Comparing Pennsylvania to California

Out of all the times I've been to Pennsylvania, it has either been cold or hot and humid. However, this time of the year, it is Spring and it is just the perfect weather. I have been staying with my grandparents, becoming an expert on bird watching, teaching grandmom how to use iPhoto, taking pictures of the many flowers, and cooking! Besides going on walks and playing tennis, we talk about all sorts of things ranging from our stay in China to whether neutrinos do exist.

It always feel like I go into a time warp when I visit my grandparents house. The hills are dotted with houses more than 300 years old, surrounded with low rock fences. There are so many antiques from the early American era. The whole day seems to go bye, looking at books and exploring, I don't have much time for a computer!

Will I end up moving to the East Coast? I will know soon! Now, I present some of the top things different between PA and CA, suburbia.

#1 Where are the sidewalks (and crosswalks)?
The roads in this area have nothing that even resembles a sidewalk. It is a gamble with your life to try and walk along the road, seeing as there is less than a foot of pavement from the main road which has cars zipping along at 50 mph to use. Even if you dared to brave the roadside, you can cross the street whenever you feel like it because there are no crosswalks!
I guess the point is, a car is needed to go anywhere, and I miss being able to leave my apartment, and be walking distance to restaurants, stores, my friend's houses, and the park! It is not possible to get around without a car here.

#2 Grass
Every home has a lot of property, and it is covered in none other than grass. In the parks, grass goes for miles in each direction. Along with grass is the freshly cut, damp, smelly grass which makes my allergies go wild. Since everyone's yard is so big, practically all of the homes also own one of those tractor mower things. I believe in having rock and cactus gardens, and leaving nature be as it wants to be. Good thing in California it only lasts about 2 months before the sun dries out all of the grass.

#3 Baseball
I'm not sure why it is such a big deal but everyone talks about the teams of New York and Philadelphia, and are fiercely protective of their respective teams. In the parks, there is always a game of baseball going on, with many spectators.

#4 Ethnic Breakdown
In West Chester, PA, it's very easy to generalize the ethnic breakdown. 99% white, 1% everyone else. Many people are of German descent, well, I think so, because the accent is unfamiliar to me. In Fremont, CA, I have renamed it Little India outside of India. I love having all the Indian restaurants near where I live. We have a big mix of everyone, Asians, Hispanics, Indians and Afghanis.

I can only think of these things for now, and may add more points later. If you notice anything different between the two states, feel free to comment.