I moved to Florida three and a half years ago, and yet there are some things I am still getting used to. One of these is living in a tourist destination.
My mother mentioned recently, while we were watching a hockey game, that the summer population here wouldn't fill an NHL arena. The population more than doubles (maybe triples) during "season" and there are definitely effects on our everyday life. Traffic picks up, so it can take almost twice as long to get from point A to point B as it would in July. You can't get into some restaurants at anything like a regular mealtime unless you want to wait an hour or two. Parking lots are full, and don't even try to go to the grocery store or (heaven forbid) Costco on the first day or two of the month, when people who come down to rent for a month have arrived and are stocking up big-time on supplies.
This really isn't to complain. I pretty much knew what I was coming to: my parents moved here 25 years ago, so I have been visiting for a long time. But there are times when, for instance, I'm trying to get to a doctor's appointment and the driver in front of me clearly has no idea where they want to turn, so they're doing 22 in a 35 zone and slowing and speeding up, again and again, when I just want to yell, Get out of my way, I know where I'm going. I went up into the nearby city twice this week (once for the doctor's appointment, once to CarMax for them to put in a new battery, no charge, thank you very much), and the traffic! Appalling! And it will only get more so for the next few months.
On the other hand, of course, no snow, and no bitter cold--we laugh at ourselves for how much we complain when it goes below 80, and if it gets under 70? The horrors!
And also on that other hand, I'm looking forward to snowbird friends getting down here again. Zoom has been a great deal better than nothing for the last 18 months, but I miss seeing people in 3D.
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Meanwhile, funny blog-to-the-rescue story: I was trying to find a recipe I knew I had made, but not for a long time, and couldn't find it with my recipes anywhere, physical or virtual. But I searched here in Ye Old Blog, and there it was, spaghetti bake. Thank you, past me!
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I work in a college and the way the town changes based on whether or not school is in session is one of my great joys in life. I love the energy of the students, of course, but the quiet summer months are also wonderful in their own way.
ReplyDeleteMy son lives in a tourist town and would heartily agree with you. He's found tourists parking *in his driveway* when they wanted to watch the fireworks. He ended up finding a house for sale a block from his kids' schools so they could all walk and not be in traffic, sold his and bought that one for to the penny the same amount, and moved a half mile further away from the beach.
ReplyDeleteOoooh! I am loving your new project already!
ReplyDeleteAs a semi-frequent visitor to FL, usually during "season," I can completely understand how irritating it would be to have to endure with the influx of tourists. Yuck! Traffic is SO terrible!