East Coast DU'ers... what did you think the first time you saw California?

[XemaSab]

Were you disappointed, or was it everything you had hoped it would be?

[LynneSin]

1. It was ok - I wasn't ready to pack up and movie

I'm a confirmed East Coaster. It was only 2 months ago that I finally went to California (San Diego) and it was nice but I'd rather live on the East Coast

[Shine]

30. OMG, don't judge CA by San Diego! Puhlease!

Come on up to Northern CA, it's much better up here.

:hi:
Shine

[bridgit]

40. there it is, do the delta, or the central valley, mountains never...

that far away B-)

[Shine]

55. Yup, ya got that right.

:thumbsup:

[Chovexani]

2. "WTF?"

Then again, the first time I ever went to California it was to L.A., and as a New Yorker (even an 8 yo one at the time), it was a bit of a culture shock. I hated it and never went back.

OTOH, I've been to S.F. twice, and consider it the only other place in the US I could live and not go completely insane. I love it there.

[bleedingheart]

3. funny thing is that I found it so commercial...

I was expecting the liberal oasis of nut and honey and organic everything...instead I was in Southern California where everyone worked out, ate out and there were just billboards and commercial stuff everywhere....

Now the scenery in some places was breathtaking....and I was glad that someone took me around to see the sights...

[jane_pippin]

4. I'm not from the East coast but I'm answering anyway:

(I'm in Wisconsin).

The first time I went it was to L.A. and I didn't like it one bit. The ocean was pretty, but we didn't spend a lot of time there.

The second and third times I've gone it's been to San Francisco and I loved it so much that now I'm scheming to move there. The landscape that blew my little mind was at Muir Beach, a little bit outside of SF. All hills and valleys and ocean--unbelievably beautiful.

So, first time, disappointment. Second and third times, love.

[Left_Winger]

5. My exposure to California was quite limited

I do recall the approach to LAX: the plane climbed then dropped very suddenly (I was told it was because of the mountains which surround LA). Then I had a 12 hour wait until departure for Anchorage. So, no real interaction. I do remember being pissed that a 20 year old Marine could not legally have a beer in California when I tried to kill time in the airport bar.

Then one year later I saw LAX again, but was herded onto a waiting bus which took me to Camp Pendleton. This is the only part of California I really saw; and I really didn't see it in the daytime. After a year in the western Pacific time zone I was zonked from the jet lag and my internal clock was reversed (an 18 hour flight which landed 30 minutes before we took off, figure that one out...). One week later came FREEDOM DAY! I was separated from the Marines and saw the highway to the San Diego Airport. That was about all.

So, have I really been to California? Technically, yes. But, in reality, no.

I do feel a little disappointed in that I missed out on an opportunity, but I had no money upon returning to the US. The Marines had pulled my pay records (because I was scheduled for separation) and I had a grand total of $13 upon arrival. I did take advantage of seeing the beach at Pendleton which someone told me was the only remaining undeveloped stretch of southern California coastline. Once again, this was at night because like I stated before: the jet lag had me awake all night and dead tired during the day. Luckily there was a bright moon that night and it was a very impressive sight.

But, that was a long time ago....

[underpants]

6. I never really GOT the size of the area and it was easy to get around

We stayed in Santa Monica Feb.2002.

My wife was there on business so I got to run around during the day. I drove all the way around and through the city in about 3 hours stopping several times. Going on Sunset (no big deal) and UCLA and the tackiest of tackies Beverly Hills. The freeways were no problem...at 10 AM and 2PM. I ran around the Coliseum. We got engaged at Glastones (Who or How do people "live in Malibu" ?? It appears to be a wide spot in the road). Drove up the PCH. Saw John Kerry coming out of a meeting with Rupert Murdoch on the Fox Studios lot. Saw Jean Claude Van Dam at a stop light.

Oh and everyone on Rodeo was very nice.

Again I never got that it was all that big.

I liked it.

[blindpig]

7. Spent a week in San Diego

The Pacific Ocean sucks. Too cold, rough, barren.

Too many people.

The desert was very nice. I love to visit deserts to chase the critters. Wouldn't live there, I prefer the fecundity of the southeast.

The San Diego Zoo was most excellent.

Tijuana was heartbreaking. Elderly Indian women and children begging.

And that was my trip to California. Know there's a lot more to it, maybe someday.

[AlCzervik]

8. i moved here about 5 years or so ago and when i first visited

it didn't look at all like it does on TV, neither did Texas for that matter. California is like any other place, i thought it would be all beaches and silicone, it's not.

[LiberalEsto]

9. I was astonished at how cold the Pacific is

How can people swim in it? Were all those beach movies secretly filmed in Florida?

[XemaSab]

19. Most surfers

wear wetsuits. :(

On edit: the first time I saw the Atlantic I was totally shocked at how warm and calm it was! You can actually swim in it comfortably. It's like a giant bathtub. :D

[LiberalEsto]

59. Just don't try swimming in the Atlantic in Maine

Brrrrr.

I'm originally from NJ where the water is reasonably warm from July-early September. An old friend who lives near the Jersey Shore told me he once went swimming on Election Day in November, and the water was still warm.

[XemaSab]

82. Word.

I went to Maine this August. Went offshore, and the birding offshore is fun, but it's chilly there, even in late summer.

The first time I saw the Atlantic was in Virginia, and it's eminently swimmable.

[rug]

10. Never been there.

Furthest west was South Dakota.

The only part that interests me is northern California.

[MissMillie]

95. me either

I did spend some time in Seattle.

[SofaKingLiberal]

11. I thought the highways in Florida were bad, but holy F*(^!. n/t

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. Hokay, lemme splain somethin'

You can't just say "California" because it's really two strikingly different entities.

Suffice to say:

Southern California = :grr:

Northern California = :bounce:



Oh... except for the freeways; they all suck. (But Up Here, we don't call 'em "the 101" or whatever.) :eyes:

[XemaSab]

15. I'm a born and raised Californian

and it's not that simple.

"Northern" California is where I live now. In the purest sense, it's all the counties in Jefferson State, including Humboldt, Shasta, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Trinity, Modoc, Lassen, and Plumas.

The Bay Area ain't in Northern California.

Politically and culturally there's much more of an east/west split than a north/south split. If you look at election maps, most of the coastal counties are blue, and most of the inland counties are red. Here in Shasta, we're about 70% red. The few exceptions to the east/west divide are Mono, Alpine, and Imperial (blue-leaning inland counties) and Del Norte, Orange, and San Diego counties (red-leaning coastal counties). There are counties that move back and forth in every election, of course.

But both LA and the Bay Area are very liberal, and to this girl, both places are filthy and many people very plastic.

The real animosity between the "North" and the "South" has to do with water, and don't think that the Bay Area aren't as bad about water as LA.

The Sacramento river originates right here in Shasta, the Trinity in Trinity, the Klamath in Oregon, and the Feather in Plumas (feather en Espanol).

That big dam in Yosemite (Hetch Hetchy) is owned by San Francisco, and the good RED citizens of Tuolumne county hate the fact that THEIR water was taken from them by city people. Is it the Mokulumne that's owned by Oakland?

The fact of the matter is that only around 15% of the water use in the state is for urban use.

Most of the water in the state goes for agriculture, and the 4 biggest water-sucking crops are rice, cotton, alfalfa, and irrigated pasture. Much of the rice is exported to Japan, the cotton is illegally grown with heavy subsidies, and the alfalfa and irrigated pasture are for cows. But of course agriculture is BY FAR the biggest industry in the state.

So be careful when you praise part of the state over the other part.

[Oeditpus Rex]

I've lived every day of my 49+ years in Kollyforniya

And I wasn't talking politics, water or anything else. I was talking people. And I'd rather have a bad day with San Franciscans than a good one with Angelinos.

[XemaSab]

67. There are a lot of really cool, laid back people in LA

and have you BEEN to east marin lately?

Spandex should be prosecuted in the ICJ for crimes against humanity. :cry:

[Oeditpus Rex]

70. Only time I've hobbed with the nobs in those parts

was at a fundraiser I worked at about 10 years ago in Santa Rosa — a polo match. One of the big corporate sponsors was a plastic surgeon. Never saw so much plastiflesh in one place in my life. :puke:

Ergo... point taken.

But where are the cool, laid-back Ellay people? I musta missed that part. :shrug:

On second thought, I do know a few. They all live in WeHo.

[XemaSab]

83. WeHo

NoHo, Los Feliz and Silverlake.

It's like anywhere. With 7 million people, some of them have to be cool. Birders, hippies, artists, musicians, organic farmers, some of the best aspects of liberalism. The JC I went to there was about 2/5 Hispanic, 1/5 Black, 1/5 Asian, and 1/5 Anglo, and everybody got along in a way that I've never seen anywhere else, even in the Bay Area.

I lived in the Bay Area for 18 years, and there are very cool people there too, but LA has its share.

[Taverner]

16. Even LA has its charm

But those charms are wayy off the beaten track.

If in SoCal, Mt. Baldy is gorgeous, Ojai is a beautiful town, and La Jolla can be heaven on earth.

[XemaSab]

18. LA is a lame place to visit

but a fun place to live.

There's ALWAYS something going on.

ALWAYS.

[Taverner]

20. This is true

I always spend ample time in Santa Monica when I'm there.

I used to be a SoCal basher, but having spent a bit of time there, I have grown to like it. Sure, from the highways, it looks like a smoggy shit pit - but once off, and if you know where you're going, you can find some great stuff.

For example: Claremont. If you just did the touristy things you'd never know this place existed. Pass by its exit on the highway, and you'd never know it was there - but once there, tree lined streets, an active folk music scene and old neighborhoods galore.

[XemaSab]

22. I spent a semester

living in Los Feliz, and it was a BLAST I tell ya!

[nini]

23. You frisco people crack me up

:eyes:



:P

[Shine]

32. Yes, you're exactly right about the two distinct halves, OR

Northern CA is much better, I agree!

Howdy, neighbor!
:hi:
Shine

[Oeditpus Rex]

43. 'lo, Shine

You're up there near skygazer, right? Felton/Boulder Creek/Bonny Doonish? :hi:

(Sorry about SLV.)

Gonna go see George Carlin at the SC Civic? :bounce:

[Shine]

56. Hey, buddy!

Yeah, Skygazer and I are gonna try to hook up to meet, actually. She's like 20 minutes from me, as it turns out. Cool.

I'm not gonna see Carlin, but I did get tix to see Bonnie Raitt at the SC Civic in Feb. We got killer seats, so I'm stoked.

Gawd, do I sound like I live in surfer Santa Cruz, or what? :eyes:

I don't even surf, dude. heheh.

:hi:

[Oeditpus Rex]

58. I've been talking like that for 25 years

Goes with the territory, or something. :hippie:

Ever go to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center? Some great shows there, and not just jazz. Nice, intimate room, too.

My nephew recently moved to Capitola after transferring to Cabrillo, so I'll probably be over that way now and then.

[XemaSab]

88. When I was in 12th grade

this guy said one of the most profound things I have ever heard:

"Xema, you have the most developed vocabulary of anyone I know, yet you start EVERY SINGLE SENTANCE with the word "DUDE."

[Shine]

97. LOL.

Dude, you're funny.

:thumbsup:

[XemaSab]

98. Thanks!

(dude)

:D

[XemaSab]

89. I think it's at least 4

if not 5 distinct halves.

[NewJeffCT]

78. I haven't been there enough yet, but so far "eh"

some nice areas, some so-so. Only really been to LA and San Diego, though.

I got a week of crappy weather in late May in SD 10 years or so back, though. It was mid 60s, cloudy & drizzly that week while back in CT it was mid 80s and sunny.

[WCGreen]

13. I spent a summer out in Oregon

and then drove down the coast to San Diego... Stayed in San Fran... Bug Sur... LA... And San Diego...

Wonderful plae to visit... But I think I prefer Northern California...

[In_The_Wind]

14. I haven't seen California.

[Shine]

33. Come visit sometime, Joan!

I'd show ya a good time.....

:evilgrin:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

17. Never been.

:D :D :D

The farthest west I've made it is Las Vegas.... (:puke:)

[malta blue]

21. depends on where in Cali

In LA, I was 7 so, Disneyland was the main thing, and I remember thinking it was the best place ever. I visited SF in college, really liked it, but wow - the Napa Valley is incredible.

[skygazer]

24. Well, this East Coaster entered California from the north

I hitchhiked out, hit the Pacific in Washington and hitched south. So I hit California via lovely Redwood forests and wine country. My reaction? Wow! I'd hitched through some beautiful areas - Idaho, Montana - but this was like home (Vermont) and not like home at all.

I was picked up by a VW van full of guys who got me stoned and told me I really ought to go to Santa Cruz so that's where I headed. I hit the beach at Santa Cruz on a Friday evening. There was a free concert near the Boardwalk as there is every Friday in the summertime and it happened to be the remnants of Jefferson Airplane (now Starship).

So there I was sitting on a beach in California listening to quintessential California music after hitching through some beautiful mountains and pretty cities and landing in this cool little beach town .... it was intoxicating.

I moved out 6 months later. That was almost 7 years ago. :bounce:

[Oeditpus Rex]

34. Glad to have ya, too

I'm about an hour SSE of you, where it starts to look like Tortilla Flat. :hi:

[skygazer]

37. Yup, the landscape sure changes

That's something I love, too - the differences in landscape and even weather. :hi:

[Shine]

35. Yup, I've gone to many of those free concerts at the Boardwalk, too.

Cool.

Santa Cruz rocks!!

:woohoo:

[tjdee]

25. I heard all people who love NYC hate LA.

I've never been to Cali, but I just wanted to post in here. :silly:

I have heard that, from all my friends. If they like NYC, they hate LA, and vice versa.

[RebelOne]

26. I loved it and lived in the Los Angeles area for a year,

but my husband (ex and now deceased) wanted to move back to South Florida. Otherwise, I would probably still be living there.

[RockaFowler]

27. I Loved San Diego

I was 15 years old and just fell in love with everything from the San Diego Zoo to Sea World to the beautiful beaches. I was living in cold Michigan at the time, so it was quite a change for me.

We also drove to Las Vegas that week that we were there (Christmas time). Kind of cool that Vegas is so close.

[momophile]

28. I wondered where the beach was...

as I was only in Sacramento. I must say, though, that I'm not an East Coaster - I was coming from WI, and I was 12.

[maveric]

29. Came here from Boston January 5, 1980. Been here ever since!

How can people from the east and midwest not like it here?

[nini]

31. I would assume it depends on where you would land here

If you're going to Bakersfield you will surely have a different experience than if you went to Monterey, Mammoth or another location.

There are good and bad spots all over the state - so it would depend on where you are what types of areas appeal to you.

[Oeditpus Rex]

38. Yeah, and that was my point earlier

The place is so damned big and diverse, you can't just say "California."

I've lived in the northern part — central, really — my whole life. I'm more familiar with it, so it's my preference.

And I've been a Dodgers fan for 40 years, but Giants fans have it all over that come-late, leave-early, do-the-wave, play-with-the-beach-ball Dodger Stadium bunch. :eyes:

[XemaSab]

69. I'm a Californian,

Mostly northern and central, but southern California is okay too. I've had many happy birding adventures down south.

I've lived in Oakland, Marin, Sacramento, LA, Arcata, Redding, and Oakhurst (near Yosemite).

I'm asking because I've talked to Easterners who were shocked at how arid California is, and the first time I went back east I was VERY, VERY surprised at the landscape.

[huskerlaw]

36. Wow, what's with the LA haters?!

Yes, I live in Los Angeles, but I'm a newbie. I'm from Nebraska and I don't think LA is filthy or disgusting. I love it here.

You know what, on second thought, go ahead and be an LA hater. Enjoy NorCal. Knock yourself out. There's enough people here already. ;)

[Zomby Woof]

39. It's just Frisco snobbery

Pay that noise no mind. They tend to overrate themselves. :hi:

B-) As Randy Newman says... "I love L.A.!"

[maveric]

42. Zomby...do you like LA better than San Diego?

Just curious because you mentioned to me that you grew up here in San Diego.

[Zomby Woof]

45. I love both equally

But in different ways.

For natural beauty... San Diego.

For politics... L.A.

For culture... L.A. has the better symphony, and the upper hand with rock shows and live music. Of course, more theater. But San Diego has the best zoo in the world, and better beaches.

For football I am a lifelong Charger fan (that was another cardiac game yesterday!), and in baseball, I am a lifelong Dodger fan.


ZW (Tecolote Canyon Little League Veteran)

[maveric]

50. Dodger fan?? Whats wrong with you man?

You know how that rivalry goes down here!

[Zomby Woof]

54. It helps me cover the region

Wen I was born in San Diego, the Padres were still a AAA team. So for MLB, I was indoctrinated as a Dodger fan. I like the Pads, but to me, the real rivalry is between the Dodgers and them damn Giants to the north. :-)

[Oeditpus Rex]

44. I ain't hatin' on nobody

Been to San Francisco, been to Ellay. I like SF lots better. :shrug:

[Shakespeare]

49. I've lived BOTH places, and I find the LA bashing mostly bullshit.

And here's a big shocker for you: I'm fairly involved in the local writing community wherever I live (which usually constitutes the heart and soul of a city's intellectual population), and LA's got WAY more going for it in that regard than SF does. I find most of the professed intellectuals I've met in NoCal to be poseurs, and the LA bunch to be more genuine, not to mention funny and self-deprecating.

I'm living in NorCal as a compromise with my husband (so we can be close to my stepdaughter), and sonoma county (where we live) is beautiful and I'm not leaving anytime soon. That said, I'd give anything to have the lively writing/arts community here that I knew in LA.

[Zomby Woof]

52. You are the best

Thank you. You summed up the crux of the difference succinctly, and in the right way. :-)

[GOPisEvil]

68. Just tell the NorCals to keep the water flowing and shut up.

;)

[XemaSab]

71. Hey, I live two blocks from the Sacramento

in Redding and I can shut all y'all off. :D

[GOPisEvil]

72. Not me - I live in Texas, our water is under the ground.

:P

[XemaSab]

77. Ogalalla,

Shmogalalla

:P

[GOPisEvil]

80. Pssst..

..it's the Edwards. ;)

[XemaSab]

84. (Insert giant sucking sound here)

:P

[GOPisEvil]

85. Ross? Is that you?

;)

[XemaSab]

87. :blast from the past:

:D

[Left Is Write]

41. I'm not an East Coaster, but I liked what I saw of California.

I have never been to Southern California, only Northern. I visited from the Midwest nine years ago. I haven't been back since, but I'd be happy to visit again.

[redacted]

46. A friend from NYC came to visit and was amazed that you could be in

downtown SF and in a few minutes at the beach or at the redwoods or in the mountains or the vineyards -- and for a cheap plane ride you could spend the day at Disneyland.

[salin]

47. Initially... I found it both beautiful, and

rather brown with sparks of green.

I grew up in the midwest and had lived back east before moving to California. No seasons - as we know them. And the hills (at least in northern california) are all brown/gold... I missed the green grass (natural - not watered... in irrigated areas). I missed the autumn - but loved that it was in the 70s through February.

Then I lived through the first rainy season - and following green season. And the different type seasons, grew on me. Absolutely beautiful. Quick drive to the Ocean... not a long drive to the Sierras... amazing area. However it did take me a while to adjust and to fully appreciate it.

[tigereye]

48. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

seriously! We had always wanted to go to SF and an old buddy of ours and his wife invited us to visit. It was so pleasant, weatherwise, so friendly, great food, mass transportation, very safe (at least where we were) and so liberal and diverse. I loved the look of the bay, the hills, the tawny colors, the tolerance, the micro-climates, everything. I love the ocean, too, so that wasn't a surprise. I was surprised by how cold the water was, though. !

If we had more money or could make enough money to live there, we would move. In a heartbeat. We hated to come home. (I have always lived in and near Pittsburgh and although it is very affordable and has many nice qualities, the weather sucks bigtime.) Best vacation ever.

that's my story. :)

[XemaSab]

76. My best vacation ever

was virginia to south carolina. Three months of birdiing mayhem.

But Texas and Arizona/Utah are close seconds.

:birdnerd:

[tigereye]

92. cool

we saw birds in Cali. and plants I had never obviously never seen. I kept boring my family as I wondered endlessly "what kind of bird that was." I wish I had had a Western bird book with me.

[DS1]

51. meh

nothing special by any means

[6000eliot]

53. San Jose

Very pretty, but very warm. It was August.

[maveric]

57. I never saw the appeal of San Jose.

Aside from Six Flags, there aint much there.

[6000eliot]

60. Not far from San Francisco.

[maveric]

61. Thats it?

It must be.

[Oeditpus Rex]

63. You judge too harshly

Sanno Zay has 1,837 malls per acre. :silly:

[Awsi Dooger]

62. We drove cross country from Miami

Lengthy family trip when I was 17. For some reason, when we left Las Vegas and drove thru Stateline, I expected beaches and bikinis as soon as we hit California. I looked around in every direction and was astonished.

Then we made it to Baker and Barstow. At least there were some cute girls at a Burger King in Barstow who sat down next to me and chatted amiably.

But it still didn't click as California until we found the wonderful traffic and smog. Finally, verification. Then the Malibu beaches and rich people with shades. I knew I wanted to attend school there.

We visited USC and one section of campus looked like old Army barracks but I didn't care. One look at the babes crossing street and heading toward campus was all the criteria I needed.

[MODemocrat]

64. My Daugher & Son in Law lived in Monterey Bay area

When we visited them for the first time, I was in awe of the ocean, and
think it's beautiful. However, it wouldn't be a place I'd want to live because it's just too crowded and everything is expensive.

[Catchawave]

65. Lived near the beach in SoCal for

six years, never saw the sun til 3pm, that dratted marine layer, unless it was Santa Ana season. I also missed my season changes and the color green :) Never needed a/c or heat, that was nice.

I'm definitely an east coastie, though I left my heart in San Francisco :loveya:

[Lex]

66. The traffic was terrible. The consumerism was pervasive.

However, if you fought the traffic and got to do some sight-seeing, there are some breath-takingly beautiful things to see.

I never could get used to the time difference. It feels like the world runs on Eastern time. Disconcerting.

[NashVegas]

73. I Wasn't Impressed Until I Saw Wine Country

Napa, to be specific. San Francisco was nice, but I wouldn't have written home about it except to say I was there.

[Medium Baby Jesus]

74. "Can't wait to get back east" nt

[Rabrrrrrr]

75. I was very disappointed, but all I've seen is LA

And I've been nowhere else in CA except there (and the surrounding suburbs - I stayed with a friend in Hollywood, and we went to Disneyland, which I believe is Anaheim, and the tar pits, wherever they hell they are). But I've seen none of the nice parts of CA.

And I was pretty sure that LA would be nothing, but I was surprised at how even less than nothing it really is.

[XemaSab]

81. I never went to the tar pits

:(

like I said upthread, LA is a lame place to visit but a cool place to live. shops, parks, people, shows, clubs, near some fantastic places like the Angeles forest and the Salton Sea.

the first time I went I was appalled. the second time I was grossed out. the third time I was like "meh." The fourth time I came there to live for four months, and I had a great time.

[Rabrrrrrr]

94. I think it would be more fun to live there than to visit

It's not really much of a tourist place, but has a lot of neat things that - barring the goddamn traffic - would be kind of cool to live around for a while.

[robbedvoter]

79. LA was the ultimate let down - not a city but a knot of highways

We arived late and were hungry and were unable to find food anywhere (not budgeted for restaurants). Coming from "the City that never sleeps" I found that fact particualrly s*tty.
Of course, a few days later, I saw San Francisco, and it pretty much levelled the balance.

[KamaAina]

86. Everything and then some (SF)

probably didn't hurt that girlfriend's dad had a killer pad in Pacific Heights where the deck had Bay Bridge views, either.

For years I thought the world ended at Ocean Beach, and if you went out any further, you'd fall off the edge and dragons would dine on you. Now in my twisted little worldview, SF is the "middle of the country"...

[XemaSab]

93. Offshore

is where the action is! :hi:

[Eugene]

90. Spent a week in San Fransisco. Loved it.

My first impression of California was
that I had go back there when I got the chance.

[pro_blue_guy]

91. Sorry y'all...........

I'm not on the East Coast, but I am on Ohio's North Coast (as we call it). But I haven't been to Callie (as it is often referred to by this news anchor on the local CBS station). But the farthest west I have been (and oddly enough, the farthest south I have been) was Biloxi, Mississippi.


I have been to Italy, though. So I'm not a complete travel slacker!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

96. "Wow... what wonderful smog."

I visited Long Beach and LA a few times, and I can't say I was all that impressed. Just not my place, ya know?

[GalleryGod]

99. The Magic Kingdom in a manner of speaking

I LUV California....since my first trip in (wait for it)

:hippie: the Summer of '67:hippie:

I go back once-a-year.