to drive north vs to live up north

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . A Californian asked me where I was from once when I was visiting Los Angeles. When I said "Ohio", he said "Oh. I haven't been to the East Coast in years." The statement made sense to him because I'm so much closer to the East Coast than he was, but it was a non sequitur to me: what does being in Ohio have to do with being on the East Coast, which is five hundred miles away?

I might have mentioned this once, but it's burned into my brain, so what the hell:

When I first moved to Maine, I was in a grocery line behind a woman who knew the cashier. So they were gabbing.

The woman in front of me asked after a mutual friend. The cashier said, "Oh, she moved down south last year."

"Oh? Where?"

"Pennsylvania!"

(This is the same store where I asked the deli man if he had lox and he said, "Like for bicycles?")

 

[Alexey86]

No. We'd never drive to back east or fly to out west.

What is the correct question: 'Have you ever been to out West?' or 'Have you ever been out West?'?

 

[GoesStation]

You probably know this, but just to be sure:

In the US, we call going to the West Coast going out west and going to the East Coast going back east.

Neither phrase is limited to going to the coasts. They can include places a thousand miles or more from them. For example, Denver, Colorado qualifies as "out West" from my Ohio perspective. It's a thousand miles from the Pacific.

 

[GoesStation]

What is the correct question: 'Have you ever been to out West?' or 'Have you ever been out West?'?

I believe I answered this quite a few posts back. You can't use "to".

 

[Alexey86]

I believe I answered this quite a few posts back. You can't use "to".

Yes, I remember your answer, but it is often the case that different members give different answers.

 

[GoesStation]

Yes, I remember your answer, but it is often the case that different members give different answers.

No English speaker would use "to" there. It's ungrammatical.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, I remember your answer, but it is often the case that different members give different answers.

I think that depends on the question. With some there is more room for disagreement than with others.