[Tarastomsgirl]

Originally Posted by Sunandsand

Have you been to McDonalds, Target, or Walmart anywhere in the US lately? Almost none of the employees speak English so don't hold that against Naples.

We took a summer trip all the way up through NH, MA, NY, NJ, PA, NC, SC, GA......every McDonalds had workers who did not speak English. A few had some high school kids who could not work the registers. Every order was a game of how many items did they actually get right!

Road construction? Every single state. Snobs everywhere? Ditto, seems like 80% of Americans have become stuck up.

Naples has its problems but don't single it out for using cheap labor, construction everywhere, and snobby attitudes. That is now a nationwide phenomenon.

Yeah as a matter of fact, considering I live in NH, the same one you visit.. I have YET to run into anyone who speaks spanish. Infact I can tell you that there are exactly 6 spanish speaking families in my town. Its all in town records, they keep track.. I have yet to see a single one working at any mcdonalds, and I have yet to have any problems ordering from anyone in ANY store here. The town is 97% white. I can go a couple days without seeing anyone other than white. Its paradise to be able to speak english in America isnt' it?

[essessemm]

Naples isn't the most exciting place to live, but it all depends on what you like to do. There are some nice beaches and the fishing is pretty damn good if your friend is into those things. There are places to go at night, but it's definitely not the center of the universe for partying.

I think $50k is more than enough for 1 person to live on and stash some away (depending on spending habits). As far as rents go, there are PLENTY of one bedrooms available for relatively cheap for a single guy. These are some 1 bedrooms for less than $800/month:
fort myers craigslist > apts/housing for rent: search for "naples"

[uketrader]

Great restaurants, gorgeous beaches and generally nice people. And yes, the fishing and golfing is tremendous. That being said, there if nightlife, but it is limited. The great part about Naples is that you can drive to Miami in 1.5 hours and get all the nightlife that you want and always come back. Like I've commented here before, this board is full of posters who like to make it known that people who have money are generally rude and mean. Naples is a great place and has still retained its natural beauty over the years.

[whippersnapper]

Is your friend into chain restaurants or more of the mom and pop places? Naples has a lot of chain restaurants: California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Olive Garden, Joe's Crab Shack, etc. plus a few really good smaller places. Is he into golfing? Wine festivals? Boating? Art? Is he always into going out or does he like to hang around the house most of the time?

Instead of us telling you what areas to avoid, why doesn't he come up with a few suitable apartments and then we could tell him what we know about each place? Check the Naples Daily News for apartments as well.

[HockeyMom72]

Originally Posted by whippersnapper

Is your friend into chain restaurants or more of the mom and pop places? Naples has a lot of chain restaurants: California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Olive Garden, Joe's Crab Shack, etc. plus a few really good smaller places. Is he into golfing? Wine festivals? Boating? Art? Is he always into going out or does he like to hang around the house most of the time?

Instead of us telling you what areas to avoid, why doesn't he come up with a few suitable apartments and then we could tell him what we know about each place? Check the Naples Daily News for apartments as well.

Same for any "pizza" chain. You need to go to a REAL Mom and Pop Italian place for either. Don't get me started about Italian food, OR real bagels.

[Sunandsand]

Originally Posted by HockeyMom72

Same for any "pizza" chain. You need to go to a REAL Mom and Pop Italian place for either. Don't get me started about Italian food, OR real bagels.

Now that is something we can agree on. The best pizza is up in NYC, Philadelphia, or the Jersey shore. It is hard to find a great pizza down here. By great I mean one of those pizzas that leaves you thinking, "Now this may be the best pizza I have ever had!"

[hiknapster]

For the gazillionth time, I didn't say people with money are mean. In fact, it is usually the opposite. Gosh, my parents have lots of money. My Dad drives a Mercedes and is right now, as we speak, on a 19-day cruise through Europe.

What I said is the snowbirds in southwest Florida are mean, and quite frankly, the ones in Fort Myers, aren't particularly wealthy.

Tell your friend that Everglades City is a wonderful old Florida town to visit. It is south of Naples, and has a great seafood festival every February. It is a little too far to live there, though.

[whippersnapper]

I never claimed Olive Garden was "real" Italian food. I just remember some survey the News-Press did on what stores Cape Coral "needs" (or something to that extent) and people were clamoring for more chain restaurants. I don't know if this guy's friend is a chain restaurant kind o' guy or if he's a little more adventurous. Trying to cover all bases here.

Sunandsand and Hockeymom, what constitutes a really good pizza place in your eyes? I'm always curious because it seems like people have differing ideas on pizza.

[HockeyMom72]

Originally Posted by whippersnapper

I never claimed Olive Garden was "real" Italian food. I just remember some survey the News-Press did on what stores Cape Coral "needs" (or something to that extent) and people were clamoring for more chain restaurants. I don't know if this guy's friend is a chain restaurant kind o' guy or if he's a little more adventurous. Trying to cover all bases here.

Sunandsand and Hockeymom, what constitutes a really good pizza place in your eyes? I'm always curious because it seems like people have differing ideas on pizza.

enough mozzarella, and the crust not cooked to a crisp.

[hiknapster]

Southwest Florida is a chain, super-Walmart, early-bird special kind of a place, isn't it? Bleah.