5 Ways to Know Someone Isn’t From Central New York

I've lived in New York for almost three months now, and while I think I'm getting better at blending into the Central New York culture, I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb when I first got here.

Being from the West Coast, we do things a lot different than in New York. Here are five things I've started to notice that are dead giveaways that someone is not a CNY native.

1. They're drinking Starbucks. Aside from the service areas off of the Thruway, I've only seen one Starbucks in all of CNY, so most Central New Yorkers aren't going out of their way to grab one. Dunkin' Donuts is much more convenient, and, of course, the donuts are stellar.

2. They think Olive Garden is the pinnacle of good Italian food. Now, I'm not knocking Olive Garden at all. I looooove a good soup, salad and breadsticks combo, and in Washington, family-owned, smaller Italian spots are harder to come by. But that's just not the case in New York. Delicious Italian spots are everywhere, and don't even get me started on riggies. I'm in Italian food heaven!!

3. They've never been to Wegman's. I've heard a lot about this store and its devoted customers for the past three months, but I just went to Wegman's for the first time this past weekend and HOLY MOLY--they have a beautiful produce section. The former produce grocery store employee in me geeked out over their colorful, stocked display.

4. They think UC is an actual club. Living in Utica, I found out real quick that's not the case. The whole history behind the beer is so fascinating to me, and to think, FX Matt was the first to sell beer (in the form of Utica Club) after Prohibition! Thanks to the Internet, there's even some cool, original UC commercials like this one for newcomers like me to watch.

5. They think a couple feet of snow is the end of the world. I'll admit: I'm fully guilty of this one. I've seen all the pictures and heard all the stories about how much snow CNY gets and I'm terrified for winter, but I'll come out a stronger woman, right?!

What other things do non-Central New Yorkers just not understand? How do you know someone's not from around here? Let me know!