My impressions after 9 days in California:
When people say this place is very diverse, they mean there’s no dearth of Indians and Chinese population here.
When they say San Francisco rocks, they mean only San Francisco. Not San Jose, not Fremont, not Santa Clara or even Redwood City. No, they won’t tell you San Francisco is a 50 minute drive from San Jose.
When they say the beach is nearby, they don’t really mean you can swim there. It is 50 degrees in winter and 55 degrees in summer. Yeah, you’d have to be covered from head toe to get into water.
When they say California has awesome weather all year around, they really mean from March to October. It does get cold in January, it is gloomy in February and March, and thankfully remains gorgeous for the rest of the year.
When they say California is laidback, it really is. Or at least when compared to DC lifestyle or New York. Time passes slowly here.
When they say Californians see a lot of UFOs, its true. The state records highest number of UFO sightings in the country. Incidentally, it also holds the highest number of psychopath socialites and celebrities in the country. Perhaps there’s a link.
When they say it’s the Silicon Valley, its true. You’ll be hard pressed to find people not talking about code.
You get discounts for using less water, gas and electricity. In fact, if you don’t use them at all, the gas and electric board promise not to send you a bill at all! You’ll still be charged for water though.
When Californians look at you and say, “Oh this is the best place in the world”, they really haven’t been outside the state. If they have, its more likely Kansas or Detroit, in which case, their theory holds true.
All major hikes, trails, attractions are within driving distance.
You cannot visit Walmart without running into a Quickstar salesperson. In a few years, I guess California immigration policies will include mandatory Quickstar membership. Perhaps its necessary to avoid speaking to annoying unwanted pesky pokey people.