matt pointed me at a really interesting article in The Seattle Times: Pacific Northwest Magazine.
I don’t think the behaviour they describe is unique to Seattle.
But the dichotomy most fundamental to our collective civic character is this: Polite but distant. Have a nice day. Somewhere else.
“People here don’t ever just hang out — there’s no time for that — but those are the times you really get to know people.”
Any attempt to socialize begins to feel like too much effort, he says. “You have to try to get together 10 times before someone doesn’t cancel.”
People here . . . they totally blow you off. And these are good friends, right? They just don’t call you. It’s unbelievable.â€
California has its share of flakes, too.