I never traveled beyond the tristate area.

[manpower]

I grew up in a small town in Maine with a population of 5,000 people or so. The high school graduating class was 165 people which made the school just a little too small to have a football team, so soccer was the spectator sport in the fall. Because of this, we didn't really have 'jocks' in the traditional sense and there wasn't much of a clique system. We didn't have cheerleaders.

It wasn't a fully stereotypical small town, but at the same time, it was. We didn't lock our houses or cars, the worst crime was high school kids getting high and the police beat in the local newspaper concerned itself mostly with the 'dispatch' (as the paper called it) of rabid animals. I knew all my neighbors by first name, babysat their kids, mowed their lawns, etc.

Parties were always either at someone's parent's house while they were away or in a sandpit out in the woods around a bonfire. Hicks love blowing stuff up; it wasn't uncommon to see an acetylene (for blowtorches) filled balloon thrown on the fire. Drug use consisted mostly of alcohol and marijuana, however pharmaceuticals had caught on among certain groups and you'd see someone crushing up a pill of oxycodone or adderal/ritalin pretty regularly.

Half the kids were bored to death up here and wanted to get out and move to a big city or california or whatever. The other half liked the slow life and are going to be happy as can be driving the kids to soccer practice in their minivan.

I went to college at a school of about 1/3 kids from NYC. The worst stereotypes we had about them went to the tune of "pretentious, snobby, rich kids" but you know how stereotypes are... One of my best friends grew up in Manhattan and I've dated two girls from scarsdale.

[ThaSaltCracka]

I just had some cousins from NJ come out to WA to visit. They were amazed at the scenery and the nature.

My best advice is to plan some family vacations to various places around the country. Like, go to Charleston, S.C. or Miami, L.A., Chicago, Seattle, Yellowstone, etc. Get out and see some new things. I live in a state much much larger then the one you live in, and I have been to more states than you. wtf.

[kerssens]

[ QUOTE ]
I live in a state much much larger then the one you live in, and I have been to more states than you. wtf.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously.....I feel like I've been nowhere but I've been to 9 states.

[gorie]

i also feel like i've been no where. probably because i've barely left wisconsin. hmm!!

[kerssens]

[ QUOTE ]
i also feel like i've been no where. probably because i've barely left wisconsin. hmm!!

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At least Wisconsin is the mecca of culture. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]