Part 4: East Coast Impressions

I don't love the East Coast (yet), but I definitely can see myself having a good time there over the next couple years.

Food:
-New Haven is similar to Berkeley, in that a seemingly ghetto community has some of the best food around. I love the ultra-thin slices of pizza, and can't wait to eat the buttery Yankee Doodle burgers every day. The only negatives to New Haven are no good mexican joints and only one Korean restaurant. I guess that means I'll have to train over to NYC to eat some good Korean BBQ.
-New York City has it all. Even though I only spent 21 hours in NYC, I ended up eating 5 meals. Some of the highlights were: 2 hour dinner in some Italian Restaurant that charged $4 extra for blush sauce (marinara + creamy alfredo), Catching brunch with wheresmydessert at Popover Cafe, Lunch at 11 Madison where I sat in the table next to the stairs where Sarah Jessica Parker slipped in Season 1 of Sex in the City.
-Boston has good food and reminds me a lot of San Francisco. Both are near the water and have good clam "chowdah." I only wish they served it in a sourdough bread bowl.
-Philadelphia also has good food, but I was unimpressed with the authentic philly cheesesteak sandwich. I think Hoagies in Berkeley has the best cheesesteak sandwiches period.

Transportation:
-Boston has the best subway system, very intuitive and easy to use because it is color based (red line from South Station to Kendall Sq)
-New York's subway is very confusing (Weekend schedules are different with express routes that aren't posted that bypass stops). Also, the subways are wayyy too crowded and extremely loud. San Francisco's BART is 10x better because it is quieter and carpeted.
-Philly's SEPTA is sufficient, easy to get from UPENN to/from airport. Had a very "Amtrak" feel to the experience.
-I thought trains were sooo "Europe" but I guess people commute via trains all over the East Coast. Amtrak was pretty comfortable and the schedules were on time and easy to follow.
-NYC Taxi cabs are nothing like the movies. I wanted a smelly, rude taxi cab driver but instead I got a quiet, spacious taxi/mini-van.
-The bus ride from New York to Boston was really cheap and went by quickly (time flies when you're reading a good book). It wasn't very crowded so I was very comfortable and it's very easy to connect from the bus terminals to subways in both cities.
-I really missed having my car :p

People
-New Haven has a very "Berkeley" vibe. People seemed very diverse and friendly. The downtown area was humming with hotties and the campus is gorgeous. There is a hint of the "elite Ivy" aura, but most people were down to earth.
-New York City is filled with impatient people. The walk pace is like a sprint. There's a lot of energy in the air as people seem to have really busy lives.
-Boston seems like a college town. Everyone on the subway looked like a student and people were smiling despite rainy weather. I love hearing "bawston" accents and want to watch Goodwill Hunting again.
-Philly seems like a more relaxed New York. It's not as crowded, but there's still a busy downtown area and lots of busy people. I didn't spend too much time walking around the town, but everyone seemed cool.

Lifestyle
-Weird watching sports at midnight. I'm used to watching baseball game start at 7:15 pacific time, not 10:15 eastern time.
-Everything is older, including apartments. I'm going to miss the sterile California-style housing and probably move into an old, small bathroomed apt.
-Going to start playing indoor sports
-become a Yankees fan?!?!?!

Countdown till I'm free: 21 working days left