You've Moved Here, Now What? Part II

Ok, it's my turn. First, a disclaimer: I love living here. Pros v. cons isn't a contest. The weather is great, the people are courteous and friendly, the cost of living is fantastic compared to the northeast, and there is a lot to do.

That being said... there are two things that I'm disappointed about:

First, I miss people with balls, pardon my language, but there's no other way to say it. I'm not sure if it's a vestige of "southern hospitality" or an innate reservedness, but people here seem incredibly reluctant to speak their minds. I'm not used to that. At first I thought it was charming, but after a while I started to find it annoying. Not a whole lot of "characters" around here.....

Second, and more important: Drivers. Now, what I don't get is that there aren't many native Charlotteans here. There are a LOT of transplants from all over the country, and that sort of rules out a cultural or geographic reason for bad driving, but the drivers around here are awful. Really, really awful. For example, when pulling out from a street onto a road with two lanes of traffic in their direction, they will wait until both lanes are free and clear, not just the lane they will merge into. I repeat, BOTH LANES have to be clear. Of course, this can take a while. And, since no one here knows what the automobile horn was designed for, it can take a long while.
The passing lane on a highway? It's not that well known here. Apparently that lane is for the guy in the pickup truck with his arm resting on the windowsill, doing 5 mph below the speed limit.
But the most egregious example by far are the rubberneckers. It's an art form here. Not content to merely glance over at the unfortunate person who got into an accident or is getting a ticket..not merely content to slow down a bit for a better look...no, this seems to require an almost complete stop--even on the highway, no matter how many cars are queuing up behind them. It's a freakin' epidemic.

On top of the drivers, the people in charge of naming the roads in the early days around here must have had some powerful peyote. In the older areas of town it's quite common to have multiple roads with the same name. Just north of Highway 51 near Matthews, you'll find yourself on the corner of Sardis Rd. and Sardis Rd. Further uptown you'll find the confusing intersection of Providence Rd. and Queens Rd. which doesn't behave at all like expected. These are just two examples of many.

But these are things you get used to and learn to live with, and part of the fun of discovering your new home.

-Matt