Is anyone else ready for the snowbirds to go home??? (Phoenix: movies, wages)

[kpl1228]

My wife says that after three days, houseguests are like fish: they start to smell.
Having said that, I do like the snowbirds.

[BIG CATS]

I made the mistake of going to Kierland Commons on Sunday. Every other plate was out-of-state, restaurants were all full, and I witnessed a few near-accidents caused by geriatric Canadians (Alberta plates on both cars). hahaha May cant come soon enough!

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by thealleyplace

Considering a move to Arizona myself, I've spent some time looking at the C-D forums for both Phoenix and Prescott. Interestingly, I've seen complaints on the Prescott forum about Phoenix residents jamming up Prescott during the summer. Oh by the way, I'm from eastern Montana and haven't turned the A/C on for two years. Don't ask me about winter.

It's a reverse-snowbird fact of life.

The people in smaller, upper-elevation towns around Arizona don't greatly appreciate the (let's call them "sunbird tourists") coming in droves from the "valley areas" into their wonderful little towns and villages, especially when they degenerate into complaint-mode!

They expect life up there to be as exceptionally wonderful in all phases as down below, and they will have a meltdown if lines are slow... or if traffic is slow... or if anything else fails to meet their immediate requirements.

Go figure.

[WriterDude]

Originally Posted by Juram

If you think that traffic is ever really "bad" anywhere around here, you have not seen what real traffic looks like. Even at its most crowded I'd far more deal with the traffic out here than in Austin, LA or any number of other places. For the benefits that the snowbird's provide, for the amount of money that they spend and helping largely to prop up the economy, they can stay for as long as they want.

^^^^ This

Nobody who has been stuck in traffic ever says, "hey, that was so awesome, compared to what it would have been like in [fill in your favorite nightmarish traffic spot]." Traffic just sucks.

It doesn't deny anyone's pain to point out that it could be worse, but it's the answer most likely to get pushback.

I think if someone wants to claim that the snowbird traffic is the only terrible traffic here, meh. If someone wants to say it's worse in LA, or the 405 north of San Diego, or whatever, meh. Someone out there thinks rush hour in Boise is the worst ever. It's all good. LOL

Cmon back next year too, snowbirds. Bring your friends.

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

Let's talk about apples to apples. If you drive your car (not the Mesothelioma Express) to Texas, do you have to stop at the Texas DMV and get a new license? No.

Did you cause a fatal collision within 2 years? I doubt it. But you just graduated from the highest risk age group < 24 years, recently.

I mean, I'm all for more strict licensing requirements, but being fair is a good start.

The Mesothelioma Express..........I LOVE IT!! My work trailer just got a nickname LOL.

Nah I get what your saying, I was just tossing ideas out there. I was tossing around the idea that, a fair method would be to require all people who reside here x amount of months a year (like 3), to get a license here, and pass our test... or something like that is where I was attempting to go with that.

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by WriterDude

^^^^ This

Nobody who has been stuck in traffic ever says, "hey, that was so awesome, compared to what it would have been like in [fill in your favorite nightmarish traffic spot]." Traffic just sucks.

It doesn't deny anyone's pain to point out that it could be worse, but it's the answer most likely to get pushback.

I think if someone wants to claim that the snowbird traffic is the only terrible traffic here, meh. If someone wants to say it's worse in LA, or the 405 north of San Diego, or whatever, meh. Someone out there thinks rush hour in Boise is the worst ever. It's all good. LOL

Cmon back next year too, snowbirds. Bring your friends.

Traffics so bad to me here because I spend so much time in it I guess. But, last year I did a trip to Orange County to visit a friend, I was in traffic for over 4 hours, from like Beaumont all the way to San Clemente. And this was at like 9PM I started getting into town. Great LA Area traffic is the worst without a doubt. Thankfully I don't live out there. Next time I go to San Clemente, I8 through SD and up the 5 is the only way I'll do it. I'll drive a bunch more miles but save hours.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by elcajones

The Mesothelioma Express..........I LOVE IT!! My work trailer just got a nickname LOL.

Nah I get what your saying, I was just tossing ideas out there. I was tossing around the idea that, a fair method would be to require all people who reside here x amount of months a year (like 3), to get a license here, and pass our test... or something like that is where I was attempting to go with that.

I don't see any need to make them get drivers' licenses. Our laws are pretty much the same as any other place and the drivers here come from all over anyway. What I would like to see is more clever ways to separate them from their money like they do to us when we go visit "back east". Charge them more for camping spots, more to launch their boats, "conservation fees" that are higher for non-residents, and traffic tickets for the slightest of violations. Stick 'em royally whenever we can. Places like Michigan have this down to an art form in taking dollars out of the pockets from those from Illinois. The whole of northern Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan is a tourist trap. So is B.C. in Canada. Arizona, on the other hand, does practically nothing to profit from their presence (the state I mean, the hotels and car rentals do rip them off good).

[Bruce Jackpot]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I don't see any need to make them get drivers' licenses. Our laws are pretty much the same as any other place and the drivers here come from all over anyway. What I would like to see is more clever ways to separate them from their money like they do to us when we go visit "back east". Charge them more for camping spots, more to launch their boats, "conservation fees" that are higher for non-residents, and traffic tickets for the slightest of violations. Stick 'em royally whenever we can. Places like Michigan have this down to an art form in taking dollars out of the pockets from those from Illinois. The whole of northern Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan is a tourist trap. So is B.C. in Canada. Arizona, on the other hand, does practically nothing to profit from their presence (the state I mean, the hotels and car rentals do rip them off good).

So trying to "stick em royally whenever we can" is your idea?

We don't need to institute some scheme to ripoff visitors and seniors. That's just not cool.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I don't see any need to make them get drivers' licenses. Our laws are pretty much the same as any other place and the drivers here come from all over anyway. What I would like to see is more clever ways to separate them from their money like they do to us when we go visit "back east". Charge them more for camping spots, more to launch their boats, "conservation fees" that are higher for non-residents, and traffic tickets for the slightest of violations. Stick 'em royally whenever we can. Places like Michigan have this down to an art form in taking dollars out of the pockets from those from Illinois. The whole of northern Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan is a tourist trap. So is B.C. in Canada. Arizona, on the other hand, does practically nothing to profit from their presence (the state I mean, the hotels and car rentals do rip them off good).

We don't stop the residents for enough violations. Having the law enforcement officers we have on the road (which many say are too few) focus on out of state plates (and not all snowbirds HAVE out of state plates) in order to "stick it to them" for driving too slow or a Calfifornia stop or a failure to use a signal? Please, no.

[slowdude222]

The Canadians are not very good tippers as a whole. Do they tip in Canada?