[Chase]

I love living in California for the reasons that you described Ralphy. In Southern California, you can literally drive to the beach, the snow, and the desert all in one day. And yes, the Grand Canyon is one of the most amazing sights this country has to offer. It's really magnificent.

I have my favorite places in this country. My favorite cities are San Diego (my hometown), Boston, Providence, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

The most beautiful states are (that I have been to): California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island (New England in general), Utah, Arizona (simply because of the Grand Canyon), Virginia, Florida.

The nicest people are by far in South. Lousiana has the nicest people I have ever met in this country. Californians are different depending on which part of the state you're in. People from Northern California are very open, liberal, and expressive. With the exception of L.A., people in Southern California are more conservative, patriotic, and traditional. New Englanders are an interesting bunch. They're rude to certain groups of people. They tend to be friendly towards Californians, but I know that they get rather annoyed with people from the deep South. Virginians are nice and simple. A part of my family are from there and have lived there since the 1730s. You could classify them as hillbillies... but they're a nice bunch. They still represent the old "Southern Democrat" political mindset. People in the Midwest seem to be down to Earth. Los Angeles probably is the weirdest city simply because they are so many types of people. New Yorkers (and people from New Jersey) seem to be the most tough. Followed by Bostonians... then folks from Philadelphia.

I think some groups of Americans are less cultured than others. It really depends on where you go. Cities like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston have a lot of culture. Granted, I think that Europeans are the most cultured bunch of people. But look at the difference. Most Americans, if the leave the country, will most likely either go to Mexico, Canada, or Jamaica. Making a trip to Europe is less likely to happen. If you were to say talk to someone from Little Rock, Arkansas... compared to someone from San Francisco... you'll be able to see how knowledgable certain Americans are regarding Europe and its geography. I know the geography, history, and politics of Europe because I find it interesting and I've studied it pretty extensively. But, you know... much of the American mentality is due to the fact that were bordered by two massive oceans, and two fairly weak (not as people, just economically and militarily) neighbors (Mexico and Canada).

Commerce is the center of most of America's major cities. That includes industry and production... as in the case of cities like Pittsburgh. Here is San Diego, are center was industry and manufacturing for a while (probaly from the 1940s to 1950s). But now, the military (the Navy in particular) is a major influence on the city's democraphics. Tourism is also a part of our city... thanks to the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World, beaches, weather, and sporting events. On the East Coast, however, (specifically in New England) the center of most of the towns is a church. That's due to the historical significance of religion to the city's settlers. I love seeing the influence that Europeans have had on American cities though. The architecture in San Diego owes alot to the Spanish (and to the Portuguese to an extent). Boston is obviously heavily influenced by the English. Once the Dutch lost control of New Amsterdam to the English... the city was renamed New York. Because of its history, there is still a Dutch influence... and recently a wall was discovered under a demolished building that was erected by the Dutch. Interesting stuff.