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I was sitting by a pretty canal just yesterday, sipping an iced coffee, when it occurred to me. Yes, we’re officially into the summer here in South Florida, the traditional “off-season” for tourists. Locals like me welcome this time of year in many ways. Though it’s a lot less “off” than it used to be, I have to admit. Any tourist destination such as the Fort Lauderdale area has special pleasures that can be enjoyed only when there are fewer throngs of out-of-towners clogging restaurants, bars, clubs. And roads. And it’s these pleasures that residents such as me savor from now until the autumn. There’s a different pace to life somehow. It slows down, becomes more personal, a bit less driven, less competitive. With fewer visitors now, the need to fight for space in our best places is diminished.
I once wrote an essay for Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel (I think it’s still available on their website) about the great joys of off-season travel. I’m a big believer in it. This started for me when I went to Greece for the Millennium, standing at the foot of the Acropolis for the spectacular celebration on a cold December night. I had visited Greece in the summer before this – and loved it of course. But my winter visit was a very different, and much better, experience. Waiters were a lot chattier and more interested in us. We didn’t have to battle long lines or crowds. In winter, we made friends of Athens residents who probably wouldn’t have even talked to tourists in summer. And then there was the big plus that prices were lower, a lot lower, in that slower period.
The same is true here. And you don’t have to be a tourist to appreciate it. I had a pleasant chat with a server at my coffee shop yesterday because he wasn’t too busy at that moment. If I had been drinking my coffee in the same spot four months ago, he wouldn’t have had the time or interest in talking. When people aren’t overly busy, they change. A sense of leisure tends to lead to more personal interaction.
So from time to time over Broward’s “second season,” as it’s been dubbed these days, I’ll be telling you about some of my personal moments and some of the pleasures of these more relaxed days. And some of the bargains I come across too. Hey, it’s summertime and the livin’ is easy around here. I hope if you’re visiting this area from out of town, you’ll say hello if you happen to spot me. Tell me about your own summer experiences. (You might recognize my face from the photos on my website. That web address is given in my Lauderblogger bio here at sunny.org.) Meanwhile, I’m going to be checking into a local hotel for a few days R&R. I really am, honest. You can’t beat the prices this time of year – or the relaxed “off-season” pace.
I once wrote an essay for Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel (I think it’s still available on their website) about the great joys of off-season travel. I’m a big believer in it. This started for me when I went to Greece for the Millennium, standing at the foot of the Acropolis for the spectacular celebration on a cold December night. I had visited Greece in the summer before this – and loved it of course. But my winter visit was a very different, and much better, experience. Waiters were a lot chattier and more interested in us. We didn’t have to battle long lines or crowds. In winter, we made friends of Athens residents who probably wouldn’t have even talked to tourists in summer. And then there was the big plus that prices were lower, a lot lower, in that slower period.
The same is true here. And you don’t have to be a tourist to appreciate it. I had a pleasant chat with a server at my coffee shop yesterday because he wasn’t too busy at that moment. If I had been drinking my coffee in the same spot four months ago, he wouldn’t have had the time or interest in talking. When people aren’t overly busy, they change. A sense of leisure tends to lead to more personal interaction.
So from time to time over Broward’s “second season,” as it’s been dubbed these days, I’ll be telling you about some of my personal moments and some of the pleasures of these more relaxed days. And some of the bargains I come across too. Hey, it’s summertime and the livin’ is easy around here. I hope if you’re visiting this area from out of town, you’ll say hello if you happen to spot me. Tell me about your own summer experiences. (You might recognize my face from the photos on my website. That web address is given in my Lauderblogger bio here at sunny.org.) Meanwhile, I’m going to be checking into a local hotel for a few days R&R. I really am, honest. You can’t beat the prices this time of year – or the relaxed “off-season” pace.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 4:01 PM
Very good article - I too am convinced "off-season" traveling has many advantages. We will be in Ft. Lauderdale (Boca Raton) the first week of July. Our first time to visit South Florida and really looking forward to it.
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