Back To Normal

[Sgt. Pepper]

Well in the USA its a few days after Labor Day. For anyone that has kids between the age of 5 or 6 and 17 or 18, means school is back in session. I graduated HS and I was still 17. For some parents school is just free babysitting. The area I live at is tourist town, and the summer is the worst time to live here. Every year is the Blue Crab Fest, which happened a few months back and coming up is the Shrimp Fest. Of course there is Bike Week, when all the loud Harley's roll in during the summer, and then the week after that is another Bike Week with the Bikers being African-American, their bikes of choice are mostly those 3 wheel bikes. Grocery stores get mobbed, good luck going out to eat to a decent restaurant without having to wait an hour to get seated, the AYCE crab leg places have lines a mile long, and  there are more golf carts and mopeds out and about due to the tourist renting them (cause as a tourist you gotta do what the locals do). Over the past 4 or 5 years of coming here, and then finally moving here full time a few years back, I have seen traffic go from barley anything to it being incredibly stupid now. Now it will just mostly be weekenders coming. My wife and I can finally go out to get some crab legs and actually get stuff we need at the store. 

[Whitefang]

I never lived in a "tourist town", but I can imagine it could be pretty annoying at the height of it's "season".   Except for Las Vegas, which is always at a season's height, so what you find an annual PITA is more or less "normal" for them.    And I suppose where you live the lifetime locals have adapted to it so it doesn't seem so bad to them as it does to you, a comparative "newcomer"  Give it a few more years.  You'll adapt.  

As my Mom would probably say;  "Either adapt, move or just shut up."

Whitefang

[Dub-T-123]

Shrimp fest sounds like something I’d be pretty excited about 🍤 🍤 🍤 

 

Hope you guys stay safe and make the best of it

[gearbasher]

I live in Brooklyn, where we have more transplants than tourists. Transplants are the worst. At least tourists have the decency  to go back home.

[saturn]

I knew two identical twin brothers who had a band called The Fab 2 and would play that Blue Crab Festival every year. I've lost touch over the years so not sure if they're still playing around Myrtle Beach area or not. 

Edit: I just did a search and the result that turned up was not Bruce and Brian that I knew. Not sure who that Fab2 is.  

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by saturn

[Murph]

I left the Valley, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tempe/Mesa many years ago to get away from urban creep. That damned city kept growing in on you.

You can have it.

[fortyearspickn]

I hate it when we drive 4+ hours to South Padre Island and gave to wait as long to get into a restaurant.  (sarcasm off) 

When both of my grandmothers and several aunts, uncles lived in Brooklyn   -  Greenpoint and Prospect Park - those areas were lower middle class, blue collar, in decline  and completely undesirable.  A few decades after they passed or moved - the places they lived suddenly became trendy.  Brownstones were gutted and modernized and prices went through the roof.  Pun intended.   I doubt the 'happiness'  of children being raised there now is any higher than it was in the 50s. 

 

[gearbasher]

1 hour ago, fortyearspickn said:

I hate it when we drive 4+ hours to South Padre Island and gave to wait as long to get into a restaurant.  (sarcasm off) 

When both of my grandmothers and several aunts, uncles lived in Brooklyn   -  Greenpoint and Prospect Park - those areas were lower middle class, blue collar, in decline  and completely undesirable.  A few decades after they passed or moved - the places they lived suddenly became trendy.  Brownstones were gutted and modernized and prices went through the roof.  Pun intended.   I doubt the 'happiness'  of children being raised there now is any higher than it was in the 50s. 

 

I've always been into bicycling and I've ridden in Prospect Park for almost 3/4 of my entire life. I was there in the bad old days and I'm still riding there today. From a cyclists point of view, the Park is much worse now that the "entitled" moved into the area.

[fortyearspickn]

45 minutes ago, gearbasher said:

I've always been into bicycling and I've ridden in Prospect Park for almost 3/4 of my entire life. I was there in the bad old days and I'm still riding there today. From a cyclists point of view, the Park is much worse now that the "entitled" moved into the area.

I've heard the Millennials have even ruined Farrell's Bar & Grill.  Almost like tearing down a statue !  

[Whitefang]

That kind of stuff goes on everywhere.  In 40's case, it sounds like what's happening in his Aunts old neighborhood is "gentrifying."  fixing up old buildings "tony" enough to raise rents and "price-out" the "undesirables" (read what you want into that.  It'll probably be accurate).  

The city I grew up in and still live in (save for a nine year period when I split from the ex) for decades was a white enclave.  we very rarely saw black people anywhere in this town.  But that's been changing over the last 30 or so years.  There's been more and more African-Americans moving in with a surprisingly very low number of whites moving out.  But what bothers me more is the steady disappearance of my childhood.  For instance...

My elementary school years ago was closed, torn down and an A&P built in it's place.  But 15 years later the A&P closed, and it became a Spartan discount grocer's.  Then a few more years later, IT closed, got razed and a CVS built in it's place.  And my Jr. high school building(which was the high school until the "new" one was built in '61) was torn down and replaced six or so years later with a new "middle school" building.  A lot of old places that had many good memories for me are gone.  But not from urban encroachment, but economic evolution.  I'm sure many here can relate their own similar stories.

Whitefang

[Sgt. Pepper]

7 minutes ago, Whitefang said:

That kind of stuff goes on everywhere.  In 40's case, it sounds like what's happening in his Aunts old neighborhood is "gentrifying."  fixing up old buildings "tony" enough to raise rents and "price-out" the "undesirables" (read what you want into that.  It'll probably be accurate).  

The city I grew up in and still live in (save for a nine year period when I split from the ex) for decades was a white enclave.  we very rarely saw black people anywhere in this town.  But that's been changing over the last 30 or so years.  There's been more and more African-Americans moving in with a surprisingly very low number of whites moving out.  But what bothers me more is the steady disappearance of my childhood.  For instance...

My elementary school years ago was closed, torn down and an A&P built in it's place.  But 15 years later the A&P closed, and it became a Spartan discount grocer's.  Then a few more years later, IT closed, got razed and a CVS built in it's place.  And my Jr. high school building(which was the high school until the "new" one was built in '61) was torn down and replaced six or so years later with a new "middle school" building.  A lot of old places that had many good memories for me are gone.  But not from urban encroachment, but economic evolution.  I'm sure many here can relate their own similar stories.

Whitefang

Every-time I go back to San Jose I recognize it less and less. The Tech Giants destroyed San Jose. It has turned into a stale backdrop for Google and Ebay and Adobe. I don't understand how people can afford to move there unless you are big baller rich.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper

[Sgt. Pepper]

Well it’s Friday night and I'm unsupervised as my wife is at a music festival in VA close to the TN boarder. I'm high watching a Grateful Dead concert from '89. Got a vodka on the rocks close at hand. Jerry is killing the solo in Ramble On Rose. Another trip to the garage. Yep. I hope every tourist in the world is here. I’m not leaving my house tonight.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper