Anonymous wrote:It’s very fast paced. People are always “on.” The closer you are to DC, the more your news is dominated by politics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a young person, have lived on the west coast my whole life, and am thinking of moving to one of the larger cities out east.

This is something I've wanted for a while- I like the classic look of the cities, the foliage, the old buildings, but I have some concerns.

I have heard the east coast is very fast paced, and if you're not on the ball, you will get left behind. I consider myself a hard worker but not looking forward to being outpaced by colleagues or not being able to have a work/life balance.

I've also heard east coast people can be shockingly direct. My family is mostly passive aggressive when they get mad, and that's what I tend to be used to. It's worked well where I live, but I'm not sure how I would be able to handle conflicts with the kind of people who "tell it like it is". To me, again, thinking of work situations, it sounds somewhat daunting.

Would love to hear from anyone who has made this move or has experiences in these areas.

East coast is too big of a category. There’s going to be a big difference between places like Atlanta and Charlotte from Philly and New York.

Anonymous wrote:I am a young person, have lived on the west coast my whole life, and am thinking of moving to one of the larger cities out east.

This is something I've wanted for a while- I like the classic look of the cities, the foliage, the old buildings, but I have some concerns.

I have heard the east coast is very fast paced, and if you're not on the ball, you will get left behind. I consider myself a hard worker but not looking forward to being outpaced by colleagues or not being able to have a work/life balance.

I've also heard east coast people can be shockingly direct. My family is mostly passive aggressive when they get mad, and that's what I tend to be used to. It's worked well where I live, but I'm not sure how I would be able to handle conflicts with the kind of people who "tell it like it is". To me, again, thinking of work situations, it sounds somewhat daunting.

Would love to hear from anyone who has made this move or has experiences in these areas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will pass people in the street who when you smile and say hello, will simply stare back at you, silently, as if you are a martian.

Signed someone who has lived on both coasts.

+1

Many people on the east coast don't say hi even when you say hi to them. There is just this blank stare. It's the weirdest thing.

My experience was pretty much the exact opposite. I moved to DC from Palo Alto, and was blown away that everyone I passed on the street in DC seemed to say, "Hi--how you doin?" I got into the habit of doing it, too. When I went back to Palo Alto, I swear the first lady I said "How you doin?" to on the street called the police on me. I am a white woman, so it was not a race or gender thing--it just freaked her the hell out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will pass people in the street who when you smile and say hello, will simply stare back at you, silently, as if you are a martian.

Signed someone who has lived on both coasts.

+1

Many people on the east coast don't say hi even when you say hi to them. There is just this blank stare. It's the weirdest thing.

My experience was pretty much the exact opposite. I moved to DC from Palo Alto, and was blown away that everyone I passed on the street in DC seemed to say, "Hi--how you doin?" I got into the habit of doing it, too. When I went back to Palo Alto, I swear the first lady I said "How you doin?" to on the street called the police on me. I am a white woman, so it was not a race or gender thing--it just freaked her the hell out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will pass people in the street who when you smile and say hello, will simply stare back at you, silently, as if you are a martian.

Signed someone who has lived on both coasts.

+1

Many people on the east coast don't say hi even when you say hi to them. There is just this blank stare. It's the weirdest thing.

My experience was pretty much the exact opposite. I moved to DC from Palo Alto, and was blown away that everyone I passed on the street in DC seemed to say, "Hi--how you doin?" I got into the habit of doing it, too. When I went back to Palo Alto, I swear the first lady I said "How you doin?" to on the street called the police on me. I am a white woman, so it was not a race or gender thing--it just freaked her the hell out.

Anonymous wrote:Get used to people being a LOT more uptight than what you're used to. About clothes, about food, about politics, about career, you name it.

To be sure, it's not all bad. For example, I appreciate the fact that on the East Coast people still respect the concept of dressing well for fancy occasions. It really irritates me when I visit my family out West, go out to a nice dinner at a "white tablecloth" establishment, and half the customers are dressed like they just finished cleaning the garage.

Anonymous wrote:We moved from WA state to DC 2 years ago. Still happy with our choice. Love how much less passive-aggressive people are, how much more is actually done at work, and can’t believe what people write here about DC summers - try 8 weeks of rain, 3 weeks of nice weather and 3 week of smoke, and let’s see how that goes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from the Pacific Northwest. I moved to the East Coast for my first job out of college (Boston) and it was a huge culture shock. Everyone seemed rude, cold and socially conservative. Even white people were segregated—Irish neighborhoods, Italian neighborhoods, etc. The constant feeling of being rushed and ignored passed as I got used to it, but it was a lonely and exhausting first winter. DC (not The Hill, but regular-jobs-DC) is much less uptight and, surprisingly, less segregated (racially and socioeconomically, which says a lot about Boston) in my opinion. I agree about the weather—snow for months on end is hard. It also feels like outdoor activities are harder to find, but that’s mostly because of the traffic.

DC is less uptight? Wow, Boston must be really bad!

Anonymous wrote:I've lived all over the US and 6 countries for school and work. I come from California -- the East Bay. They only thing I can't stand weather-wise are the humid summers. They are brutal. Worst I have ever encountered. I love the other 3 seasons.