East Side vs. West Side

Mike calls me an East Side Snob sometimes. He seems to think that I have an attitude that reads "What? The West side?!?". I don't feel this way. I had a conversation with one of my bestest friends Traci about a month ago regarding this exact thing. Her husband calls her the same thing. I said to Mike that he couldn't claim that he wasn't from the "East Side" because he grew up on 3rd East. Even though it’s relatively close to State Street it still isn't the "West Side".

Traci and I both feel that if you grow up with certain circumstances, you naturally want the same type of circumstances when you get older and are able to create and/or improve that for yourself and your offspring. Am I really an East Side Snob because I hate driving out to West Valley? The roads out there are completely screwed up... One way in... One way out. I think that they should just wall it off... than we won't have to deal with them AT ALL
!!

It isn't as though they would be missed. What would you miss? The sky high bangs (even though its 2006)? The trucks with 6" lifts on them that you could fit a large Vietnamese family in?
Does that make me an East Side Snob?

Well, I don't agree!

15 comments:

Terri said...

West side... or one could say, "wesssiiieeee!"

Okay, a) you are an A-class-east-side snob. But, b) that doesn't make you a bad person, just a snobby Utahn.(so am I)
c)I went to a party on "the west-side last month and I felt like I was in Shady Acres or something. Oy.
d) You would NEVER live there, and neither would I... even if you were gifted property AND / OR housing.
What's so wrong with having scruples???
I don't think even God would go there... it is Satan's city, you know. And they make Satan's little cupcakes there...baked fresh by the Devil himself.

Sarah said...

"Eassssiiiiieeeeeeee"

Terri said...

Oh yeah and one more thing.
Remeber how we used to listen to "Queensryche's" song, "Empire" all the time...
Think about it.
"East side-meets west side, downtown. No time, the walls fall da-a-a-a-aoowwn.. CAAAn yooou feeel it ca-aooming.. ?"
Don't know. Just thought I'd add that little ditty.

Sarah said...

Queensryche is a TOTAL west side band, dude.

Don't mention things like that, people will think that we BELONG on the west side.

Keep the East Side Snobbery ALIVE!!!

Anonymous said...

I figured out why I'm so attached to the East Side. Two words: Mature Trees. I'm a tree snob, if anything.

Sarah said...

Sure...

It's the trees...

Riiiight.

Terri said...

EFF!
Did I give us away?
Aw,sheeaahht.

:-)

Terri said...

I wouldn't say it was the trees as much as the grass...
:-)

Terri said...

It's so lush this time of year.

Prime said...

Have a friend who says anyone west of 13th East is trash. We lived in Olympus Hills but he were the Olympus Hills trash. The cool people lived above Jupiter Drive. So there are even east side snobbery levels.

I have to admit I wouldn't live on the West Side either, but its not the streets or the bangs or the trucks, although those are all symtoms of the real issue. The real issue is there is a higher degree of idiocy on the West Side. "Why, how can you possibly say that Jim?!" I'm glad you asked. Property is cheaper over there so people who don't make lots of money buys houses over there. "Well who are the people who don't make enough money?" you ask. Another good question. They are GENERALLY people who didn't get an education or have some inherent high power smarts or guts. So, for lack of a better term, they are uneducated or unmotivated to succeed. And national statistics bare out the fact the uneducated, unmotivated people all living together begat ... thats right ... monster trucks, Wrestle-mania and big hair. So, thats why you don't like the West Side, in case you were curious. I hope you're comfortable with that. Now notice I said GENERALLY, so if you consider yourself the except to that, then look around. Do you see a monster truck in your driveway? Look up. Do you see a "hair claw?" No? Well, good, you probably are the exception. So don't get mad at me you live in crappy West Valley...if you do.

Stenar said...

I grew up in Magna, way out west. My stake president was the president of Tracy Collins Bank (before they sold out to Continental, which sold out to West One, etc.). My stake patriarch was the president of Cyprus Credit Union and my neighbor across the street was a vice president of Zion's Bank. And there was John Gust up the street who was wealthier than the rest and owns Arbor Commercial Real Estate. Then there was some guy at the bottom of my street who had an indoor swimming pool. I'm not sure what he did, but I know he owned an apt. complex. And the guy next to him who had a huge house and owned some clothing store.

Actually, most of the people in my neighborhood on the west side were fairly well off financially.
However, not having lived west of 1300 East for around 10 years now, I would never want to live out there again now.

But your argument that people on the west side don't have money is actually a stereotype which is not true.

I have some friends who just moved back to Utah from San Diego who moved to WVC and their household income is over $150K. They wanted to not have a mortgage payment any more. Their house is completely paid for. Personally, I'd rather have a mortgage than live in WVC, but that was their choice. I tried to get them to move into my neighborhood, but oh well...

One of the things I love about living in SLC is the mature trees as was pointed out previously and the fact that there are pretty much no Mormons in my neighborhood (even though I live across the street from an LDS church, hehe), but I do have two lesbians across the street and two lesbians next door...and lots of great vegetarian restaurants.

But I really need to move back to NYC where I lived for 2 years 'cause they voted 90% for Kerry in the last election, among other things. :)

Prime said...

I'm glad you know a few wealthy folk in West Valley, Stenar. I know some fantastic people in West Valley too. I’m just sad they felt the desire to live in West Valley.

YET anecdotal exceptions are not statistics, so I'm afraid I'm not convinced of your argument quite yet. I'd love it if you did prove me wrong with some convincing numbers. Lets say, what portion of the population with money lives in the east vs. west. Or perhaps the numbers of college grads in the east and west. I dunno ... get creative on me. Just know we are grading on a east vs. west curve, as that’s what this discussion is about.

Dragging up ten rich references in West Valley will just make me point out the 100 to 1 ratio of rich folks on the east side … and who wants that? I already left two loopholes in my previous comments for escaping West Valley stigma but generally, I’m afraid everything I said is glaringly obvious. It seems clear where people in-the-know, who prefer (and can afford) the good life, live in Salt Lake. Pepperwood. Olympus Hills. Sugarhouse. Upper Sandy. The Avenues. The east bench in general. The list goes on. Funny, but the West Valley posh barrios are all slipping my mind right now. BUT I'm open for other interpretations so I look forward to your statistics.

Regardless, its interesting that, while coming chivalrously to West Valley's defense (and I’m glad someone tried, at least), you don't want to live there either! That really says more than knowing a couple of bank presidents in Magna, I think. I mean the water alone keeps most rational poeple out. ;-> Also, you never really gave us YOUR reasons for not wanting to move back … besides finding a Mormon-light, lesbian-rich neighborhood elsewhere. Both, by the way, being legitimate reasons to live anywhere! No offense to Mormons or lesbians … some of my best friends are Mormon lesbians. ;-> No … that last was a joke … I just wish they were my best friends.

Stenar said...

I just think the problems with the west side are more complex than simplistically saying it's this one thing or that.

I actually really liked the taste of Magna water growing up. ;)

I always found it ironic in high school that the kids from WVC would say that they lived in a nicer area than the kids in Magna, but if you look at it, the only nice parts of WVC are the parts right next to Magna, which basically grew out of Magna.

I actually work on the west side of the valley now and have thought every once in a while about moving back to Magna.

For me, one of the main reasons I wouldn't live there again, besides the high percentage of Mormons, low percentage of gay people and low percentage of good restaurants, is the fact that the nature of Magna has changed greatly.

Growing up in Magna was a wonderful time and place for me. It was more rural than suburban. There were cows at the busstop which would come and "moo" at us when we'd catch the bus downtown. There were lots of beautiful open fields full of magnificent horses. Hiking was always great along the Oquirrh mountains (and only a few minutes away).

Unfortunately, many (but not all) of the fields with horses and cows are now full of ugly tract houses. So, the nature of Magna has changed a lot since I lived there.

Stenar said...

Oh, I should also say that I have changed a LOT since I lived in Magna, too. I've lived all over the world: NYC, Portland, OR, Norway, Australia, etc. And many other changes as well.

Prime said...

I guess I should point out that while my arguments against West Valley make me look like a huge elitist, I understand that money and degrees are not the end all and be all of life. I'm using them as indicators, statistically, of an area's relative value. I think many worthwhile endevors are pursued without money or degrees as their goals. Fitting that with my first comment, I guess I would edit "high power smarts" to "high power talent." NOW, with the artsy angle, you can make a case for living downtown but I don't think downtown qualifies as West Side so do what you will with that.