I grew up in New York and moved to Washington when I was 13. There are some major differences between the West Coast and the East, especially when you grow up on one coast and move to the other.

1. Bakeries.

There are bakeries all over when you live in New York. But let me tell you, bakeries are far and few between when you live on the West Coast. It is impossible to find a loaf of Italian bread or even some pizza dough to make homemade pizza.

2. The hospitality of people.

People on the West Coast are much, much, much more hospitable. Whether it’s the barista when you are ordering your coffee at the Starbucks drive-through or the man working out next to you at the gym. The people on the West Coast, coming from an East Coast perspective, are so open and friendly because if you’ve been down the streets of New York City, it is extremely clear that everyone only cares about themselves.

3. The appearance of people.

I moved back to New York and I am friends with a lot of people from Washington still on Facebook and let me tell you…you can tell a difference. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the sun that actually shines on the West Coast as opposed to the East Coast, or maybe it’s just the coast but you can always tell the difference between a West coast and East coast photo.

4. Weather.

The weather on the East Coast is one thing: cold. It snows a lot. It rains a lot. It is windy a lot. West Coast on the other hand, one inch of snow is a blizzard. two inches, whoa, whoa, whoa, all schools closed and speed limits are reduced to five miles per hour.

Regardless of where you live right, make sure you at least visit the opposite coast, because you may be surprised of which one you like better.