[bloppe]

My personal (American) view is that you made a great decision visiting the South. It's super underrated. I grew up in my little corner of America (New England) and it wasn't until my twenties that I realized just how many amazing places to visit there are in this country with deceivingly friendly people and interesting culture. Americans certainly do not present themselves that way to the rest of the world, but people are usually amazed at how welcoming they can be face-to-face. I think you would have had a good time in NY or SF as well, but it would certainly be different, and probably less memorable, than being pleasantly surprised by "simpler" places in America.