I met my now partner Anouk Govil in Connecticut when we were just children, growing up together in the same street, and then we even studied together as students once we reached university age. The strange thing about all of this was that I never really knew Anouk until we reached university, and the rest as they say is history. Three years ago we made the decision to move from Connecticut to the bright light of New York. Naturally we often meet people from all over the world who are here to visit, and many often ask me what life is like here in the east coast. I have had a think about this question and here are the points that I would make.
Cold Winters
You often see shots of the Connecticut coast or New York in summertime and it always look absolutely beautiful, and the truth is that when the sun shines down, it most certainly is. The wintertime and fall on the other hand, are not pleasant months. During these months we get snow and icy temperatures, plus the fact that the days are much shorter. Strangely this actually has an impact on people’s mood and it makes sense I guess when you wake up in the dark, and go to bed in the dark, constantly wrapping up to protect yourself from the cold.
Hardy
Having traveled quite a bit around the USA, especially the West Coast, I wholeheartedly accept that there is an argument to be made about how much happier everyone else is apart from the east coast. I think that this comes down to the history of the area, with a lot of industry here on the east like dock yards and construction which dominated employment for many years. That combined with the cold winter temperatures have made us a hardy bunch who get things done. You find that in sunnier areas that people are happier because there is a lot that they don’t need to worry about, the beach, fresh fruit and sunshine are often all people need to be happy, a luxury which we just don’t have here on the east coast.
Direct
It isn’t so bad in places like Connecticut but in New Jersey and New York there is a notion that we are quite rude, but I like to think we are just direct. We can appear rude when talking to people but the truth is that we just don’t have any time for flannel, we need to know what we need to know and then move on. Again i think that much of this comes down to the climate, the way of life and the hard-working nature of the east coast, and that is why nobody argues like they do over this side of the US.
I love the east coast and I am proud to say that I am from here and despite the negatives that people may throw our way, it is the best place to live in the country!
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