I'm from central Pennsylvania. In PA, we don't stop to let people cross the street. I've stood out in the pouring rain without an umbrella while cars zipped by. Letting pedestrians cross the street is just not something we do in PA.

I recently moved to Williamsburg, VA. So far, I don't like the South. It's too damn hot. It was 61 degrees when I went to work at 8:30 this morning. Back home in PA, it might reach a high of 61 today. And that's how it supposed to be. Also, the leaves aren't really changing color yet in Williamsburg. They're still green. Fall is supposed to be pretty, and it's not pretty here. But I digress.

One of the weirdest things about Williamsburg is that people actually stop and let you cross the street. I don't know if its a Southern thing, a Virginia thing, or a Williamsburg thing, but that's how people roll here. For instance, when I went to get lunch, I was standing on the curb -- in between blocks, no less -- and cars just stopped and let me cross.

This always throws me off. Normally I end up standing on the curb, and keep letting cars go; and then some local just starts walking out into traffic, and everyone driving their little cars just stop. And then I follow and look like a schmuck because I was standing on the curb for a minute or two when I could've just walked out into the street and crossed right away.

Sometimes, though, people just stop, even when I don't make an attempt to walk in front of them, and basically force me to cross. It's weird. I'm not sure I like it.

Also, at the local grocery store, the baggers actually take my groceries out to my car for me -- and refuse tips, too! It's weird. I don't like that. I can take my own groceries out, myself, but they won't let me. Maybe that's a Southern thing, too.

The South is weird.

Haha I've lived in GA my whole life and that's just how it is here. All the older people(& some younger ones) call you hunny, sugar, darling, etc. You get used to it. And if you don't want baggers to help with groceries, just say so.
Leaves change a little later down south 'cause the warmer weather, just give it time. By late october the leaves will be nice and orange/red/yellow.
People say the south is strange & I don't understand why. Because the people are nice? Because the weather is wonderful? Because the food is good? lol Anyways...

The weather is wonderful? In Georgia? You're kidding, right?

For that matter, the food is good?

Well, I like it.

I don't know if you'd consider Oklahoma the south (I don't, but some people do) but people there don't stop for pedestrians. It's you versus the car, same goes for when you're driving. Whoever has the bigger vehicle wins. Oklahoma has the southern hospitality thing down though, it kind of scared me when I first moved there.

Here in California I think it's the law that you have to yield to pedestrians. And they hand out tickets for J walking. But the people aren't as friendly. They don't hold open doors for you, or say thank you or excuse me....it's insane. Lord forbid you accidentally get in their way.

Yes it is definitely a southern thing. You know how it is up here....every man for himself.

Well you don't jaywalk on a highway LOL. All the streets that you walk on in Hong Kong are pretty much tiny roads with a lot of traffic so it's not hard at all. There are very few streets like that in Vancouver, I can only think of downtown and Chinatown.

Texas has to be one of the nicest places I've ever lived. There's not a bad thing I can say about my time in San Antonio.

Cept it's impossible to get a hotel if you don't have a reservation. We went to Fiesta Texas over the summer and decided that we'd rather spend the night instead of driving back at night. We spent the amount of time searching for a hotel as it would have taken us to get back to Houston. Shoulda gone back instead. I almost ended up at UTSA. Twice.

I lived in San Antonio for a while, and I will say one bad thing about it: Too f**king hot.

Houston's got all that, and a bag of potato chips. And by a bag of potato chips, I mean high humidity. I guess it's just something you get acclimated to and stop noticing and come to expect. Right now, though, the weather's really nice. We've been staying in the low 80s :D

The tourism industry of the city has grown beyond expectation. City council is trying to play catch up on that one. When I was home on pre-deployment leave, my father brought that up in one of the city hall meetings. Hotels are being built, but they aren't in the most convenient of locations, and the premier hotels downtown are getting more expensive thanks to pricey renovations. The city continues to grow at a very impressive rate.

I'm also a big fan of Austin... just not Austin traffic.

Austin traffic is horrendous. Dallas, that place is fun to drive. I love their highways.

I don't know much about Dallas aside from the shopping and the clubs. It seems fun, though.

I know it has a shitload of business/commerce going on. Lots of job opps.