Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces

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DarkSteven -> Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 9:56:02 AM)
LadyAngelika posted a wonderful summary of Quebec in the Politics and Religion forum. I'd like to see others here post about their state or province, and we could get a free world tour that way. I'll do Colorado now. 1. We have low humidity. Translation - few bugs, the weather doesn't go straight to your bones, less vegetation. Also, fewer clouds - I love clear days. 2. The economy is different. Despite the guy in 'New York, New York' singing that if he can make it in NY, he can make it anywhere, it's harder to get a job and keep one here than on the East Coast. 3. We have some very nice mountains. The mountains result in some strange weather since there are three separate fronts that try to get through, and we occasionally get surprise weather. We have gotten blizzards one day and 80 degree weather the next. It is rare that snow sticks around more than a week or two. We have fresh white snow out here, not that dirty sullen snow you would get in Chicago. 4. We have diversity. Not so much ethnic diversity (we're much less ethnic than the East Coast) as much as diversity of towns/cities. Denver is of course the big city. Colorado Springs is the conservative, born-again Christian city I managed to get away from. Boulder is the hippie place, a bit of Southern California. North of Longmont you find a solid Midwestern farming ethic. The mountain towns each have their own flavor - Gold Camp is a pretty Disney idea of a mining town, with gleaming houses, while Ward looks like Alaska with cinder-blocked vehicles oozing oil onto front yards. Vail and Aspen are for the uber-glitterati, while Nederland is a funky little town (Dan Fogelberg used to live there and Google 'Frozen Dead Guy Days 'if you want to know more). Golden is a solid working class town famous for Coors. Lots of restaurant chain activity here. VIcorp (Village Inn's parent company) is HQed in Denver, as is Boston Market (all right,they're in Golden). I believe that Red Robin's HQ is in Denver as well, and Rock Bottom brewery is in the Boulder area. Chipotle is HQed in the Denver area. Economically, tourism is big throughout the state. The Boulder area is hooked into high tech and consequently has been hurting for years. The Springs area is driven by defense and Christian groups. Denver is somewhat diversified, with lots of government jobs,mining companies, finance stuff, etc. Northern Colorado is dominated by Hewlett Packard. Places to go: The Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder is a must-see.Islamic decor, fantastic Eastern food very reasonable, and the ambiance of an Eastern European teahouse. Coors, Leanin' Tree, and Celestial Seasonings offer tours. Colorado Springs has a lot to see as well, with Michael Garmin's Magic Town, Seven Falls, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, Pikes Peak, and the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. The Pearl Street Mall in Boulder is the best place to people-watch in the state. McGuckin's hardware store in Boulder is actually a fun store to shop in, believe it or not.

Blackburn -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 3:08:58 PM)
Hoo, boy. California's character is impossible to stereotype, despite all the stereotypes :) Think of it as several states (in true Cali fashion, that would be states of being). On the south coast, we have stunning weather and a dry climate. We steal water from everywhere else to pretend it is paradise. On the north coast, we have an ecologically rich and beautiful coastline anchored by San Francisco which deserves its rep as a great city. In the central valley, you will find endless crops, part of a vast, multi-billion dollar economy based on food and some oil. The southeast is the start of endless desert - a place of rugged and inhospitable beauty. The east is dominated by the Sierra Nevada, a stunning mountain range home to Yosemite Nat'l Park. The people are varied, but with the Real Housewives of Orange County we begin to see some of the horrifying diversity. California folks can be shallow and superficial (the OC, fer example), status conscious (LA), geeky (Silicon Valley), artsy (San Fran), salt of the earth (rural areas), and just plain dangerous (the weed growing areas in the north). We are home to brilliant thinkers, to true believers (in just about everything), to healthy people, to fringe religions, to very hard working men and women, and to professional welfare scammers. You will find whatever kind of person you are looking for, mainstream or otherwise. The economy here is remarkably varied. Anything from high tech development to stupid health supplement scams seem to flourish here. We have tourism, we have tech, we have higher education, we have massive ports, we have agriculture, we have oil, and we used to have a lot of construction. We are typically tolerant, and have set aside a huge asylum for those less gifted in our state capitol. Politically, San Diego and Orange counties can be summed up as corruptly conservative, while LA is an odd mix that is best described as incompetent. San Francisco is decidedly liberal but has enough money and enough wealthy philanthropists to pull it off with class. Surrounding SF are a lot of places a bit less fortunate that somehow coexisted peacefully until the rise of Epic Beard Man. Inland Cali is rural with massive agribusiness, making it decidedly conservative but sparsely populated. Overall, California leans to the left, but often elects moderate Republican governors to balance a crazy Democratic government. Since this is a tour, I will suggest places to go. If your love the outdoors, you will be amazed at the diversity. Don't miss the desert in spring bloom. Wonder at the massive redwoods in the Sierra foothills or the towering coastal redwoods that touch the sky. Marvel at the stark beauty, colorful history, and geographic diversity of Death Valley, and play on the spectacular snow covered slopes of Lake Tahoe. And go to Yosemite. Spend some time absorbing the beauty of the shoreline and don't forget to take a whale watching boat trip. California has a lot of places that will take your breath away if you just take the time to breathe them in. If you are looking for good food, just go to San Francisco. Sure, you can get world class food lots of places, but in SF expectations are high and even small corner restaurants have to provide a quality menu to survive. If you want to be amused, go to LA. Venice Beach, Hollywood, you know where to go. For fun in the sun, San Diego is great. Mission Beach is, shall we say, diverse, but entertaining. Del Mar is upscale and beautiful. Further north, Laguna Beach in Orange County provides a wonderful combination of upscale and funky - hard to beat for a beach vacation. If you just don't give a damn about a good time, check out that asylum in Sacramento, the state capitol. And if you are looking for kink, geez, it's fuckin' everywhere. San Francisco and LA are your best bets. Ok, enough of this nonsense. Just wanted to say there is more to California than hippies and Hollywood and Scientology and liberals and women with massively enhanced boobs, not that these are bad things!

GreedyTop -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 3:13:03 PM)
I wish I could say much about Tampa. heh. I do agree that CA is amazing. I think anyone interested in visiting CA should plan on at least a month, and start at one end or the other, then zig-zag back and forth the entire length. I'd never LIVE there again. Cost of living is INSANE, and anywhere reasonably sized cities is WAY over-crowded (even Bakersfield!!)

LadyAngelika -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 5:01:41 PM)
Oh wow. Other than what I described in terms of culture and politics of la Belle Province here: http://www.collarchat.com/m_3086735/tm.htm... I love my city! It is liberated, free, multicultural, vibrant, fun, happy, cheerful and if any of you come by this way, let me know. I'll show you around! - LA

winterlight -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 5:29:20 PM)
San Diego for the size that it is needs better Museums. Balboa Park is interesting in its Architecture some feel. Best place to go to for a museum is S.F. without question. I really love S.F. but all of California is expensive to me. S.F. outshines San Diego for culture. The food there is great, the weather is a bit chillier than San Diego (as to be expected). There is just much more to do in S.F.

Blackburn -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 6:45:01 PM)
San Diego is cultural boredom with a few bright lights. San Francisco is unquestionably the cultural center of California. When you walk into the new De Young museum, you pass a wall listing all the donors whose generosity enabled construction. It's a huge wall, and the list seems endless. A true testimony to the spirit of the place.

PyrotheClown -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 8:07:31 PM)
Huh, cant seem to describe this place with out using the words "tweakers""rednecks" or "Bat country"......I mean I could mention the great scenic vista's, the thriving artist communities(mostly LA refugee hippies) or the diverse collection of back water cermugins that make up the rest of the morongo basin....But every one of those things include tweakers, red necks and for lack of better words,areas that can only be described as bat country(really, you pop east of 29 palms by about half an hours ride and you'll find giant fruit bats)... if any of you should find yourselves out here, there's a few stops that make the three hour treck from where ever it is that you're going worth it(I say that cause I'm bout three hours from either arizona, la, or las vegas) first off, let me get the flying saucer landing pads outa the way, George van Tassle originally made this eh.....thing..to be the landing pad for our space brothers, but it's totally enjoyable with out a tinfoil hat. Great acoustics Also got a few other odd architectural monstrosities,Bev Doolittles house comes to mind, so does desert christ park....altho that's more of a sculpture garden(really really trippy place) And of course I'm sure most of you have at least heard of Joshua Tree national park(well, maybe not, but hey, now you have), let me boil this one down quick, cause its a big park and it'd be impossible to tell ya all the great things bout it in one paragraph, or even book(besides, I wanna keep the best places strictly local knowledge). If you're literally just passing through, the wonderland of rocks and keys view make great window dressing for you lilly footed folks who don't like to leave the car... but even if you're a die hard hiker/camper, you'd still be mad to miss Keys view at sunset (or dawn...if you're really die hard), shit, on a good day you can even see mexico.. If you're looking for a nice little hike(and if there's been rain any time recently) that's even safe and fun for the kids, then parker dam is a good place to check out. Indian cove and lost horse mine are great for explore'n... if you wanna see some live music, well the morongo basin is crawling with every form of musician you could think of, unfortunately the best venues have all gone out business in the past two years(first the Beatnick, which was a tiny hole in the wall,but had great line ups week after week, then the water canyon which was an excellent venue, but a bit on the geezer side of things).. the best bet on live shows in the desert these days is pappi and harriots which can only be described as one of the last road houses round, gets such gigs as country joe, eric burden, concrete blonde, ect. ect.. there's also a variety of other gigs still holding out, mostly honkey tonk bars(due to the local marine base, we have more bars and tattoo parlors then..well....anything else) that get good gigs and festivals hoping in and outa town every now and then,the palms out in wonder valley and chuckwalla fest,( not to be confused with coachella fest) comes to mind. and lastly, we have the Artists.. late october to early november there's open studio tours, which also correlates with the gem and mineral gambre(which is a must for any rock hound) as well as most of the music festivals we have.Not to mention that 29 palms has a shit load of murals Meh, hope my meanderings made some sense..I could rant and rave bout various things and places out here all day....... damn I've lived out here too long lol

seekingOwnertoo -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/27/2010 10:19:26 PM)
Words cannot adequately describe Michigan … the Great Lakes State. Have you ever seen a picture taken, from the ramparts of old Fort Mackinac, on a midsummer July day? You would ask, as I have seen educated and accomplished Europeans ask …. is that from a vacation in the Caribbean? It truly is an astonishing view! And Ernest Hemingway wrote at length, about his adventures as an adolescent, as well as his post World War I experiences … in Northern Michigan. Yet Michigan is a land of contrasts. From the beauty of Oakland County, with its lakes, streams, woods and parks. To the urban community that is known as Detroit. Detroit, the city the French founded, the British occupied and the Americans conquered! There is very little French influence remaining here, but for a few statues, and the old church … Ste. Anne de Détroit. And of course, the University of Michigan! The U of M was founded by a French Priest who had the foresight to ensure it was a public university; and, to use the words of former President John F Kennedy, it is the Harvard of the West. But Michigan features many other great educational institutions … like Michigan State University; the first land grant college in the United States. Some of America’s greatest champions hail from our state … including, but not limited to: Joe Louis, Magic Johnson, Derek Jeter, Kirk Gibson, and most recently … Ryan Miller. Michigan is a beautiful state; full of fresh water oceans, woods and urban areas. In Michigan, one can dress up and go to dinner at a five star restaurant … then the next morning … go hiking along an old trail used by Native Americans and French Canadian trappers. And only California and Florida, have more registered recreational boats. Plus they have much longer boating seasons! Although our national reputation may not be top notch, I am sitting here writing this, looking out from my living room, onto a 800 acre lake, and located, just 15 miles northwest of Detroit. It is a mile and one half across the lake from here to the pub ... but i have yet to master ... the walking on water part! <chuckles> Frankly, my cousins, from Los Angeles, Calgary and Oregon … were stunned by the beauty last summer. If you have a chance, do visit Michigan.

LaTigresse -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/28/2010 6:58:30 AM)
I live in SE Iowa, US. Was born and raised in Washington, Iowa.....a small town just a few miles from where I live now. My home town is declining, becoming a bedroom community of Iowa City. Iowa City is a fabulous college town. Home of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the University of Iowa Hospitals. Because of the University, Iowa City has a diversity of cultures and culture, that most towns it's size, in the Midwest, do not share. Iowa is interesting to me for the expectations people have of it, that are many times proven wrong. The population is fairly conservative in lifestyle. Yet, more open minded than the lifestyle would lead you to believe. The past presidential election will show. Also, we will be one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana. Iowa has never been dramatically ethnically diverse. Yet we have been gaining a strong Mexican population that has assimilated itself quite well into even the smaller towns. Our larger towns have more varied populations but I would be remiss if I said that the bulk is still pretty fair. I think the best way to describe the mindset is cautious acceptance. There is a lot of old mindsets that are less than stellar, various 'isms' but I see most people open to change, willing to give people a fair chance. Economically, much like with fashion changes, Iowa does not experience the dramatic highs and lows that either coast does. I liken it to the ripples on a pond when a rock is dropped in. There will be a big splash on the east and west coasts, big drama. But by the time the ripples reach here, they are small. In many ways Iowans will look at the ripples, take what the want and let the rest disappear. We now have legalized gambling, which I hate and believe to be a huge mistake. But it is here. The landscape of Iowa often surprises people. They expect flat cornfields and small towns with Norman Rockwell like people. Not that neither exist, but not exactly as expected. We've got quite a lot of hills and rolling terrain. Some of it is quite beautiful. I rather like my little valley and the view I see in front of me. In my travels through the US, I have realized how clean Iowa is and how friendly the people are. We tend to be optimists. People that move to Iowa from other places, comment on the work ethics, the great educational system, and people's commitment to their communities. Our weather also surprises people. We have winter, it gets cold snow and icy. It is not unusual to have a week or more of below zero temps. The sun will not rise until after 7am and go down before 5pm. Even then you may not see the sun for days.....gray and gloomy misery. Winter may begin in November and hang on until well into March. Spring will bring dramatic thunderstorms that I have seen terrify native Californians, used to earthquakes, senseless. I adore standing on my hilltop, watching the wall clouds roll in, the winds pick up. The thunder and lightening. In spring we lose our snow, the grays and browns turn to brilliant greens of all shades. The song birds return and everything vibrates with new life. The frogs sing in the ponds. The crickets and nightbirds sing you to sleep. Summer can get miserably hot and humid. If the year before was extremely wet, the mozzies are overwhelming at dawn and dusk. I've seen summers where the temperatures did not drop below 100, even at night, for a week or two. And the humidity will be around 80-90%. To live without air conditioning means poor sleep, bad hair and feeling sweaty and slimey all the time. And the locust sing their evening songs. The sun rises before 5am and does not set until after 9pm. Then, as with winter, just when you think you cannot stand another minute of it, it changes. The air gets dryer, the evenings are condusive to building a bonfire to sit around in sweatshirts and you can open the windows again. I cannot describe the smells. Snow has a smell. Spring is the delicious earthy smell of the soil warming, things blooming. Summer is grass and hay being mowed, gravel dust. Fall is spicy, the leaves turning and falling, smoky. Tourism is not really our forte' though we do get some. The Amana colonies are a draw. Kalona with the Amish and their clever marketing. The northeast part of the state with Dubuque and the gorgeous cliffs. The Mississippi River is Iowa's eastern boundary. It is an amazing river. Iowa does not have the drama that draws people to most places for vacation. I think it lends itself to lazy exploration. A relaxing drive with no rush. Taking time to get off the freeways. Stop at some small town cafes. Visit Iowa City's downtown, the restaurants and galleries.......summer is best for Iowa City by far. Fairfield Iowa is..............interesting. Because of the Maharishi University and the diverse population that has brought, it is unique in many ways. Not all have been warmly welcomed by the natives but are still, tollerated.

Wolf2Bear -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/28/2010 3:40:58 PM)
I live in Ontario which is next door to Quebec and pretty much the central province in Canada. I will try to lost many of the fine points as I recall! We have a uniqueness that this province contains a mixture or urban life, rural and also vast wilderness with excellent fishing and hunting in the thousands of secluded lakes and rivers. Toronto - a very metropolitan city that has a great and varied cultural life from neighborhood bars to upscale pubs and clubs. The shopping is known to be first rate. It also is home to Pearson Airport which is a major international airport which one can fly to any place on the globe. Ottawa/Hull - the home to the political power of both the province and of Canada. Home to several fine universities and another diverse city that is a short drive to Quebec. London/Windsor - A mixture of urban and rural life that is steeped in history from when the Irish/German and other immigrants settled in when this country was young. They were drawn here because of the rich farmland and for many, the geography reminded them of the home country they left behind. Windsor shares the river with Detroit and is one of the main crossing points into the US. The northern part of Ontario is a large area and is not as populated as the southern part. Here is a place where avid outdoors people such as campers/hunters/fishermen love to come and indulge in their favoritee sport admidst the wilderness and untouched beauty that is northern Ontario. We have countless lakes and many are fly in only and it is perfect for anyone who really wants to get back to nature and her beauty. In this northern part of the province, you can experience the 4 distinct seasons and it is a fact that we do have some severe winters quite often. Yet many of us who grew up in this part of the province deep down do have fond memories of actually walking to school during the winter when it was -20 to -30 below. It's my belief that these harsh winters made us quite heady people in spirit and like any true northerner - no matter how much we may bitch about winter, our hearts will always be in the north. Sudbury is famous for being the world's largest nickel producers. It is also the jumping off point to travel to the more northerly communities and eventually reaching the mouth of James Bay. Sudbury also has a top notch university and and a college with a high reputation of producing top grade graduates who want to enter the mining industry.

LadyAngelika -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/28/2010 3:48:57 PM)
You actually managed to make Sudbury sound good! ;-) - LA

camille65 -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/28/2010 5:34:06 PM)
I don't know enough about Texas to say anything about it (aside from: Texas BBQ is not what I know as BBQ!) but seekingOwnertoo.. your post made me homesick! I moved here from Oakland County.

Dominasola -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/28/2010 5:48:32 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Wolf2Bear We have a uniqueness that this province contains [...] I think something else that needs to be said regarding Ontario's uniqueness: We have tundra landscape in the north along Hudson's Bay that home to a variety of arctic animals like polar bears, but the southern most tip of the province is at the same latitude as northern California, and the Niagara Fruit Belt produces everything from wine (yummmm) to peaches. [:)]

ShoreBound149 -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (2/28/2010 6:02:08 PM)
New Jersey - "We're Not Pennsylvania"

heartcream -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (3/6/2010 2:45:56 PM)
Cool thread!

came4U -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (3/6/2010 2:52:48 PM)
I had a thread like this a few yrs ago, about brag about your hometown. some of the same who posted are here. woot. Ottawa/Hull, arg, hometown. Montreal also. Lots to do. Never been a big fan of poutine though. Ohio, hmm. lol what can I say. London, kinda slow, conservative, most say snobby. University town, so population varies, then dies down to the basic trickle in summer. But, clean, safe. Shortage of men though, 5-1 women. uhhg. North Carolina - most awesome weather, things to do, people are cool n interesting. Fla, the same, Calif. well, another world altogether lol. Again good weather, an extreme mix of every kind of person (drawn to the American dream and of course, the weather). Lived in almost every state, best one, definately is NC.

popeye1250 -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (3/6/2010 9:02:08 PM)
South Carolina, great weather, they say that the Carolinas and San Diego have some of the best weather in the country. Lots of people drive around with a tiger paw stencil on their car, some type of college rivalry I guess. Smack dab in the middle of NASCAR land and the "Bible Belt". Nothing to see a street legal (?) monster truck parked in the parking lot of the BI-LO supermarket. You can tell who the Baptists are if you park in front of an ABC liquor store next to the BI-LO, they park their cars way at the end of the lot, get out in hat, sunglasses, collar pulled up and skulk over to the liquor store and back. I've seen that more than a few times! The next time I'm going to yell out something like, "I'm telling the preacher on your ass Devil's Spawn!" I like to pull out in front of the rednecks and floor it, the ones who have "half-hot" cars that I know my Lincoln will blow away! They get right on my ass after they catch up and ride my bumper like in NASCAR until I floor it and blow their doors off again! "Fuck you Beuford!" You can carry a loaded gun in your glove box or console here, no "permit" needed. It can get hot here in Myrtle Beach in the summer but we get a nice seabreeze, pools everywhere as well as golf courses, lots of retired people which means Buicks doing 20 miles per hour under the speed limit! They drive Buicks because they, "don't want to be flashy and drive a Caddy." And I always seem to get stuck behind them in my "flashy" Lincoln, "Oh Cripes! ANOTHER fucking BUICK!" "Beep, Beep, get the fuck going you cue-tip!" Plenty of touristy stuff, Planet Hollywood, mini golf places, miles and miles and miles of warm weather sand beaches, 3,200 restaurants, all kinds of things to do, cheap to go out to eat. Lots of people from up North moving here! It's cheap to live here if you're retired and have a pension. Some days I never hear a southern accent. And there's strip clubs all over too, "Gentlemen's Clubs" they call them but I haven't seen too many "gentlemen" in them. And in May we have a nice "Bike Week Rally" that usually lasts two weeks. Most of the bikers stay away from the Myrtle Beach city limits and go to Surfside, Garden City, N. Myrtle and especially Murrill's Inlet where the really big bike bars and other attractions are due to the Myrtle Beach city council just not being friendly to bikers. Aileen said we'd meet for a beer this year when her and hubby come down so we'll see! The rest of the state sucks. The end.

came4U -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (3/6/2010 9:33:47 PM)
SC lol, Love SC toooo, surfside sigh, ahhh but doesn't the sign going into Myrtle Beach say....."Welcome to Myrtle Beach---------Home of Vana White"? lol like seriously, Vana White?????

LadyAngelika -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (3/6/2010 10:29:59 PM)
quote: Never been a big fan of poutine though. Depends where you had your poutine. ;-) I'm actually a poutine snob! - LA

came4U -> RE: Lady Angelika started it - a guide to different states/provinces (3/6/2010 10:51:09 PM)
quote: Depends where you had your poutine. ;-) I'm actually a poutine snob! Sorry, but with legs like that, ....you must only be snobby twice (maximum) per year. pfft can't fool me. No legs like that exist by being a poutine whore [:D] unless you meant the opposite actually and you literally meant 'snob/snubber' of the bad bad poutine?? laffs as Amerikuns franically look up 'poutine' in google [:D]

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