America the non-NYC/L.A./Chicago side
This is one of the lesser known states. Heck, I grew up in Virginia and I thought that state was well known thanks to all the CIA Hollywood movies. (The CIA headquarters is located in Virginia.) Every other movie that takes place in Washington D.C., always ends up making a detour in Virginia some way or another. Not to mention half of the X-Files episodes took place in Virginia.
But when I went over seas, most people I met had no idea where Virginia was. (Clue: Smack dab in the middle of the Eastern shore board.) Or anything about it for that matter. In fact, I quickly learned that for most non-Americans, with the exception of Canadians and Mexicans, The States was nothing more than a collection of certain cities; New York, Boston, Washington D.C., L.A., Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Seattle and New Orleans. And you could probably slide Disneyland and Disney World in there somewhere too. Okay, and maybe Forks because of that whole Twilight schtick that is currently blowing up.
But most people could not understand when I tried to explain to them that the US was basically one country divided by fifty states with each state being its own country. What is funny in New York will get you a punch in the face in Alabama. And what is funny in Alabama will get you a sneer and an eye roll in Oregon. Strangely enough, for all the prude talk the South gets when compared to its more liberal sister of the North East, during the Summer time you can get away with wearing next to nothing down in the South, shorter than short cut-offs and paper thin tank tops, without anyone batting an eyelash. The same outfit would get you labeled a "skank" up North and have the more proper adults scolding you to cover up. (This actually happened to my sister. Mind you, my sister was never one to dress slutty. Her outfit was simply the style everyone wore during the Summer time in Virginia.)
So, with that said, I am going to put in an effort to show everyone what this place has to offer. And not just North Carolina, though that will be the main place since I live here. But all of America. The lesser known America.
I would love for everyone out there to do this with their towns. I know there's a vast amount of people who don't live in the major global cities like London, Paris, Hong Kong or New York. So, it would be nice to see what they have to offer too.
In the meantime, here are a few photos of Greensboro.
This photo is of The Historical Museum of Greensboro. Originally parts of it were a Presbyterian Church that dated back to the 1800's. But when the American Civil War happened, it was quickly turned into Confederate Hospital. Of course, most places in the South were trampled on during that time and the poor hospital did not end up looking like this. The building was rebuilt in 1892. And now it's a museum. (Check out the redhead. See what she is wearing? This is the typical Summer wear down here. Despite a concert with a large crowd happening next to the museum, not one person raised an eyebrow at her outfit.)
Here's another photo taken as the sun was setting. It actually looks like a little fortress.
Here are two shots of downtown Greensboro. This place looks like your typical middle sized East Coast city. You can almost forget that you are in the South until you step out onto the street. And then *BAM* the Tar Heel accent hits you. It's pretty thick in some places here. I have yet to pick it up.
If the images are little fuzzy, it's because I took pictures with my video camera rather than my regular camera. Next time, I'll bring both.