Welcome to the south. As you cross the border, pull off I-95 to pick up your Bible, Budweiser and Confederate flag. Shed your Lacoste, educated vocabulary and BMW for a wife beater, southern drawl and pick-up truck. And forget about tinted windows and nice rims because all your new truck needs are over-sized tires and a shotgun rack. After all, these are your specious stereotypes for the southern United States. While Yankees are the first to ridicule southern gentlemen, they are simultaneously the frontrunners to sell their homes in the Hamptons for trendier, more climatically benevolent locations in Florida.
Though it is true that the North and South have storied and drastically different histories, to claim that the South is echelons below is not only erroneous but ignorant as well. The past decade alone has seen the growth of metropolises such as Charlotte and Atlanta, the latter being the latest American city to land the summer Olympics, a feat that New York has failed to accomplish after multiple subsequent attempts. Education-wise, while the South may not have the Ivy League, it has many prominent universities such as Georgia Tech, Emory and Duke.
So hop back in your car and merge onto I-95. Remove your Chanel shades and pejorative stereotypes to observe a lifestyle that the rest of America is still discovering and grappling to understand. As you accelerate into traffic, take a deep breath and embrace an experience outside your suburban mansion. Just don’t forget to apply sunscreen to the back of your neck :)