A few months ago, I reached out to an old friend to catch up and ask her a few business-related questions. In the initial text message, I invited her for coffee, thinking she still lived a few towns over. But I was surprised to learn that she and her husband had moved to Florida.
This is not the first of my friends to move there permanently or on a semi-perm basis. I have friends whose parents moved to Florida, but the parents are in their 70s and 80s. I once heard a comedian joke that it’s in the Torah to move to Florida after a certain age. So, I understood why they made aliyah.
(For those who don’t know, the phrase making aliyah refers to moving to Israel, not Florida. 😉 )
Anyway, today, a friend and I discussed how many of our mutual friends have made this move. She asked me what my feelings were about moving to Florida. So, here are my thoughts.
Pro: I’m a Disney adult and love to visit the parks for the rides, restaurants, and various concerts and festivals.
Con: I’d spend all my hard-earned money there and never vacation anywhere else.
Pro: The Phillies are in Clearwater, Florida, for spring training for a glorious six weeks out of the year. I went to spring training with Andrew one year and had the best time.
Con: The money I don’t spend in the Disney Parks would be spent on baseball games.
Pro: I love getting away from here and sitting in the Florida sunshine for a while. Let’s face it. It’s nice to wear shorts in the wintertime. I also love the palm trees!
Con: I get grumpy in the sweltering heat. I don’t think I could take it year-round.
More Cons:
- I’m not a fan of alligators or bugs.
- I would be too far away from my family and friends unless they came with me.
- I don’t want to live in or near a tourist trap—even if we are near Mickey Mouse.
The bottom line is that Florida is a great place to visit. We always enjoy our time there, but I don’t think I’d like to live there full-time. For my friends who have made it their permanent home state, I miss you. And I am still 100% jealous of how close you are to the parks and the beaches and the fun. When I see your Facebook posts, I so wish I was having dinner at EPCOT with you or sitting outside without my heavy coat.
I promise that I’m not throwing you any shade—unless you need to get out of the Florida heat.
XO,
Elisa