Quote:
|
Social, cultural, political and some practical information mainly.
|
With the exception of a very few cities, such as NYC and Boston, most of the US has terrible main transportation facilities. LA is one large traffic snarl. Unless you expect to live within walking distance of work, learn to love your car, and all the time you will spend in it.
Politically, southern California (as distinct from the less heavily populated, more conservative north) is in the main Democratic and somewhat liberal for the US. Of course, it can also be said with a moderate degree of truth that the Most Serene Republic of Venice under its geriatric doges was a socialist utopia compared to the US as it is at this moment. Expect laws in local communities that either flout or embrace the self-centered, rich-get-richer attitude:Marin County is not East LA. Demographics and psychographics vary dramatically from community to community in the US, in ways that most Europeans have never seen outside of cultural enclaves. But in the US, you can find two very large groups of people living 15 miles down the road from one another who are in all physical respects identical, yet behave completely differently.
This will also be reflected in lifestyle basics, such as housing and food. Very healthy and extremely unhealthy can be found in the same places. There are also nuts at both extremes, and they live happily in your area, in great numbers, too.
The waif at the local supermarket checkout counter who only eats tofu and dates boys according to the predictions of the I Ching has a father who spends 3 hours a day trolling science websites dedicated to explaining manmade climatological changes.
The area you are moving to is obssessed with surface. I know this will amuse rather than interest both Silur and you, just as it has done me, in my various moves, but it's worth keeping in mind. At least you won't seriously annoy anybody by your lack of a church. You're in Urban USia, not Rural, and though you might get visits from odd types, your lack of interest won't bother anyone. Most urbanites in the US have a very take-it-or-leave-it attitude towards religion, a lot more like their urban European counterparts.
Tipping is 15% in restaurants. Most store services aren't tipped. You'll probably find that eye contact is more common in the US than in Sweden, and body space is somewhat smaller (though not as small as in the Central/South American cultures). Smoking is far less common in California than in Sweden, especially in public areas.
Hope that helps.