Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About California
Woman in the Middle | February 19, 20151. We have earthquakes every day. They are usually small ones we don’t feel, but they happen all the time.
2. We have beautiful beaches and they have been memorialized in song and culture. And when you step into the water lapping at those sandy shores? You will scream because it is so darn cold. Even at the height of summer on the hottest day of the year, that water is freezing. It comes to us on a direct route from Alaska. Surprise!
3.We have way better palm trees than Hawaii. I was so surprised when I went to that tropical paradise on my honeymoon and the palm trees were a bit stumpy. I am used to the crazy tall palm trees in California.
4. Southern California and Northern California are totally different. Over the years, I have met quite a few people who moved to So Cal from out-of-state and it wasn’t at all what they expected. They moved To Nor Cal and found it much more to their liking. For one thing, Nor Cal has seasons. People from other states seem to set a high priority on seasons. As a native, I personally think seasons are overrated!
5. We do have seasons, but it is a heck of a lot more subtle. If that big difference between summer, fall, winter and spring is your thing, you may miss that if you come here.
6. I have said it before, but our here where real people live, we never see anyone famous. N-E-V-E-R. In LA, that is a different story. But our here, nothing.
7. It doesn’t matter how many miles are between you and the place you are going. It is all about the traffic. So you will never hear a Californian tell you how many miles away something is. We will tell you how many minutes or hours it will take you to get there.
8. Our beaches are relatively sunny during the summer, but during the winter there is a cloud cover that sticks around a good part of the time. If you like the sun, don’t live near the beach.
9. San Francisco is a ridiculously cold place, even in the summer. Always take a jacket!
10. If you are in Southern California, the most direct route to anywhere far away is through a whole lot of nothing. If you go east it is just nothing but desert and if you go north you will have to go though the central valley where your only entertainment is trying to guess what crop they are growing in the fields or orchards you drive past for mile after mile. Either way, I would prefer if someone else drives and I can just sleep through it all. Believe me, I have seen it before.
I love your honest approach to CA secrets!
I didn’t know we had earthquakes everyday. I wonder what it feels like to NOT have earthquakes then. Probably weird (LOL).
I beg to differ with you that celebs are only seen in LA. Some of my friends have seen Barbara Streisand in Blue Jay at Jensen’s Market, and several celebs have owned homes on the shores of Lake Arrowhead.