Sometimes life makes you do crazy things… Such as flying cross country with a huge block of your favorite cheese in an insulated bag, just to be able to enjoy something you usually can’t. My hubby did that a couple of weeks ago on his way back from a work trip. He spent a week out in Washington (state) and before he left, he purchased a huge brick of Tillamook cheddar. Pretty much the best cheese ever, especially to him who likes to have cheese and crackers every afternoon after work. (because SHORE DUTY and yes he gets home in the afternoon, not the evening… woohoo!)
Anywho… after living on the east coast for the third time (Rhode Island, FL, and now Virginia), we have come to notice quite a few differences from our roots on the west coast. We are both from Oregon, and we’ve lived in California and Washington too… and we are die-hard west coasters in the east coast vs west coast battle (west coast best coast!). So that said, here’s our take on life on the two sides of the contiguous states. Please chime in below and let me know what differences you’ve noticed in your travels about the country.
The list of difference between East Coast and West Coast
- Twizzlers vs Red Vines. Um, Red vines are clearly superior.
- Dunkin Donuts vs Starbucks. I had a Dunkin Donuts frozen drinky thing in Rhode Island (their attempt at the Frappuccino?). Ew.
- (Nothing compares) vs Tillamook Ice Cream. We did visit the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Vermont, which was awesome, but since a pint costs the same as a half gallon of yummy Tillamook… Winner–> West Coast.
- Talking about “Washington” meaning D.C. vs Talking about Washington meaning the state. I don’t know how many times I’ve said we moved here from Washington and people think I mean D.C. So I always have to say Washington State.
- Going “Way out West” could mean Kansas vs Going “Back East” could mean pretty much anywhere east of Colorado. The poor mid-west really gets the raw end of that deal.
- Snow = snow ploughs and don’t pahk your cah on the street or it”ll get towed… or boxed in by snow vs Snow= everything shuts down for a week. It’s so mild out west in the winter… although the east coast wins in the spring and fall, because rain (in the NW anyway).
- Grocery store produce vs Farmers markets and Farm stands. Out here in VA you have to drive forever to get to a decent farmers market. Forever being more than 20 minutes.
- Tons of people smoke cigarettes vs No smoking allowed in some cities. Out west I sometimes forget that people actually still smoke.
- Drive 1-2 hours to get through one (or more) states vs Drive 5 or more hours to get to the next state. Ok the east coast might win on this point in travel perks. You can get so many cool places so quickly!
What else have you found to be different from coast to coast?