Drive across the Roebling Suspension Bridge from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky appears on the other side. The bridge opened in 1867 as the longest suspension bridge on Earth, a test run for the same engineer’s Brooklyn Bridge. Nothing about the crossing seems extraordinary. But the tax on your receipt, the price at the pump,…
Somewhere outside Massachusetts, an office keeps humming along on the third Monday of April like it’s any other Monday. Back home, that same Monday means a marathon runs past Fenway Park and school lets out early. These are the things people from Massachusetts miss the most once they’ve left the state. 1. Space Savers After…
New York City has lost more than half its classic diners since the 1990s, down to an estimated 400 still standing. The diners still running don’t slow down for anybody who hasn’t already learned how they work. These are the diner mistakes that give away a New York City tourist before the coffee even hits…
Texas leads its all-time football series against Oklahoma by fourteen games. Ask an Oklahoman what that proves, and the answer comes back fast. Nothing. These are the arguments Texas and Oklahoma have never managed to settle, on the field or off it. 1. Whataburger or Sonic? Whataburger and Sonic both claim to make the better…
Think a dead battery is harmless once it lands in your trash can? Far from it. Fire crews across South Carolina have been called out for lithium-ion battery fires breaking out inside garbage trucks. These are the things trash crews in South Carolina wish residents would stop doing. 1. Parking Too Close to the Can…
New York City is home to an estimated 13,000 bodegas and delis, more small corner stores than any other American city. Every bodega and deli in the city runs on the same unwritten script, and almost nobody explains it to a first-timer. These are the things New Yorkers do at a deli that confuse everyone…
Many West Virginia lunch boxes have carried the same thing since 1927: a pepperoni roll, wrapped in wax paper, no fork required. Cross the state line, and the words “pepperoni roll” create confusion. These are the small, everyday habits a West Virginian never questions until they’ve moved somewhere that draws a blank look instead of…
Florida caps a homeowners association fine at $100 a violation and $1,000 total. That’s not what keeps a Florida street in line. Long before a violation notice goes out, the neighbors already have an opinion, and they’ve had it for a while. These are the things Florida neighbors judge you for without ever saying it…
A stranger orders dessert at a St. Louis custard stand, and the server tips it upside down without warning. The stranger flinches. Regulars barely look up because that upside-down move is just one of the Missouri habits that comes with its own vocabulary. These are the words and sayings that baffle everyone outside of Missouri….
