See, I go into Boston on the assumption that the cars are all independently sentient beings out to mow down everything in their paths, I act accordingly avoidant and cautious, and I do just fine. But, for whatever reason, when I interact with the bipeds I don't get tasered; they all go out of their way to exchange pleasantries and sometimes break into actual spontaneous conversation. (eta: hence the suspicion that there really is some funky weird aura thing happening with me, because this is clearly atypical Bostonian behavior.)

Whereas if Manhattanites aren't ignoring me, they're yelling at me for failing to follow the unspoken but universal protocol which I can never figure out because I'm afraid that asking about the protocol violates the protocol. The only person who was ever spontaneously nice to me in all my visits was a crazy homeless woman in the ladies' room at Grand Central, who came across me weeping over a boy-related betrayal and stood there feeding me paper towels and insisting I wash my face because the cool water would make me feel better and patting my shoulder and saying, "Oh, honey, they're all dogs. They just are. Oh, honey."

spontaneously nice

As someone who grew up in the greater Boston area and now lives in NYC, I have to confess that the idea of being spontaneously nice to a stranger doesn't really make any sense to me.

Those big east cities have crushed your soul.

Man, people in Baltimore must really have it in for bicyclists.

Seriously. It's funny (not haha) because our new mayor is a cycling enthusiast and has just put in, like, Baltimore's first bike lanes.

The sniper thing is crazy! The guy I know who got shot (in his shoulder, he's fine) was the third one this has happened to on this one street. And the police think they know who did it but supposedly don't have enough evidence to arrest him yet. And there's been NOTHING in the press about it at all. It's a freaking SNIPER!!!

In the wrong neighborhood to be newsworthy, I guess.

Those big east cities have crushed your soul.

This is why I can never leave the Northeast. Living in DC made me nuts.

And there's been NOTHING in the press about it at all. It's a freaking SNIPER!!!

Yikes.

I'm not sure. Because this is very definitely a City, with most of the stuff Cities have(both good and bad) and with a very transient population. But at the same time, maybe some of the Cubs fans brought that whole Midwest thing from Chicago? ETA: Lisah, go out cycling with a red ribbon on your wrist...that'll catch 'em.

In the wrong neighborhood to be newsworthy, I guess.

That former student of mine who was killed last summer? One news story, then bupkis. No arrests, no further news, no nothing. Wrong neighborhood for it there, too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM!!!!

Mini-meara:

First of all, we have way more flavors of human than white, gay and Asian. Ever been to the Mission, canuckface! Way more than Seattle too for that matter, whitebread city with a side of soy sauce.

Perhaps true, but not more than NY I’m afraid.

It defers to New York until Bon makes ridiculous claims about Manhattan being gayer than San Francisco. (So Not!)

However, I will grant you that SF is way gayer.

I don't have an inferiority complex about NYC. I have a persecution complex. I've never really had a good visit there--long, short, staying at a hotel, staying with a friend, hitting all the theaters, drifting around various NYU graduate buildings and going to grad student parties, it just didn't matter. NYC seems to have it in for me, and I've mostly given up on it (except, damn, the live theater never disappoints, never--and even if some individual show does disappoint, there are eighty billion others from which to choose). (And, in my very limited experience, Brooklyn is just plain awesome.)

I really have no interest in Manhattan, but I loved living in Brooklyn. Loved.

I don't know that Boston-area people are mean, but they really don't want to talk to you. IME.

True of most of New England I’d say.

See, I go into Boston on the assumption that the cars are all independently sentient beings out to mow down everything in their paths, I act accordingly avoidant and cautious, and I do just fine.

And yet, still better drivers than in California. By far.

This is why I can never leave the Northeast. Living in DC made me nuts.

I think it explains your overt (we've seen the hat, it's not a secret) desire to be a cowgirl and move to Montana.

As someone who grew up in the greater Boston area and now lives in NYC, I have to confess that the idea of being spontaneously nice to a stranger doesn't really make any sense to me.

Those big east cities have crushed your soul.

I feel the same way as Jesse, but it has nothing to do with geography; I just don't like people.