Favorite things about Southwest Florida (homes, live, groceries)

[tjstrain]

No cold, rainy, dreary days for weeks at a time. Just got back from up north, the weather sucked! Great to be home!

[mellovesflorida]

I love the warmth, the fact that there is no SNOW, AND ICE. That it is so nice to leave work at home and just relax. I like the people I have met - they are the best. I love wearing sandals or going bare feet every day!!!! I love swimming in my pool at the end of the day. I love it all!!!!!

[hiknapster]

I hated southwest Florida so when I say that I liked these things, they are VERY good things!

I loved the causeway where Captiva and Sanibel meet. It is absolutely gorgeous and the shells are amazing.

I loved The Bubble Room Restaurant on Captiva. The place is pure fun with great food!

I loved walking around downtown Fort Myers during the day, when it was quiet and learning about its history. A lot of it is ignored by the residents but it is fascinating.

I loved Lee County's library system. I mostly used the library in Estero. Best library I've ever been to.

[Donnadon]

I lived 26 years in Florida and I moved back to the northeast 7 years ago. I miss being able to back my car right into the garage and unloading groceries straight into the kitchen instead of having to walk up two flights of stairs to get to my kitchen on the second floor. I miss being able to just throw on some sandals and run out to the store no matter what time of year. Here most of the year ya got to get your coat and your socks and shoes. Then when you get in the store you have to take off the coat and hat and gloves cause its too warm in the store to keep them on. Inever owned a real coat in the 25 years I lived there. And I really miss being able to grill outside all year round. Im still here only because I cant sell this damn house without taking a loss.

[tjstrain]

year round baby! I can visit snow anytime I want!

[redsoxfan3]

Originally Posted by tjstrain

No cold, rainy, dreary days for weeks at a time. Just got back from up north, the weather sucked! Great to be home!

The weather is just now finally starting to get better here in Columbus, OH. It is getting warmer and I can actually go outside in sandals and shorts. I move to Florida in July and I am going to love to be able to wear sandals year round. The weather does suck up here!

Originally Posted by mellovesflorida

I love the warmth, the fact that there is no SNOW, AND ICE. That it is so nice to leave work at home and just relax. I like the people I have met - they are the best. I love wearing sandals or going bare feet every day!!!! I love swimming in my pool at the end of the day. I love it all!!!!!

Generally, I have noticed that the people in Fort Myers and Cape Coral are a lot nicer and a lot more outgoing than the ones that I have came across in Ohio. I have met a lot of cool people in Southwest Florida. Also, you couldn't have said it better, I love wearing sandals and swimming year round. That is one of the biggest things I am going like when I move to Southwest Florida.

Originally Posted by Donnadon

I lived 26 years in Florida and I moved back to the northeast 7 years ago. I miss being able to back my car right into the garage and unloading groceries straight into the kitchen instead of having to walk up two flights of stairs to get to my kitchen on the second floor. I miss being able to just throw on some sandals and run out to the store no matter what time of year. Here most of the year ya got to get your coat and your socks and shoes. Then when you get in the store you have to take off the coat and hat and gloves cause its too warm in the store to keep them on. Inever owned a real coat in the 25 years I lived there. And I really miss being able to grill outside all year round. Im still here only because I cant sell this damn house without taking a loss.

I live in Ohio and my parents grill outside year round, but they have to do it in the garage in the winter and it is extremely cold. It is not enjoyable, that is for sure. I love to enjoy the weather when I grill out, and the best place to do that is with the weather in Florida.

Originally Posted by tjstrain

year round baby! I can visit snow anytime I want!

Nice picture, I never got to experience a winter in Florida yet, but I am looking forward to that this year. I am the same as you, I am only a plane ride away from snow.

[mellovesflorida]

Originally Posted by tjstrain

year round baby! I can visit snow anytime I want!

I love your picture around that pool. That is what I want my Christmas pictures to look like this year - our first Christmas in Florida - another thing I love!

[tjstrain]

We actually keep the colored icicle lights around the perimeter of the pool cage YEAR ROUND! out of the christmas season their called PARTY LIGHTS! we eat out there as often as we can, year round baby!
One of the biggest plusses I love living here is that we do not get sick hardly ever, as we did up north. We lived on the DE/PA border, doesn't get as cold there as you guys further north. My arthritis was killing me 10 years ago since I was a remodeling contractor up there and spending a great amount of time working outdoors in the cold months. Not much of an issue down here. But when the old back aches I jump into the hot tub and then into the pool. I'm 51 going on 40, I wish. Our pool water never gets below 65 degrees in the winter. I use no solar heating, we do have a south facing exposure. When friends and family do come down to visit I fire up the pool heater for them. It takes a few hours, it gets up to 85 with no problem.

[redsoxfan3]

Originally Posted by tjstrain

We actually keep the colored icicle lights around the perimeter of the pool cage YEAR ROUND! out of the christmas season their called PARTY LIGHTS! we eat out there as often as we can, year round baby!
One of the biggest plusses I love living here is that we do not get sick hardly ever, as we did up north. We lived on the DE/PA border, doesn't get as cold there as you guys further north. My arthritis was killing me 10 years ago since I was a remodeling contractor up there and spending a great amount of time working outdoors in the cold months. Not much of an issue down here. But when the old back aches I jump into the hot tub and then into the pool. I'm 51 going on 40, I wish. Our pool water never gets below 65 degrees in the winter. I use no solar heating, we do have a south facing exposure. When friends and family do come down to visit I fire up the pool heater for them. It takes a few hours, it gets up to 85 with no problem.

Your pool looks awesome. It makes me want to move to Florida even more. I cannot wait until July when I move to Fort Myers. The weather down there is a lot better than the north.

[tjstrain]

Pool looks great, you should see the lake 20 feet away that I can walk out to with my 2 golden retrievers, with a great cup of coffee or a really cold beer or Gin and Tonic, and catch 8 to 10 pound bass, 28"s long, and do that year round! No ice, EVER! I live 4 miles from the closest boat ramp that we put in the jet ski's and are in the Gulf of Mexico in about 30 minutes. Year round! or, we drive 20 to 30 minutes to a our favorite sunset bar and restaurant right on the beach of the Gulf of mexico, year round! need I brag more? If you can move here, do it. You can always visit up north......