The New Hobbit Hole

[RosieCotton]

I'll bring some Diet Dr Pepper, right?

I'm still hoping a Midwesterner makes it to Entmoot and can bring Vernor's gingerale. Are there ANY folks in the Hole from the Midwest?

[RosieCotton]

Ah, the unnamed crew member who always dies, right? (DId you see Galaxy Quest?)

Yes! That's another that's on my short list of DVDs I want to buy soon.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

MrsItsOurTimeNow is from the Midwest...we travel out there about 3 times a year.

[Sam Cree]

What city?

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Richmond, Indiana

[Sam Cree]

Oh, never been there. I have close friends from both Bloomington and Evansville.

I have a good impression of Midwesterners.

One of my friends from New York City was telling me this summer that she didn't want her daughter going to college in such a provincial area as the Midwest. However, all that proved to me is that New Yorkers are probably alot more insulated and narrow minded than Midwesterners.

[RosieCotton]

I've been there several times! That's where my Mom went to highschool and where my Grandma still lives (plus some of my cousins).

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I love it out there. I'm a born and bred New Englander, but over the course of the last 5 years or so, I've slowly started to get disgusted with this area. I have a hard time tolerating such a liberal mindset, liberal state government, liberal gun laws, liberal social programs...it takes a toll, having to live in an "Algore Blue" state.

The people out there, generally speaking, are friendlier, more polite, and move at a more relaxed pace. I couldn't believe it when a vehicle actually STOPPED to let me make a left-hand turn! And, to top it all off, they'll actually allow you to move in front of them on the highway, instead of speeding up and forcing you to fall behind. Amazing, isn't it?

We've thought of relocating on and off for the last two years now...the cost of living is unbelievably cheaper out there than it is here. But, I'd be hard pressed to find work equivalent of what I'm making out here...so...there's the rub.

[Sam Cree]

I find New England very beautiful also, I think I feel that way about the entire country. But I agree about the leftist mindset. Ironic in an area that was so important in the birth of our country.

Out for awhile, will check in later.

[RosieCotton]

And, to top it all off, they'll actually allow you to move in front of them on the highway, instead of speeding up and forcing you to fall behind.

This is one of the things that makes me afraid to drive in places bigger and scarier than here! People (with the exception of visitors) seem to be pretty good about following rules here. If you're on the freeway (which was two whole lanes, by the way), you stay on the right unless you're passing. Period. And if someone starts to pass you (on the left, as it should be), you might even slow down a tad to make it easier for them. You certainly don't speed up! Same goes for someone trying to get back over after passing...give them room! (Of course, we have a lot more room here than you would down there, but...)

[ItsOurTimeNow]

No kidding!? That's awesome! Since you and The Mrs. are in close age proximity, I'd be willing to bet you two may have a few common aquaintances.

Her family's last names are Vance and Cougill.

[Sam Cree]

You could try driving in Miami, where the population is dominated by Latins, immigrants from the Caribbean Islands who've never seen a city before, lots of retired New Yorkers, visiting Canadians and a dollop of rednecks.

Maybe half of us can speak English, personal philosophies on how to drive are unpredictable at best.

[RosieCotton]

My cousins might know friends of hers...but I grew up here. My parents are both from the Midwest (Mom from Indiana, Dad from Wisconsin), but I was born in Oregon (which the people here pronounce ore-gone instead of oregun), and they moved here when I was four. So I'm not a "real" Vermonter (I think you have to have parents who were born here for that, anyway), but not a Midwesterner, either. Gal without a state...

[RosieCotton]

You could try driving in Miami

No thanks!

I'm a real sissy when it comes to driving...I got my license late partly because of that, and I still refuse to drive in cities. I'll take a bus or a subway instead, though it may not be as convenient.

The craziest place for driving that I've EVER seen was Naples, Italy. Lanes? What lanes? Not to mention all the other nutsy things going on. We were told that signs, rules, etc. are just there to determine fault in an accident, not to be actually FOLLOWED.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I spend a lot of my time driving all over N.E., especially Boston and Hartford, and I have never had an easier time driving this area than I do when I'm in N.H. or VT.

Boston and Providence are "Kill or Be Killed" driving areas...it's insane.

[RosieCotton]

Boston and Providence are "Kill or Be Killed" driving areas...it's insane.

My Dad refuses to drive in Boston. I used to fly in and out of Logan when I visited from Germany, and he said he'd gladly pay for my bus ticket out of there rather than drive in. I think it's even worse now, with the Big Dig project going on.

[HairOfTheDog]

What's funny about you being afraid to drive in cities, is that I am the opposite. I am absolutely afraid to get on public transportation! And the basis of my fear? - That I don't know where it is going. I am afraid of going to the wrong place and not knowing where I am.

When I go on trips to strange cities I almost always take cabs if I am not driving. The exception to that was the streetcars in SanFrancisco. I figured they were slow enough that I could risk it...

[RosieCotton]

That I don't know where it is going. I am afraid of going to the wrong place and not knowing where I am.

Maybe I don't mind because I'm perpetually lost. I'm used to it! ;-) Seriously, I've gotten lost between here and Littleton, NH (which is about twenty minutes away, and has been the "big town" in my life since I was tiny!)

My brother and I went to NYC and used nothing but trains and busses to get around. It was inexpensive, and though we did occasionally get lost (usually trying to FIND the subway rather than IN it, though we did both), we mostly did OK. And now we laugh about the times we were lost!

But if you don't mind driving in traffic, I say more power to ya! I really wish I wasn't such a chicken...I feel like it restricts me a lot as there are so many places I'd like to visit and it would be much cheaper and easier to do it by car...if I wasn't so scared!

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Should "Hobbits Hate Driving" be a new keyword for this thread?

[RosieCotton]

Should "Hobbits Hate Driving" be a new keyword for this thread?

More like Hobbits Hate Cities! I LIKE driving HERE, actually. It's kind of relaxing, and there are long stretches of nice pretty backroads that I can just toodle along without worrying about nasty "outsiders" passing on the right or otherwise harassing me. We do have the occasional tailgaiting troll (especially at night), but mostly it's pretty pleasant here.