As a first-year student at Grand Valley, I've noticed that one of the first questions someone will ask you is where you're from: east side or west side.
For some reason, we care whether or not our friends come from the west side of the Michigan or if they call the east side home. There is a lot of animosity when comparing the two; I've even heard some claim that the west side is the best side. I'm here to say that that's not true. The east side is actually the best side. And here's why:
We're closest to Downtown Detroit. In the heart of Detroit, you'll find the professional sports fields, arenas, and parks. If I want to go to a late-night Red Wings game or an afternoon baseball game, I only have to drive about 20 minutes to get there. I can be spontaneous and go to a Lion's tailgate on Sundays if I want. People from the west side just don't have that luxury! In the end, they miss out on a lot of great moments while they watch from their television sets two hours away from the real action.
School is far from home, but not too far. Because my house is about two hours from campus, I get to have the full college experience more than those who could drive home in less than 10 minutes. I don't get tempted to go home every weekend because I don't have that option. And I don't have to miss out on making new friends in my dorm or feeling the real freedom of college, but I can still make it home more than once or twice a semester if I want to. It's the perfect happy medium.
Most bands and singers come to Detroit first. If you want to see Taylor Swift or One Direction live, you're going to have to make the trip to the Palace or Ford Field. A majority of tours will only come to one city in a state, and Detroit is almost always the one they pick. Even the smaller acts will typically choose venues near the Metro-Detroit area before they venture out to the west side. A late-night Justin Bieber concert isn't a problem for me and I don't have to make a big fuss about it, but those living far away might have a problem.
The east side is the hub for high school sports and activities. We do Friday night football better over here. It's just a fact. Our rivalries are greater because there's so many schools and each of them want to be the best. And our school-sponsored activities are typically more successful because we have more students. Although many of us don't have that small-town high school feel, we get to experience a large community that makes high school more exciting.
We have the Coney Islands. On the east side, there's a Leo's or some variation of a Coney Island on nearly every street. When you get into west side territory, the delicious hot dogs and pitas with ranch are nowhere to be found. What kind of place doesn't have a Coney Island? Not a place I want to be, that's for sure.
East side has the better drivers. It's no secret that drivers on the west side can be a little, well, slow. And terrible at driving. Traveling from the Metro-Detroit area can be a culture shock while on the road. Sometimes, it's questionable if people on the west side even passed driver's training. We may have more potholes, but at least we actually know how to drive over (and around) them.
More diversity on the east side. Thanks to Detroit, the east side is home to a variety of different people with various races, religions, and lifestyles. Although some of us may love the comfort of the Bible belt, it's obvious that the diversity levels on the east side are higher than the west side. There is a large amount of interesting people from all different backgrounds to interact with and learn from, which is awesome!
For years, you have been told that the west side was the best side. Why? Because it rhymes? That's probably the only reason. These examples and many more prove once and for all that the east side really is the best side. So, pick your side.
