circle.

I know you didn't ask, but still.
posted by jgirl at 2:24 PM on May 13

Oh, and this is changing fast, but businesses permitting smoking indoors is much more common. There's been a wave of smoking bans in the last ten years, but this is a pretty new concept for us on the East Coast.

Especially once you get out of the main downtown area of major cities, where even if ordinances banning smoking exist, they may not be enforced, especially in corner bars/mom & pop places.
posted by desuetude at 2:40 PM on May 13

Sunset over the ocean. If you want to catch the sun over the ocean out east, it has to be dawn.
posted by chairface at 3:01 PM on May 13

Disclaimer: lifelong NorCal person answering this.

I have read that NorCal folks have the least amount of accent, relatively speaking, compared to the rest of the world. Other than, y'know, saying "hella" a lot.

I'd stock up on eating the various kinds of food you can find in CA. I haven't gone to Boston, but I don't know how well the quality of say, the Mexican food is going to be there compared to what you're used to.

Other than that...state capital, go pop in at any festivals/state fair/county fairs you can get to, ditto amusement parks, beaches...I find it hard to think of what to tell you because you've lived everywhere and I'd be surprised if you've missed the "typical" stuff.

And maybe pick up one of those "The Governator" T-shirts if you can find one to scare people in Boston :P
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:31 PM on May 13

I'm from CA and when I went to school on the East coast, most people were surprised that I wanted to leave CA. So get used to people asking why you would ever want to leave such beautiful weather. But yeah, enjoy the summer in San Diego! And Mexican food (especially in San Diego, cause that's the best). That's what I missed the most.
posted by wsquared at 7:51 PM on May 13