It’s been almost a month since we moved out of our house in Massachusetts and I have noticed some differences between my life here and my life back there. While they are mostly minor by all accounts, I thought I would share for no other reason than I have a blog and what else would I do with this info if not publish it?
Here: Drive to the airport takes 20 minutes. That includes parking and walking to the terminal. Only one direct flight per major city per day.
There: One hour minimum, with no traffic and open central parking garage. Countless direct flights anywhere and everywhere.
Here: Airport parking at the terminal: $13/day.
There: $24/day.
Here: Wal Mart has a grocery store inside where you can find Hood cottage cheese with chives, Corona 12-packs, D-CON, ant traps and new car mats…all under a single roof!
There: Wal Mart was a place I almost never shopped.
Here: They call soda “pop.” Emphasis on a long, hard o.
There: We called soda “soda.”
Here: Town Rec Day Camp is $55/week per school age child.
There: Town Rec Day Camp is $180/week per school age child with 2-week minimum.
Here: The mail comes late in the afternoon.
There: The mail came before 11am.
Here: The town picks up unsightly yard waste, weeds, branches from the curb in front of your house.
There: You hide your unsightly yard waste somewhere on your property.
Here: Karate classes for Tommy $150/month(!) with a 6-month minimum.
There: $120/month with a 6-month minimum.
Here: 8% sales tax on nearly everything including clothes.
There: 6.25% on tangible items excluding clothes.
Here: Yankees Territory (Brendan has been heckled for wearing his Red Sox shirts).
There: Red Sox Nation.
Here: Abbott’s Frozen Custard.
There: Dairy Queen.
Here: Closest HomeGoods is 20 miles away!
There: Three HomeGoods stores within 8 miles in each direction: west, east and south.
Here: Wegmans and Tops.
There: Trader Joe’s and Marketbasket.
Here: Date night in the city drive time: 15 minutes.
There: 45 minutes.
Here: Housecleaning every 2 weeks $100 (!). I negotiated it down to $90.
There: $65. I really miss Maria’s, even if they didn’t do a perfect job the price was right.
Here: My new family room which is too dark! I have to paint the the built-ins white, install a new mantel and fireplace doors, get some kind of window treatments (probably fabric roman shades to soften) and why did I let hubbie convince me on the leather sectional?
There: My old family room, which I liked better because it was bigger and brighter
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15 Responses to Differences Between Here and There
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I live in MA and years ago when Walmart first came here, I never went. Kind of prided myself on being the only person I knew who didn’t shop at Walmart. Then I tried it once. I hit the supercenter in NH with the full grocery store and stocked up on groceries, beer & wine, new back-to-school underwear, socks and shoes for the kids and other varied stuff in one stop. I thought that was the greatest thing ever.
Don’t be discouraged about being a Red Sox fan. There are Red Sox fans in NY, more than you might imagine. I live in the Finger Lakes region of NY and there are “pop” drinkers around here. I’m with you though, it’s soda.
Erin..you definitely have the right idea about the bookcases, painting them a soft white will brighten the room. Have tried White Hots yet?
Oh no they did not heckle our B for his t-shirt.
It’s funny how they’re all little differences but they do add up. I think the hardest thing for me the last time I moved was switching gorcery stores–I just hated going shopping and not knowing where things were!
Wal*Mart is the ONLY choice here…granted that is mainly because we are about 2 hours from the headquarters.
how about the people? what are they like? (just wondering)
I live 5 min from our local walmart supercenter here in nh. Although I believe this is a wonderful place, sometimes I wish it wasn’t so close. I’m always wondering, where did all my money go?? Hehe
Abbott’s is the best!!! And you’re right: the “PAAAHP” drives me nuts. I call it soda too.
I’m in the southern Finger Lakes region and though not a true “red” red sox fan….I am DEFINITELY a fan of any team that beats the Yankees…I interned in Framingham–living in Nashua, NH for 2-3 months, and have called “pop” “soda” ever since ( and that was 15 yrs ago)…so there are some of us like you out there Erin!! I love the built-ins!! Am very jealous!!
I can’t believe your Karate classes! In NE Ohio near us, the most expensive place is $70 a month. We go to a place that offers it to us for only $25 a month because my son has ADHD.
I have family in Utica and they would always buy their school clothes when they came to visit my grandpa in PA because there is no tax on clothes.
Most people call it pop here, but My husband and I call it Soda.
I hope you are enjoying your new home! I am a few weeks behind on the podcast.
Living in the south, all “sodas” are called “coke”. For example, in planning a family get-together, someone will ask, “What kind of cokes do we want to have? Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Coke, Diet Coke??”
I’m with Darcy on the Walmart thing. I live 30 minutes from their headquarters. We have a few other grocery stores around here, but not many. Certainly not any as popular as Walmart. We moved up here from Little Rock, AR, and I miss my Kroger!!!
Good luck settling in. Once school starts, you’ll have lived there a year before you know it!
Abotts rocks! There are many up here that really dislike the Yankees and you’ll love Wegmans! Soda stops being called pop in Syracuse and I believe the Marshalls in Pittsford plaza carries the Home Goods items. We drive to Rochester and buffalo from Syracuse to take flights because it’s cheaper. There are a ton of hidden treasures in Rochester! Happy exploring!
I really like the leather sectional. Just sayin’.
As a former Rochester area resident, I love hearing your comparisons. It’s funny, now when I visit my college friends I can totally hear the western NY accent! When did they start talking funny? Ugh Wegmans! I am COUNTING THE DAYS until one opens up about 20 min from us in Maryland. I have been waiting for 15 years!
Agh, and Abbotts frozen custard? I almost forgot! Hey, Seabreeze is a pretty good kid thing too if you get season passes.