West Coast "Best Coast" vs East Coast "Beast of a Coast"

Portland and Boston, Sbux and Dunks -Getting along.... for now. 

     In honor of tomorrow's West Coast/East Coast Superbowl, I present a post comparing the two lovely regions I've called home. It's a bit of a long post (partly I started working on it almost two years ago and have just kept adding stuff) but I hope it's a fun one. While I certainly do become more state-riotic when I'm not in my home state, I really do mean these comparisons in jest. There are things to love and hate no matter where you live. I'm just very lucky to have lived in some excellent places. If you need proof of the beauty of each region, just behold Buzzfeed's gif collection for the West, and for the East. So, without any animosity, here are just some differences I've noticed. Some points are more about East Coast/West Coast differences, some pertain more to regions (Pacific Northwest vs. New England), and some are merely Oregon/Massachusetts comparisons, but I hope they're all a bit entertaining. Without further ado, here they are:

Sports

The Prudential Center the night of the
final game. Taken from Boston Tweets.

Portlanders like their sports (or at least the Blazers and the Timbers) pretty well, and Seattle fans can be pretty amazing (though I'll admit there's a lot more Seahawks fan now than there were a year ago), but I really don't think the Pacific NW has anything on Boston in this category. Bostonians are insane. And it’s not like they’re passionate about just one sport. Oh no. Baseball, football, basketball, hockey… Bostonians love them all. They wear gear for their favorite teams no matter the season or the game (plenty of people were in Pats gear at the Celtics game last night), and on a game day many go all out. It’s not just individual people who get excited either. The whole city seems to get excited and you see team spirit everywhere: the Prudential lights up red when the Red Sox are winning, businesses show support on their signs, and during the 2013 World Series many of the buses displayed “Go Red Sox!” on their screens. Speaking of the World Series, when the Red Sox made it in 2013, the Boston police sent out emails that MCPHS passed on to all the students and these emails outlined exactly which areas of Boston would be closed off during the games, and what would be done in case of a riot. Just craziness. One of my professors even told us that our big papers would probably not be graded until after the World Series, and everyone seemed to accept this as reasonable. That same teacher has also informed us that this year she will answer any question we have, unless it relates to Deflategate. I’d never really kept up with sports before (I prefer playing to watching), but when I came to MA for undergrad it seemed like the first question people asked me (after the customary "what's your name" and "where are you from") was what teams I root for. It was a bit embarrassing to have no answer, or to say that I'm a Blazers/Timbers/Seahawks/Mariners fan by virtue of my birth. When I came back here for PA school, I decided to change that. Last year I started keeping an eye on the Red Sox, last night I went to my first Celtics game, and this whole season I've been watching the Patriots. I had my dad explain the positions I didn't know, I watched the games with friends (or kept track of the scores during study breaks if I had too much homework), I learned the names, numbers and positions of many of the players (I can even pronounce Hoomanawanui now), and I even got to go to a game in November. That was awesome. It’s such a communal thing over here that it’s a lot of fun. Even if Bostonians can get a bit irrational, everyone's in it together, and even a "scandal" tends to unite rather than divide, as Jimmy Kimmel proved this week with "I Am the Locker Room Guy." My family has informed me that I will be shunned if I root for the wrong team tomorrow, so I will simply say that I will be wearing blue for Superbowl XLIX... and cheering for players whose names I actually know. ;)

A collage a made years ago of Oregon things

"Washington"
           Here's a quick and random difference. Before I came to Massachusetts, I never used the term "Washington state." I always just called the state "Washington" and the capital of the US as "Washington D.C." Over here though, if you just say "Washington," people are likely to assume you're talking about Washington D.C. so you have to say "Washington state" if you're referring to the state. I'm sure this isn't just a New England and would guess that the phrase "Washington state" gets used more the further you get from the Northwest. 

State Mottoes
     Here's another quick comparison between the West Coast and the East Coast. Each state in the U.S. has their own state motto that I feel says a lot about what the founders of that state believed in or wanted for their state's future. Personally, I think Oregon has one of the best mottoes, but I'm a bit biased. Washington state gets props for having a motto in a Native American language (Chinook) rather than Latin or English. I also enjoy that Massachusetts chose such a wordy phrase, whereas Rhode Island went with a single word. New Hampshire might just be the champion of this competition though.

Pacific Northwest

• Oregon: "Alis volat propriis" -"She flies with her own wings" (Latin)
• Washington: "Al-ki" -"Bye and bye" or "Hope for the future" (Chinook)
• California: "Eureka" -"I have found it" (Greek)

New England 

• Massachusetts: "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" -"By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty" (Latin)
• Maine: "Dirigo" -"I direct" (Latin)
• Connecticut: "Qui transtulit sustinet" -"He who is transplanted still sustains" (Latin)
• Rhode Island: Hope
• Vermont: Freedom and Unity
• New Hampshire: Live Free or Die

Driving

     Oregon is the clear winner in this contest. When I first came to Massachusetts, I asked what you call people from the Commonwealth (e.g. people from Oregon are Oregonians, people from Montana are Montanans, people from Michigan are Michiganders, etc.). Apparently the official term is Massachusettsans, but everyone I asked told me of a nickname that really just applies to drivers in MA (especially in the Boston area) and that I’m not going to write here because it’s not 100% family-friendly. The nickname is accurate though. Basically, you sort of risk your life every time you drive in eastern MA. Oregonians might not be the best drivers in the world, but they actually follow rules and they don’t try to kill each other. In fact, they can be almost ridiculously polite, as the show "Portlandia" pointed out in their sketch "No, You Go." In contrast, my brakes always get quite a workout in MA. The problem doesn’t solely lie with the drivers though. The roads in MA seem to have been designed by an evil genius whose goal was to kill as many people as possible. A few examples:

     In Beverly Farms, you find this three-way intersection above on the right. Drivers on 127 have no stop signs. Drivers on Hale do. However, if you’re on 127 coming from the southwest and want to go straight across the intersection to continue onto Hale, there’s no stop or yield sign, but you’d better stop, or at least slow down. Otherwise you’ll run straight into someone coming from your right who is turning left to stay on 127. To add to the fun, you also can’t see the traffic to your right until you’re pretty much in the intersection.

     In Lynn, there’s this little doozy to the left. Basically, all the red arrows indicate an area of no rules. If you want to make a left onto Market from Western, you have two terrifying crossings. The best plan tends to be to just hope for a break and then jet across, possibly screaming at the top of your lungs. It’s just as bad trying to get from Commercial to Market to Western. I used to have to go through this every time I commuted to school, though luckily I found a different way to drive to the T from Salem, and taking the Commuter Rail means I avoid this completely now.

City Nicknames
      At first I thought that Portland would definitely beat Boston in this category. After all, the most well-known nickname for Boston is probably "Beantown," and, well, that's rather lame. However, it turns out that Boston has quite a few more nicknames which are rather more flattering. I'll list most of the nicknames for both cities below so you can decide for yourself, but I think this category is probably a tie. I actually think the comparison of the nicknames for each city gives a decent idea of the things each city values, which is kind of nifty. Each nickname has a story which I'd recommend you check out if you're interested.

Boston

• Beantown
• The Hub of the Universe (a bit cocky if you ask me)
• The Cradle of Liberty
• City of Notions
• Puritan CIty
• Title Town
• The Olde Towne
• City of Champions
• The Athens of America

Portland

• City of Roses
• Bridgetown
• Little Beirut 
• Beervana
• P-town
• Rip City
• Stumptown 
• PDX

The Coast/Beaches

Looking towards Cannon Beach, OR from Ecola State Park

        Generally I try to avoid comparisons between states based on their natural beauty. I 'll jokingly do it, especially when teasing my friends from other states, but I tend to be of an opinion that every place is beautiful in its own way. I might prefer the lush forests and diverse ecosystems of Oregon, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the savannas of Kenya or the desert arches of Utah, or the neverending prairies of the Midwest and find them all lovely. So with that caveat, there are a few differences I want to mention. To start with, Oregonians call our beaches the Oregon coast, or simply "the Coast." Yes, we do have individual beaches, but I think we tend to think of our entire coastline as one entity, and not just sections of assorted beaches. Do I care whether people say they're going to the beach or the Coast? Nope, not at all. I bring this up though because I think there are a couple of good reasons why Oregonians might think of their beaches as one big coast, and those reasons are pretty swell. Firstly, beaches tend to be much longer, so long in fact, that you can't really walk from one end to another, not if you want to do something other than walk for the whole day. Beaches in Massachusetts tend to be much shorter. When I first arrived I was almost shocked. This difference is mostly due to the fact that Oregon has a pretty straight coastline, whereas Massachusetts kind of looks like a pre-schooler made it while trying to draw the head of a rhinoceros beetle. It's squirrelly and crazy, which keeps things interesting (though sometimes annoying to drive), and it tends to keep the beaches shorter. Again, I find both the long, sandy beaches of Oregon and the short, rocky beaches of Massachusetts to be beautiful. The most important difference to me is access. Oregonians can think of their coast as one thing, because in a way it is: the entire coastline of Oregon is public access, making it one big beach for everyone to enjoy. No entrance fees, no resident parking, nada. It drove me absolutely bonkers when I first came to Massachusetts and realized I'd have to pay to go onto a beach, even if I was just walking, and that I'd be totally banned from some beaches for not being a resident of the local town. Mass is pretty proud of being the state with the first public beach (Revere Beach, which became public in 1896), but Oregon took public beaches to a whole new level back in 1967 with the Beach Bill. I think MA needs to step it up in this category. 

This is Singing Beach in its entirety.

        
        Two more things I just thought of: When I came to MA for undergrad, I kept hearing about "Singing Beach." It's a nice beach and all, and I just assumed that its name came from a history of sing-a-longs held there or something. I was pretty surprised to hear that it's because people think the sand there sometimes "sings." I was more surprised when I finally heard this "singing" and realized that it was just the same squeaking noise I hear at pretty much every Oregon beach, every time. Let's just say I was not impressed. Lastly, in Oregon, you get to watch the sun set over the ocean, which is simply gorgeous. As a night owl, I tend to prefer this to waking up early to watch the sun rise over the ocean in Massachusetts, but really, both experiences are worth it. Plus, thanks to MA's crazy coastline, there are some places where you can watch the sun set over the ocean too. I don't have a video of the loveliness of MA beaches, but Uncage the Soul just finished one of the Oregon Coast, which you can watch here if you'd like.
        

Allergies
     I feel like I often tell people in MA that allergies are much worse in OR, but I sometimes forget just how true that statement is. Granted, it mostly just applies to the northern Willamette Valley, but that is where most of Oregon's population lives. Here's two situations from my life to illustrate the difference. 1) When I moved to Salem in 2013, I started my "home pharmacy" by grabbing some Sudafed and Benadryl because I knew I was heading into allergy season. Most of that initial stock remains untouched a year later. 2) I flew back to Oregon to visit last August and within 4-5 days I had a sinus infection caused by a confluence of a weakened immune system and allergies. The allergies actually started affecting me by day 2, but it was the reaction I had to a vaccine that sent my immune system over the edge. Let's just say allergens are not one of the things I miss about OR.

Accents

     Coming from Oregon, I certainly don't think that people in the Pacific Northwest have an accent. My opinion is partially correct because the people in this region tend to speak "standard" American English. Part of the reason that West Coasters have "less" of an accent is because that region of the country hasn't been densely populated for long, unlike the East Coast. However, everyone has an accent to somebody else. New Englanders, and particularly Bostonians, just have accents that are a bit more noticeable and recognizable. Personally, I'm not really a fan of the Boston accent, but after spending years over here, it sort of feels familiar and even homey. For the record though, not everyone over here speaks with a strong Bostonian accent. It tends to be much more prevalent amongst older generations, and I notice it most in men. Here are a couple interesting maps from here comparing linguistic differences across the country: 

Roundabout is the more British term and the one I use, but over here it's a rotary.

West Coast roads don't have tolls. That's my guess on why we prefer the term "freeway."

Education
     This is a category that Massachusetts definitely wins. This really isn't surprising considering there are more than 100 colleges and universities in Boston alone. Even if you just look at PA programs, Oregon and Washington have only two programs each (one of the WA programs has only provisional accreditation), whereas Massachusetts alone has 8 programs (four of which have provisional accreditation), and all the other New England states (except Vermont) have at least one or two programs. When it comes to high school education, Massachusetts is consistently ranked as the best state on list after list. In this list, four of the top five states are in New England. Oregon rarely shows up on such lists because it is neither the worst state (West Virginia or Nevada depending on who you ask), nor one of the worst. The Kids Count Data Center ranked it as a painful #37 out of 50 (Washington was right in the middle as #25). The U.S. Census bureau actually reported fairly similar numbers for MA and OR for 2009 when it came to educational attainment (attaining a high school diploma, Bachelor's degree, etc.), but that seems to have changed by 2013 when Oregon had the worst high school graduation rate (just 69%) in the nation. Oh Oregon, I love ya, but you need to set up your game here.

Fall foliage in MA

Climate
      People in Massachusetts often seem to think that Oregon would have a similar climate because both states are in the north. I then have to explain that OR is much larger and has a multitude of ecoregions, so summing up the weather for the entire state is a rather difficult task. After all, Oregon's ecoregions include everything from coastal lowlands to high desert to prairie to temperate rain forest to mountain peaks. Often I simply compare the climate of Portland to the climate of Boston because it's easy and familiar, and also covers the general climate for the majority of Oregonians. So for that comparison, the weather of Portland is milder than Boston. Winters are not as cold, so there's less snow, and while summer's can be hot, there's usually less humidity. Really, Portland just swings less between extremes. Portland's average rainfall is usually similar to or LESS than Boston's, but Portland gets a reputation for being rainy because it tends to drizzle for days rather than just dump all the rain all at once. I used to laugh at the New Englanders who complained or freaked out if rain was in the forecast for more than two days in a row. In contrast, I once had a professor in Oregon let out a class early because the sun had appeared for literally the first time in almost 30 days. The "Winter in Portlandia" episode of "Portlandia" shows this pretty well. In general I do enjoy the milder climate of Oregon, as well as the variety of regions within the state, but I also have to say that I really enjoy having both lots of snow and lots of sunshine in the winter in Massachusetts. Fall, of course, is completely gorgeous here as well, as this Buzzfeed list points out. Plus, this summer in New England was fairly mild and it was just lovely. If this is a competition, neither state "wins" because I like them both, just for different reasons. 

Even the snow in Boston likes the Pat

      However, just to prove that sometimes even the western third of Oregon gets a good amount of snow, I present this footage from last January.

        


Inventions        This category isn't even close to a tie. When your state is home to MIT, not to mention over twice as many colleges and universities as Oregon, it's a fair bet that your state might also be home to quite a few inventions. Just narrowing down MIT's contributions to the world to the top 50, or even the top 150, was quite a challenge. Even Genentech, which has expanded and set up camp near my home in Oregon, has its roots MIT. Furthermore, Massachusetts can also lay claim to such inventors as Benjamin Franklin, Elias Howe, Samuel H. B. Morse, and Eli Whitney, among others. So what does Oregon offer in return? Well, when it comes to inventions, the answer would seem to be: not much. The best I could find was the computer mouse and the hacky sack. You win this one, Mass. 
      
Coffee

Despite the poor showing in the previous category, it should be no surprise that the Pac NW beats New England in this category. I could offer loads of examples (the almost complete lack of roasters or independent coffee shops in the Boston area should be enough), but perhaps the easiest way might be to compare the big names in coffee in each area. Massachusetts is the home of Dunkin’ Donuts, the ever-present coffee and donut place with the obnoxious pink and orange logo and the rather annoying catchphrase (I’m not sure how they think “America runs on Dunkin” when a good number of states, including Oregon and Washington, don’t even have a Dunks). In the west there’s Starbucks, born in Seattle and the first company to bring Italian-style espresso drinks to the U.S. Obviously I’m a bit biased, but considering that many on the West Coast look down on Starbucks compared to other coffee places (especially those hole in the wall indie places where the owners roast their own beans and only buy organic and fair trade), whereas people on the East Coast tend to think of Starbucks as more of the ritzy, expensive place, I think it’s clear which coast knows quality coffee. 
I have two more comments on coffee when it comes to East vs. West. At my old coffee shop in Oregon, we went through maybe 3 L of iced coffee in a day in the winter, and probably up to 8 or 12 L per day during the summer. Over here in MA we begin each day, summer or winter by brewing 12 L of regular iced coffee, 2 L of decaf iced coffee, and 2-4 L of blonde roast iced coffee. It's nuts. Sometimes I think we even sell more iced coffee in the winter here. It's like the more iced coffee you drink when the temperature is freezing, the more of a New Englander you are. 
Finally, here's final note in the Starbucks versus Dunkin Donuts war. The following pictures show approximately all the Starbucks and all the Dunkin Donuts locations in the US. I think it's pretty clear which coffee place really fuels America. 

Here's one final funny comparison from Oatmeal:

     Also, using words to compare two different areas really isn't enough. When you come from an area as ecologically diverse and beautiful as Oregon, you want to show it off. I'm just glad that the guys from Uncage the Soul spent half a year documenting some of its beauty so I can watch their video if I ever get homesick. 

Finding Oregon from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

        Since I've already posted a couple inspirational videos about Boston on this blog, it seems only fair that I also include Uncage the Soul's stellar video for Portland as well. 

Finding Portland from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

     In case anyone thinks I'm being unfair though, here's a similar time lapse video for Boston. 

     In the end, there's really not a competition. I love both coasts, both states, and the cities I call home. I may pit them against each other in jest (and tomorrow they'll be pitted against each other in football), but I have been very lucky to have lived in two such wonderful regions. Should I ever forget, the pictures and quote above my dresser remind me every day.