I am part .... and part... and a quater ....

I do identify myself by state if people ask.  When I open my mouth, it's pretty clear I'm from the US, so I usually just say New York.  (And then get a lot of interesting takes on the NY accent..).  Like I said earlier, I really only have had that conversation once here when someone asked what my background/what my parents were.  I feel like it just doesn't come up here a lot. 

But I never just say American, because that's usually pretty obvious.  I'm a New Yorker.   I'll be a walking/talking guidebook for anyone who is visiting.    I don't know (or care, really) if people find my pride in my city and state to be silly, but denying or playing down that part of me would be odd.

 

I do identify myself by state if people ask.  When I open my mouth, it's pretty clear I'm from the US, so I usually just say New York. 


 

This is what I usually say too.  However, then I have to explain that I'm from Upstate NY when they start talking about their last trip to Manhattan...  "Yes it's a great city, however I live about 3 hours north of it".... then the conversation usually dies, as I've lost all appeal to them. 

Everyone does assume Manhattan!  I don't know how many times I've told people that NYC is made up of the 5 boroughs, but Manhattan seems to be the only one that sticks. 
Until I beat it into their heads, of course. 

Well yeah, they say that "I've been to NYC" however I always figure that they probably didn't spend much time in the Bronx....hahaha.

I remember some poor girl when I was in college - she was from another country, I want to say...Nepal?  And anyway, she decided to go to our school (SUNY Albany) based upon the fact that someone told her it was close to NYC.  Now...it's not super far..but it is a typical 2 hour drive to get to the Bronx, which I don't think is what she had in mind!

I usually just say 'Portland, Oregon' when I'm asked where I'm from. I'd just say Portland, but there's two of them (at least), and a lot of people I've run into assume it's Maine and not Oregon, so I just got accustomed to saying Oregon. But then again, a few Brits I've run into don't really realize where Oregon is so I just say it's north of California and then they have a good frame of reference to go by

I remember some poor girl when I was in college - she was from another country, I want to say...Nepal?  And anyway, she decided to go to our school (SUNY Albany) based upon the fact that someone told her it was close to NYC.  Now...it's not super far..but it is a typical 2 hour drive to get to the Bronx, which I don't think is what she had in mind!

Shut the front door, you went to SUNY Albany??? I lived just outside of Albany!!!  Yay for the Capital Region!!!

Shut the front door, you went to SUNY Albany??? I lived just outside of Albany!!!  Yay for the Capital Region!!!

Represent the 518!

 

Yep!  I have to say, I think the SUNYs are pretty good bang for the buck.  It was funny - though - as my younger brother went to McGill in Canada, and he told us often that it was the Harvard of Canada, so my other brother and I (also a SUNY A graduate) so we referred to it as the Harvard of the Capital Region.

ANYWAY.  But yes, back to the original point..any time I've mentioned any other parts of NY to people who don't know anything about the state other than NYC, they do kind of lose interest.  

Represent the 518!

 

YAY!!!!!!!

I always say that I am from the part of New York where they keep the cows.

I've lived all over the state though.  My favourite bits are the city and the Adirondacks.  A bit of a case of extremes, but many times you can't beat the place you grew up except for maybe something like NYC.

I always say that I am from the part of New York where they keep the cows.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  Consider that stolen.  My new explanation.

The company below my husband's had a new office in Albany and they recruited a whole bunch of people over.

One of the wives kept saying how exciting it would be to live near NYC.  I didn't have the heart to break it to her. 

I had friends who moved to Buffalo from the South. and when their family were planning a visit, they told my friends they wanted to be taken to the WTC site.  I don't know how they broke it to them diplomatically without making the family feel stupid about just how far Buffalo is from NYC.  Really, you're talking about the Midwest in comparison to the Eastern Seaboard. Of course, New York is really a big state relative to many in the North east, so I imagine that throws people.

Yeah, I remember that being a surprise to a few friends here, that you could drive 7-8 hours and still be in the same state.

It did kind of make the decision for college, though - when we went to view SUNY A (and having hit some traffic on the way) when we saw the Buffalo - 367 Miles (or something like that) from that point on...it just wasn't a choice.

That said, I have friends that loved Buffalo and had a great time there - I just would want a drive I could do without too many breaks.