What things you assumed to be universally true, but were specific to your area?

[Auryn]

Hehe
sorry Ian, yes we Floridians have a different definition for the 'west coast'.
California is "the other west coast" 

Where in Florida are you?

In south Florida we have "snow birds" yes they are migratory but they are not fowl, although generally they are foul.
Here "snow birds" are the older generation that live every where else in the US during the summer but invade south Florida, generally from September till right after Easter/ passover.
Its a love hate relationship because they clog up the roads (especially during the early bird special window), make illegal left/right turns from the middle lane, drive 10 miles below the speed limit and are mean and cantankerous

[Anna Iram]

Yep, we're bi coastal and proud of it. No other state get's to boast of having two coasts.

[iain robb]

Hehe
sorry Ian, yes we Floridians have a different definition for the 'west coast'.
California is "the other west coast" 

Where in Florida are you?

Central Florida ... Sanford to be exact. On I-4, "up" from Orlando, down from Daytona ...

[Elennare]

Yep, we're bi coastal and proud of it. No other state get's to boast of having two coasts.

Not true!  Michigan has 2 coasts as well.

[will paisley]

In south Florida we have "snow birds" yes they are migratory but they are not fowl, although generally they are foul.
Here "snow birds" are the older generation that live every where else in the US during the summer but invade south Florida, generally from September till right after Easter/ passover.
Its a love hate relationship because they clog up the roads (especially during the early bird special window), make illegal left/right turns from the middle lane, drive 10 miles below the speed limit and are mean and cantankerous

Hmmm, the Floridian snow birds I'm familiar with are usually Canadian (then again, I'm from LA - Lower Alabama - and only a Canadian would find winter temperatures in the 40s "comfortable" enough to forego driving to the peninsula for shirtsleeve weather). 

In addition to the slow driving, Canadians are also disliked by the service community because they're not used to tipping in restaurants (leading to the old joke about the difference between a Canadian and a canoe ).

[Rani Zemirah]

Hehe
sorry Ian, yes we Floridians have a different definition for the 'west coast'.
California is "the other west coast"  

Where in Florida are you?

In south Florida we have "snow birds" yes they are migratory but they are not fowl, although generally they are foul.
Here "snow birds" are the older generation that live every where else in the US during the summer but invade south Florida, generally from September till right after Easter/ passover.
Its a love hate relationship because they clog up the roads (especially during the early bird special window), make illegal left/right turns from the middle lane, drive 10 miles below the speed limit and are mean and cantankerous

There are snow birds in TX, NM and AZ, as well.  They get around a bit, I guess... heheh

[iain robb]

Yep, we're bi coastal and proud of it. No other state get's to boast of having two coasts.

Not true!  Michigan has 2 coasts as well.

Well, if you count the upper peninsula, don't you have a north coast and a south coast too?

[Rani Zemirah]

And an archipelago, to boot!  You got the water thing covered, anyway!

[GirlChris]

Hmmm, the Floridian snow birds I'm familiar with are usually Canadian (then again, I'm from LA - Lower Alabama - and only a Canadian would find winter temperatures in the 40s "comfortable" enough to forego driving to the peninsula for shirtsleeve weather). 

In addition to the slow driving, Canadians are also disliked by the service community because they're not used to tipping in restaurants (leading to the old joke about the difference between a Canadian and a canoe ).

Well, someone is being bamboozled, then. We do tip in Canada- 15% gratuity is the usual amount. Up here, minimum wage is actually lower for servers than for other jobs because it's expected they'll get tips. I'm guessing you're getting people playing the "dumb foreigner" card.

And I'm quite curious as to what this Canadian and canoe joke is, actually.

[Lady Rebecca]

I grew up in California, and now live in Florida. So when I heard from a friend that another guy I know here is from the West Coast, I thought I had found a kindred spirit, a Westerner like me, someone who would understand me. At least a little. I asked him where on the West Coast he was from. He said ...

"Tampa."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Yeah, and they think Tampa is the Bay Area, too. How sad.

If it's any consolation, I'm from CA and I also live in FL right now. I'm in Orlando.

[DonaCatalina]

Ten years ago almost no one outside Texas had heard the phrase "All hat and no cattle".
But I think it became a lot more widely known after GW Bush was President.

[Amyj]

These may be old Midwest sayings...or it's entirely possible my Mom made them up...

Being "Fair to Middlin'" meaning you are doing ok
Being "Glunky", "Dawdling" or "Lollygagging" meaning you are being slow.

These are terms my friend (and some family) have used that got them a lot of ribbing, mostly for the old-fashionedness of them:

"Icebox" for fridge, "Davenport" for couch", "clothes WARSHer"

[mehan]

Many years ago as a very naïve 20-something, I traveled to England to visit my RAF boyfriend.  The first couple of nights he stayed with me at a bed and breakfast just off base.  The third night I stopped to let the (very young and handsome male) proprietor know there would be only one for breakfast as Mal would be staying on base that night, to which he replied "Oh right then – would you care to be knocked up in the morning?"

The next day, between bouts of hysterical laughter, Mal explained he was only asking if I needed a wake up in an establishment that didn't have phones in the room...

[Anna Iram]

Yep, we're bi coastal and proud of it. No other state get's to boast of having two coasts.

Not true!  Michigan has 2 coasts as well.

Well, if you count the upper peninsula, don't you have a north coast and a south coast too?

All right..all right...geesh! I was TRYING to make a proud point here....


Dona, "all hat no cattle".  I LOVE that. Very Texas. Don't recall ever having heard it...haha or is that HERD it? Anyway..I'm gonna have to work that into a conversation  soon. I like the way it rolls.

[Lady Nicolette]

When I first moved to Tennessee, the only Faires I'd ever been to were California Faires.  I thought most people dressed in garb at Faires.  Not true!  It's gotten a bit better here over the years, but I still find it disconcerting that there are more people not wearing garb when I go to a faire.  The percentage is better many other places, but it really varies quite a lot from Faire to Faire.