[kstewskis]

Never been in an earthquake. Does the ground move sideways? Up and down? Or does it feel like bobbing around on a boat?

All of the above.

Imagine riding in a car, truck, or whatever, on a really bumpy road. That's one type.

The other type, is kind of like you are "rolling" or "rocking" back and forth.

Sometimes it depends how far you are from the epicenter.

[SoCal Pubbie]

Sometimes earthquakes feel like you're in car on a bumpy road that being getting tossed about, but often, as today, there is a different sensation that is harder to describe. The thing with the car or boat analogy is that in those cases, you are in a vessel that is moving around violently in its environment. In an earthquake, the environment itself is moving. You can feel the shockwave traveling through the ground. It is very odd and unsettling. I am about 100 miles from the epicenter. My wife has two employees who are from back east and she doesn't think they've been through one yet. They will likely be freaked out!

At the California Science Center in Exposition Park, they have, or at least had, an exhibit about earthquakes. There was a small room you could go into that simulated an earthquake complete with shaking and sound effects. Basically it was a platform that shook sideways as well bouncing up and down, with another unit to shake the walls. If you can imagine that you are closer to experiencing an earthquake.