Is there anything unique about Jacksonville? (Miami, Tampa: transplants, gated, travel)

[fastninja500]

Originally Posted by vdecapio

I lived in St. Louis, Albuquerque, Pittsburgh area, Ithaca, NY, NYC area, and now here in Jacksonville. I've also visited other places in Florida: Orlando, Miami, etc. And I can be quite honest with you that Jacksonville is the first place I just can't handle. You are right the grass is always greener, but Jacksonville has just plain sucked. I might just be having bad luck, but from talking with other young people that move here you gotta have something that hooks you here. They all agree that Jacksonville is like a tranquilizer for a young person. And unfortunately, I just don't even want to get hooked because there is so much about the culture here that annoys the hell out of me. The olives is the icing on the cake. Bakeries, diversity, talk-radio, big city sports, ethnic food, walkable neighborhoods, immigrants with history, parks with extensive walking trails,......all of this is nearly non-existing here. And I am a very social person who has always been optimistic and has tried to make the best of an area. But I must be having the worst luck in the world here...or Jacksonville just is not designed for me. One of the two. Or maybe both! Either way its time to start packing. The olives thing is the icing on the cake!

Yeah, maybe you're just having some bad luck. I've been here almost a year now and everything's working just fine for me. In fact, I dread the possibility of having to go work back in NYC.

Can't you grab some of your buddies at work and hang out at the beach? Talk to some of the hotties out there. I bet that'll make things a lot better.There's nothing that the company of a nice lady can't fix. Of course, being married, I can't do this. So I'll live vicariously off of you !

Better yet, Go buy a beach front condo. Beach front properties and mortgage rates are very reasonable now for a young guy with an excellent job. I bet that would turn things around for you. Even if you leave Jax, it would turn out to be a really good investment years down the road.

Good luck buddy!

[Ryde41]

We went to the import place recently and bought a barrel of olives (18lbs) for $65.00. We're not having an olive shortage on the Southside.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by vdecapio

For instance, when I was in Ithaca I spent all my time near Cayuga Lake, in the gorges, and going to the Finger Lakes' wineries. I loved it and it was unique to that area. When I had family visit, I took them to those places. When I was in Jersey, I went to every ethnic neighborhood I could. Colombian, Peruvian, Portuguese, etc. I took advantage of what the area had to offer me. I also spent tons of time in NYC exploring basically anything about world cultures I wanted to. I took advantage of what the area had to offer.

Fair warning- I saw you talking about to Tampa. There are a few Latin sections but generally speaking, that is a relatively integrated place. I have also seen you talk about South FL. Miami has some ethnic neighborhoods, but the main thing I like about where I'm at is that all of these groups are present, but they actually tend to live amongst each other and not segregate. Everybody brings something to the table, assuming your mind is opened enough. I am from NY originally, and I hate how my ethnic background is so "important" and such a factor on where I'm supposed to live, how I'm supposed to act, etc. I maintain elements of my culture through the 1st-2nd generation, and I enjoy other cultures, but I see nothing enriching about living in a homogeneous enclave. For one thing, I have a family member that got into a particular type interracial marriage that would absolutely be frowned upon back up north. Down here, they both maintain elements of their culture, have a child that speaks four languages, etc, but have learned to truly be tolerant of other people, because we are going to need to if we want to get anywhere in the world in the next 50 years. Like it or not, we are entering a true global economy, so I think it's better to live in a place that already represents that world instead of still living in the insular, segregated 1940s style America like you will find in many (certainly not all) parts of the tri-state area and other northeastern cities. If you go into any neighborhood here, the types of businesses you will see, for the most part, will represent a wide variety of cultures but be completely mixed together like somebody hit the cultural shuffle button, and somehow they manage to get along (same can't be said for the tri-state area). Heck, you even still have a few good ol boys mixed in, especially in Tampa you have a lot so don't think you are escaping that, not that there is anything wrong with rednecks, most are very humble and make the best friends you will ever have. The stereotype of most rednecks being racist/bigoted is about the same as assuming most blacks rob convenience stores for a living, because neither is even half true.

If you are used to that segregated NE style thing (which I don't consider diversity, I just consider that to be variety), do not go to Tampa and do not go north of Dade County in South Florida. My post may have seemed loosely based but I am trying to give you my perspective of other parts of Florida (or other sunbelt cities in general for that matter) compared to the tri state area. Don't get me wrong, I love NY, and I honestly wouldn't mind living up there, but I'm just warning you not to expect literally the same thing further south in Florida, although I think you would like a lot of the areas way better than JAX. But South FL (as well as Tampa) is very "live and let live". So is NYC assuming you are in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, but in general this is a different feeling from up there and the tri-state isn't really like that. Anyway, this is my warning to you, because I really do hate seeing someone miserable even if it's through a computer screen.

[HIF]

Originally Posted by Ryde41

We went to the import place recently and bought a barrel of olives (18lbs) for $65.00. We're not having an olive shortage on the Southside.

Hmmmm......maybe we could have a CD olive pilgrimage to your place!

[Karla with a K]

I have been reading all of the posts and decided to add my 4 cents.

I moved here 16 years ago from NJ, I will admit that I was miserable for the first 3 months. I missed my friends and the social life I had in NJ, for the life of me I couldn't understand why folks went out so early.
I missed my favorite foods and the diners. It frustrated me how slow everything & everyone seemed to be, did the sales person have to have a 5 min conversation with the person in line ahead of me . lol I probably shouldn't admit this but I got into a "discussion" with someone who was born & raised in Green Cove and hated "those damn Yankees moving down" I told him that if everyone was as redneck & stupid as he was I was going back to NJ

I finally realized the problem wasn't Jacksonville but me.
I was so busy missing everything thing I didn't have that I hadn't given the area a chance.
So I made the decision that life was to short to be so unhappy. I started hanging out with the folks I worked with , got involved in a couple volunteer organizations, even learned to Scuba dive where I met some of the nicest people.
Things did a complete 180 degree turn.
I actually began to have fun !!
I experienced things I never could of when I lived up north. I could actually be to the beach in 10 mins without sitting in endless traffic as I did on the Garden State parkway. I could go into the ocean with out freezing my you know what off.
There were foods I couldn't get but I found foods I never knew existed.
I guess the real eye opener was on a trip back home I realized that I preferred the much calmer pace, I realized that I would probably live a lot longer not going 190 mph all the time.
I liked the fact that folks actually meant it when they asked "how are you?"
I really like the fact that I can be out messing around in my garden in November.
I could buy a house without paying the $10k a year in taxes.
I have seen Jacksonville grow in the past 16 years. There are more things to do, more places to visit and more folks to meet.

No one can "change your mind" about living here or not. Only you can do that, but you need to ask yourself that really tough question that I finally realized
Is it Jacksonville or is it me ?

[Ryde41]

Olive pilgrimage ..lol. I dare say that ranks up there with pizza!

[Ryde41]

Originally Posted by Karla with a K

I have been reading all of the posts and decided to add my 4 cents.

I moved here 16 years ago from NJ, I will admit that I was miserable for the first 3 months. I missed my friends and the social life I had in NJ, for the life of me I couldn't understand why folks went out so early.
I missed my favorite foods and the diners. It frustrated me how slow everything & everyone seemed to be, did the sales person have to have a 5 min conversation with the person in line ahead of me . lol I probably shouldn't admit this but I got into a "discussion" with someone who was born & raised in Green Cove and hated "those damn Yankees moving down" I told him that if everyone was as redneck & stupid as he was I was going back to NJ

I finally realized the problem wasn't Jacksonville but me.
I was so busy missing everything thing I didn't have that I hadn't given the area a chance.
So I made the decision that life was to short to be so unhappy. I started hanging out with the folks I worked with , got involved in a couple volunteer organizations, even learned to Scuba dive where I met some of the nicest people.
Things did a complete 180 degree turn.
I actually began to have fun !!
I experienced things I never could of when I lived up north. I could actually be to the beach in 10 mins without sitting in endless traffic as I did on the Garden State parkway. I could go into the ocean with out freezing my you know what off.
There were foods I couldn't get but I found foods I never knew existed.
I guess the real eye opener was on a trip back home I realized that I preferred the much calmer pace, I realized that I would probably live a lot longer not going 190 mph all the time.
I liked the fact that folks actually meant it when they asked "how are you?"
I really like the fact that I can be out messing around in my garden in November.
I could buy a house without paying the $10k a year in taxes.
I have seen Jacksonville grow in the past 16 years. There are more things to do, more places to visit and more folks to meet.

No one can "change your mind" about living here or not. Only you can do that, but you need to ask yourself that really tough question that I finally realized
Is it Jacksonville or is it me ?

great post - "bloom where you're planted"..

[Karla with a K]

Originally Posted by Ryde41

Olive pilgrimage ..lol. I dare say that ranks up there with pizza!

rofl ryde it can be a OPP
I will come along to supervise and keep notes because sadly olives are not on my list of foods that this "selective eater" partakes of

I did see a big olive bar at the Winn Dixie near me. It seemed to have lots of different kinds.

Originally Posted by Ryde41

"bloom where you're planted"..

That is a great phrase !!!

I tried to rep you but got the "spread it around" message

[jimbo13]

four "hooter's" resturaunts in jax, isn't that reason enough to stay?

[agreatlife]

Count me in on the olive patrol! And rep points from me for Karla