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It was another weekend of perfect weather in South Florida. The sunny skies and cool temps have been so consistent for so long now that I actually decided to waste some of that perfection by sitting indoors at a movie on Sunday. (“American Gangster” – great film, by the way.) On the drive to the theater, a friend and I agreed that we had noticed the same thing over the past couple of weeks. “The snowbirds are coming back,” we said almost in unison. Their seasonal migration is part of the flux and flow of life in greater Fort Lauderdale. More cars with out-of-state plates are on the roads. Restaurant reservations become more important. Hotels and beaches buzz more busily than ever.
Of course, the summertime is becoming a busy period around here too. Tourists and locals soak up the sultry tropical summer lifestyle and the great bargains all over town. The growth in summer tourism looked pretty obvious to me this year, judging by what I saw on A1A. But there’s still a slower, islandy kind of pace to everyday life during the hot weather months. Now, though, the arrival of the cooler temperatures and the sun-seeking visitors and snowbirds signals the start of our liveliest season. South Florida becomes a refuge for people from all over the world who are escaping the dreary, the bitter, the damp, the snowy. The number of street festivals and top-name concerts and social soirees of all types jumps sharply. The return of the snowbirds is part of the reason for that.
Although I must say that the name given to this group of part-time South Florida residents strikes me as very odd. To me, a snowbird suggests a snow-loving fowl. A penguin, maybe, or some sort of Arctic tern. No, the folks who follow the sun every autumn from their northern homes to their southern homes should be called something else. “Sunbirds,” perhaps? I like that better. They are the hummingbirds among travelers, covering long distances in search of temperate warmth. These people empty their water pipes and lock the doors up there, then unlock their doors and roll up their storm shutters down here. I’m glad they’re back. Their presence is part of the wintertime vibe. And hey, as far as I’m concerned, they can call themselves whatever they want.
Of course, the summertime is becoming a busy period around here too. Tourists and locals soak up the sultry tropical summer lifestyle and the great bargains all over town. The growth in summer tourism looked pretty obvious to me this year, judging by what I saw on A1A. But there’s still a slower, islandy kind of pace to everyday life during the hot weather months. Now, though, the arrival of the cooler temperatures and the sun-seeking visitors and snowbirds signals the start of our liveliest season. South Florida becomes a refuge for people from all over the world who are escaping the dreary, the bitter, the damp, the snowy. The number of street festivals and top-name concerts and social soirees of all types jumps sharply. The return of the snowbirds is part of the reason for that.
Although I must say that the name given to this group of part-time South Florida residents strikes me as very odd. To me, a snowbird suggests a snow-loving fowl. A penguin, maybe, or some sort of Arctic tern. No, the folks who follow the sun every autumn from their northern homes to their southern homes should be called something else. “Sunbirds,” perhaps? I like that better. They are the hummingbirds among travelers, covering long distances in search of temperate warmth. These people empty their water pipes and lock the doors up there, then unlock their doors and roll up their storm shutters down here. I’m glad they’re back. Their presence is part of the wintertime vibe. And hey, as far as I’m concerned, they can call themselves whatever they want.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 11:00 PM
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