Intro

Growing up on the East Coast of NYC, we often hear stories and fantasize about that chill, breezy, California lifestyle out West. Its some kind of weird social norm that's passed down to kids who never left their home state, let alone their home coast. Its common to drive down to Florida, the beaches in North and South Carolina, Maryland, up to the Coast to Cape Cod and Maine. But it's pretty rare to get on a plane and fly out West unless you have family there. 

We watch shows like Beverly Hills 90210, The OC, surfing movies like Blue Crush, you name it. Everything portrays California as this fantasy land where everyone is well off, drives an expensive car and lives somewhere by the beach. Oh and the beach is VERY walkable. Everyone's hanging out on a boardwalk, working their teenage job by the Bay. Something very relaxing and beautiful- regardless of how miserable the show might portray their lives and what drama comes up. The environment portrayal is always a neutral, cool, positive feeling. 

Maybe I grew up in a niche, and I'm completely crazy for thinking these things. But based on everything I watched growing up, stories I heard and all sorts of experiences, this is what I was led to believe. That everything is better on the other side. That all problems float away the minute you move to California and living on the beach is super cheap and easy. Maybe there are others who believed this as well, and maybe this is just my kid-like mentality and as an adult I should have quickly realized that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Unfortunately, I wanted to believe. and well into my late 20s I still hadn't set foot anywhere West of Colorado. I'm not naive, I'm actually quite a realist. But life was tough and I wanted to believe there was a better place out there. An escape. It made me feel better, more hopeful. It made me continue to work and believe for a better life. 

Fast forward 5 years later and I've lived in every major city on the West Coast for a decent amount of time. Maybe not every, but I've spent enough time to see what life is like on the other side. And surprise! Its nothing like what it was portrayed to me as a kid. Its not what they showed on TV. It doesn't even look like it. 

So I started this blog to write about my daily experiences, because everyday (even 5 years in) I am still surprised. I am still surprised that such a majestic place has some major downsides. I am still experiencing this culture shock I felt since the first time I set foot in San Francisco and noticed the first homeless tent. The culture shock I felt at the realistic scene of Seattle's 3rd ave, literally a block from the famous Pike Place. The need for a car to actually reach the beach in California, and the fact that it could take HOURS to actually get there. And once you do, its NOT walkable in any way! Not to mention, the cost of housing, supermarket shopping and the salary rate at which a "middle class" professional needs to get paid to afford a decent lifestyle, otherwise it really is easier to just live in a tent. 

I'm coming in with the mentality that this is my new home, that I'm trying not to judge, but rather point out the flaws that I know can be fixed. Only because I've seen better. How is the East Coast more affordable? How come East Coast cities like NYC have so many housing lotteries and make it much more affordable to live there no matter how low or high your income is?

I know the West coast is (like, so totally) the best coast, but maybe you gotta be born into it to see that...