I live in Troy, about 15 miles south of Saratoga, and I drink about a liter or two a week. I’m 99.99% sure Dr. Pepper is completely national.
A few more things, having read the thread again:
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Tire chains are illegal here. When I was a kid, my Dad put 'em on for the trips to vist the family in Maine, but Changes Have Been Made: they plow and salt the roads, every car but mine seems to be front-wheel drive, and the Interstate system has been completed. Don’t bother with snowtires, either.
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Think about clothing. Last winter I got along with just my leather jacket and a sweater, but that’s no guarantee. I’m used to it, and you’re not, so the recommendations concerning layering are something you should heed. Get some gloves and a hat. I have pockets and a small, hard to freeze brain, so I don’t usually have a problem. A sweatshirt with a hood might help.
3)Get a cellphone and roadside service (AAA or whatever). I don’t have 'em, mostly because I’d be embarassed to be caught short, but I make sure my girlfriend does. I offer this just because you are unfamiliar with northern winters. Preparation counts. Blankets, flares, etc. I don’t carry this stuff, because I have an axe and matches, but you should.
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Snow. Get a brush and scraper, and a small snow shovel and put them in your car. It seems that we either get cold and no snow, and lesser-cold and lots of snow around here. This year seems to be shaping up for snow.
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December is about the worst time you could pick to move here.
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We’re not sullen or unfriendly, we’re just beaten down. Smile and say “Hi.” We’ll smile and say “Hi” back. We’re Yankees the real kind and you’ll be surprised how much we have in common.
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If you own any handguns, sell 'em. It might be a good idea to unload any rifles or shotguns you may have too. That’s the way it is in the Peoples Republic of New York.
Welcome. Both of you will like us, I promise.
Yes! There is Dr. Pepper.
There is no Chicken Fried Steak though.
Nor SHOULD there be chicken-fried steak. It is an abomination unto my kitchen.
Unfortunately, Gunslinger loves it.
On the plus side, there is Freihofer’s. Get yourself some cupcakes and think of me when you eat 'em. They’re manna.
Blasphemer!
I’m not really big into chicken fried steak or really any other southern cooking. Well, I love biscuits, but I’ll eat any sort of bread.
I really don’t blend in the south.
I think the “Do they have Dr Pepper up there?” question was asking whether restaurants, etc. usually serve it. It certainly isn’t difficult to find Dr Pepper in Charleston, just go to the nearest supermarket… however, I’d say about a quarter of the gas stations won’t have it and ordering it in most of the restaurants will be met with “Pibb Xtra ‘k’ with y’all?” I suppose it would end with “youse guys” up North…
With all this talk of snow… There any good places for snowboarding nearby? I usually went when I was visiting my dad in CA, so I’ve been pretty disappointed with the mountains on this side of the country (I.E. five mile runs with half mile elevation $30 lift tickets out west vs two mile, 500 feet, $80 half-days). Ha, not like I’m going to have any free time where I’m going to want to do anything.
<looks around furtively> What are teh rates of DSL or Cable for intarweb access like?
Dr Pepper in restaurants, eh? Umm…Not so much. Some places, sure, but it’s not an everywhere thing. And you can’t get Mr. Pibb at all, except for Chuck E. Cheese’s, for some reason. Every convenience store will have Dr. Pepper, though. That’s not a challenge, as will every Pepsi vending machine. Coke machines never have it, even though it’s still a different company. Basically, anyplace that sells bottles of soda has Dr. Pepper, anyplace that doesn’t is hit or miss.
I pay $40 a month for Time Warner Roadrunner cable internet.
And skiing, sure. Not Vail quality, but there’s plenty of places less than 2 hours away in VT, that are among the best on the east coast.