Rude responses to travel plans/regional superiority

[Piratelvr1121]

Here's another interesting thing about Mrs. Paroo.  My friend was asked to play her in a production of "The Music Man" a few years back and she declined.   I can't remember why other than maybe she didn't feel confident she could play it well.

She regrets turning it down now, because she loves the character and knows she would have had a blast playing her.  After we watched most of it, we had fun singing "The Piano Lesson" together.  She sang Mrs. Paroo's part, I sang Marian's! LOL!

My younger son's favorite song is "Gary, Indiana!" He'd make a good Winthrop if he could do the lisp.   

"Profethor Hill said that if I'm gonna thtick around River Thity, I've got to learn to whittle and thpit!  I've got the thpittin' part down pretty good!"  Little Ron Howard was just too cute as Winthrop Paroo in the movie. 

[Joannie81]

We have passed through a lot of states while moving around and there were a lot of places we really wanted to stop, but couldn't because of time.  One of the things we like best about traveling is when we do stop, we always find something interesting.  There is so much history if you just look. 

[Jocelyn]

And then there's Kansas.
People insist on believing that Kansas is perfectly flat, border to border.
Even when you tell them that the joke at the University of Kansas is that you can tell how many years a woman has attended, by the size of her calf muscles. The campus is built on the top of a hill, and the parking lots are all at the bottom.
Even when I suggest that they look at my legs, and consider that I have a graduate degree from KU. 

[Musicwoman]

I got a similar response when I told people I was going to Canberra for a holiday.  One person even asked me what drugs I was on, to consider two weeks in Canberra a good time.

I am a history nut and abnormally interested in Civic Stuff.  Canberra, as Australia's capital, not only has what must be the world's coolest houses of parliament (seriously, is there anywhere else you can walk up the side of the building and then roll down?  And where the stone floor of the foyer is lousy with fossils?), it has all the best museums. 

I saw a landing boat from Gallipoli; not a similar boat, not a replica, an actual Gallipoli landing boat full of bullet holes.  I saw The Big Picture.  I saw Phar Lap's heart and Rolf Harris's wobbleboard.  I saw the freaking Magna Carta; again, not a replica or fascimile but an actual 13th Century piece of vellum with the seal of Edward the First on it!!  I bought a coffee mug with the Prime Minister's face on it and saw five Monets and tracked down the fate of a great-great uncle who was killed in WWI.  I even got to write on a slate with a slate pencil and saw Ninjas advertising a Mexican restaurant.

What's not to love?   

[Piratelvr1121]

I got a similar response when I told people I was going to Canberra for a holiday.  One person even asked me what drugs I was on, to consider two weeks in Canberra a good time.

I am a history nut and abnormally interested in Civic Stuff.  Canberra, as Australia's capital, not only has what must be the world's coolest houses of parliament (seriously, is there anywhere else you can walk up the side of the building and then roll down?  And where the stone floor of the foyer is lousy with fossils?), it has all the best museums. 

I saw a landing boat from Gallipoli; not a similar boat, not a replica, an actual Gallipoli landing boat full of bullet holes.  I saw The Big Picture.  I saw Phar Lap's heart and Rolf Harris's wobbleboard.  I saw the freaking Magna Carta; again, not a replica or fascimile but an actual 13th Century piece of vellum with the seal of Edward the First on it!!  I bought a coffee mug with the Prime Minister's face on it and saw five Monets and tracked down the fate of a great-great uncle who was killed in WWI.  I even got to write on a slate with a slate pencil and saw Ninjas advertising a Mexican restaurant.

What's not to love?   

AWESOME!!!   See, this is why I maintain that it all depends on what a person finds to be interesting and appealing.

My friend and I both love Victorian architecture and decorating, as well as various things that were around and in vogue during that time.    So on my second day out there, we went to Brucemore Mansion and took the tour of it, which was so cool!   Despite having been born and raised not far from CR, she'd never been there herself so it was new to both of us and we loved it.   Especially when we discovered they had a Porter Music box in the basement, something she'd told me about but I'd not seen in person until then.

And we went to Galena, IL for some shopping, as they have Galena Beads, great for two jewelry makers like ourselves, and we found a store that was right up our alley for clothes and jewelry (both of us go with hippie/boho styles).   Then we went back across the river to Dubuque and found Shamrock Imports that has all Irish merchandise (with a few Scottish things, too). 

One day we went down past the Amana colonies (where we stopped and got some to die for caramels) to Fireside Winery and got to sit outside and enjoy the nice day and scenery.   

Oh, and her town has a $2 second run theater that usually does not play rated R movies.  But by pure luck and coincidence, the weekend I was there they decided to play "Public Enemies"!!   So we went and saw it 3 times for less than we'd pay to see it once in a regular theater.   

I'm sure some people would have been bored to death but we had a BLAST!

[iridaceae]

I'm from Wisconsin. I get the same reaction when I tell people I love Wisconsin..

[ACBNYC]

I can believe it, Lady Pekoe.    DH and I were seriously considering moving out to Iowa, to the town my friend lives in.   When I told someone else this who works as a special ed teacher at various schools in the county, she said "But what about your boys education?  The schools out there aren't very good!"  

The last I checked--it's been awhile--Iowa had the highest literacy rate (99%) in the country.

I'm an Iowan living in NYC and boy do I get it sometimes when I mentioned I'm from Iowa.  Usually in a nice, joking way, but there are certainly people here who have a huge chip and consider everything between NYC and LA "flyover" country!

I would move back in a heartbeat--I miss my family--but DH is a born and bred NYer so it's unlikely I'll ever make it back to the midwest.

[Giggity]

Try being a Texan!

Yes, we have an attitude (perfectly exemplified by the Facebook group "I'm from Texas, therefore I'm automatically cooler than you").*

What makes it bad, though, is that Texas is so huge, each region has its own idea of its innate superiority. I, a lifelong Houstonian, have had some loud arguments (back in the day) with Dallas denizens who cannot understand why Houston just kicks Dallas's butt all over the map. 

*Caveat: I don't belong to this group, because I abhor run-on sentences and every time I saw it I'd grit my teeth and my teeth frankly can't take that sort of abuse.

[Pinky830]

I'm from Wisconsin. I get the same reaction when I tell people I love Wisconsin..

I don't know what part of the state you're from, but I've been to Madison and the surrounding area twice and absolutely LOVED it. 

[Jocelyn]

I got a similar response when I told people I was going to Canberra for a holiday.  

Oh, I am DEFINITELY going to Canberra when I tour Australia!

[jayhawk]

And then there's Kansas.
People insist on believing that Kansas is perfectly flat, border to border.
Even when you tell them that the joke at the University of Kansas is that you can tell how many years a woman has attended, by the size of her calf muscles. The campus is built on the top of a hill, and the parking lots are all at the bottom.
Even when I suggest that they look at my legs, and consider that I have a graduate degree from KU.  

   Thank you, Jocelyn, well-put!  Rock Chalk!

[Joannie81]

I'm from Wisconsin. I get the same reaction when I tell people I love Wisconsin..

I don't know what part of the state you're from, but I've been to Madison and the surrounding area twice and absolutely LOVED it. 

Madison is nice, but Milwaukee is great too!  Lots of museums and the lake.  Plus Summerfest, State fair and a summer full of festivals of every kind!

[girlysprite]

I think that this problem occurs for every rural area. I myself live in a small city. Most of my friend and family live in big cities and like it (everything close). And some of them are a bit like "but...that place is so boring! What can you do there?". My answer: "Go out and enjoy the nature, practically next to my doorstep."
I don't care much for going into bars and cafe's and big buildings. I don't need to have the sense that 'it is happening' right next to me.

I don't like big busy cities so much myself. I think I'd prefer those places named here over New York. 

[wyozozo]

Try being from New Jersey!! The jokes get old fast!

I'll always be proud to be a Jersey Girl!!!

[Piratelvr1121]

I know a couple that lives in Appleton!   We haven't seen them in a long time, as they were our next door neighbors when DH was in the MC and we lived on base.   When DH and the other guy got out, they moved to Wisconsin and we came to Maryland.  

Before I went out to visit my friend in Iowa, we were talking about going to visit a winery in southern Wisconsin, just over the border, but we decided to go to one closer since we already had a long drive planned for the week I was there, from her town to Galena and back.

Oh and as for Jersey, I've heard so many due to my dad being from there.  "What exit?" Or the comments about Jersey drivers and other snarky things.

Personally, I think Jersey's great!    We'd live there if it weren't more expensive to live there than it is here, and if we didn't already love our area.