Have a rotten day

Sacramento was recently named as the 10^th rudest city in the country. I get it, I guess. Having lived in both bigger and smaller cities, there’s definitely a difference.

Las Vegas? Ruder. Boise? Nicer.

Go figure.

Sacramento is a big city. Cram more people into a finite space and they might get a bit prickly.

Wasn’t there a study where they did that with rats too?

The question is, I suppose, is whether Sacramentans are innately ruder people. Or is it something in the water? Take a reasonably nice person and transplant him to Sacramento from, say, Oakdale, and will he become a son-of-a-@#$%?

The study is likely reflecting the evils of city life. Traffic is an issue. Longer lines at Starbucks (that makes me cranky, for sure). Things are a bit more expensive.

One on one, I’ve met some pretty nice people here. My new neighbors have taken the time to stop and have a little chat, and I’ve met more neighbors here in two months than I did in my last small neighborhood in 7 years.

While it took me three frustrating visits to the DMV to get my new registration and license sorted out, the clerks there gave me a couple of “beat the system” tips. (Hello, DMV, even your own employees know your system is broken.)

Maybe a grocery store clerk could have wished me a good day in a more sincere tone. I don’t know. What was the study looking for?

All in all, it takes more patience to live in a bigger city – to drive on the freeways, to wait in longer lines, to live among 2 million people. Seems like common sense to me.