[ChrisA70]

Ever go to Vero Beach? That water was always clear. Except if a storm was off the coast.

Where is the emerald coast area? Here in the Fort Myers area, Fort Myers beach is pretty ugly... Nasty brown water, looks like iced tea... Sanibel is a different story.

[ChrisA70]

When I say the water up north or northeast I mean Cape Cod,, Maine, NH... Too cold. It is clean water, and the sand is dark up there making it look murky. Still beautiful to look at with the lighthouses and rock cliffs....

[TANaples]

I still think the Caribbean, especially the Virgin Islands, is the prettiest waters. My older daughter came here in June for the first time. These were her comments:"Where are the waves?" "Where is the crystal blue/green water?" "This looks like Rockaway without the waves." "It feels like a HOT TUB!" "I want nice cool refreshing water."

She didn't like the beach here at all and only went once the entire time she was here.

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by BacktoFLigo

Ever go to Vero Beach? That water was always clear. Except if a storm was off the coast.

Where is the emerald coast area? Here in the Fort Myers area, Fort Myers beach is pretty ugly... Nasty brown water, looks like iced tea... Sanibel is a different story.

North West Florida, this is what I'm talking about:

Navarre Beach


Destin




Pensacola beach

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by TANaples

I still think the Caribbean, especially the Virgin Islands, is the prettiest waters. My older daughter came here in June for the first time. These were her comments:"Where are the waves?" "Where is the crystal blue/green water?" "This looks like Rockaway without the waves." "It feels like a HOT TUB!" "I want nice cool refreshing water."

She didn't like the beach here at all and only went once the entire time she was here.

Yes the Caribbean Ocean rocks all the way. The waters by Panama are awesome, Puerto Rico in the south west are are pristine....

BTW: Stationed on both areas...

[cal bear]

>Cal bear, that willy-nilly development you abhor can certainly be >dreadful, but some of the worst examples I've ever seen of it were in >SoCal, where the accompanying traffic was deplorable.

As if the 60 mile stretch of US 1 from Palm Beach to Miami is a journey that is any more aesthetically pleasing (a McDonald's every 4 blocks)....and besides, Northern and Central Californians have an ambivalent relationship with SoCal anyway. I mean, getting dressed up just to go the grocery store is a bit over the top - NorCal is "organic" and SoCal is "synthetic". Take it anyway you can have the biggest laugh at

As for Florida beaches, I thought St. Augustine was one of the most beautiful little beach towns I ever visited. Mind you, this was over 20 years ago, so I have no idea what it's like now. I do know about the beaches in St. Pete - I learned that in the summer, one does not go to beach to cool off - felt like a sauna. And yes, evening breezes in Florida are magical, but one has to survive the day first - yuck.

Go to Negril Beach in Jamaica - that's a real beach, with clear water. Jamaica...I like mountains, valleys, grottos, etc. and for some reason, although it is hot, Caribbean summers just don't feel as oppressive as Florida summers. Any meteorologists out there who can explain this?

And of course I've heard of the FAFSA - one cannot receive financial aid, scholarships, or fellowships without it. But should one really have to go into debt in order to retake Algebra I in community college? I went through not only my AA but also my BA and MA degrees by paying out of pocket and not taking out any student loans. It is only as a Ph.D. student that I've had to do so. I know folks in NY who are 40K in debt just from their community college days - pure madness. If one adds it all up, it would have cost them the same to live and go to school in California.

Don't get me wrong, California's best days might already be behind it. But that could be said about a lot of places, especially the Rust Belt from where I escaped in the 1980s. My hometown still hasn't recovered - people (and the media) still talk in terms of manufacturing jobs when we all know that that segment of the economy is no longer on life support, but is clinically dead.

In that respect, Florida is the land of opportunity.

[cal bear]

Originally Posted by BlueWillowPlate

As for affordable college, fully 75% of my kid's tuition at Florida State is paid by the state of Florida because of his academic excellence.
Also, you must have heard of FAFSA? If you qualify, you'd get the help you need. I know several kids who have.
Perhaps we don't have UCLA, but University of Florida, FSU, and University of Miami represent us quite well.

BTW, that's precisely my point - your kid didn't get state help until he proved his academic excellence - that state doesn't do diddly squat to financially help students BECOME ACADEMICALLY EXCELLENT - a hugely important difference. It rewards the cream and lets the milk go sour.
I was in Florida when that One Florida machination was passed. What a joke.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by cal bear

>Cal bear, that willy-nilly development you abhor can certainly be >dreadful, but some of the worst examples I've ever seen of it were in >SoCal, where the accompanying traffic was deplorable.

As if the 60 mile stretch of US 1 from Palm Beach to Miami is a journey that is any more aesthetically pleasing (a McDonald's every 4 blocks)....and besides, Northern and Central Californians have an ambivalent relationship with SoCal anyway. I mean, getting dressed up just to go the grocery store is a bit over the top - NorCal is "organic" and SoCal is "synthetic". Take it anyway you can have the biggest laugh at

As for Florida beaches, I thought St. Augustine was one of the most beautiful little beach towns I ever visited. Mind you, this was over 20 years ago, so I have no idea what it's like now. I do know about the beaches in St. Pete - I learned that in the summer, one does not go to beach to cool off - felt like a sauna. And yes, evening breezes in Florida are magical, but one has to survive the day first - yuck.

Go to Negril Beach in Jamaica - that's a real beach, with clear water. Jamaica...I like mountains, valleys, grottos, etc. and for some reason, although it is hot, Caribbean summers just don't feel as oppressive as Florida summers. Any meteorologists out there who can explain this?

And of course I've heard of the FAFSA - one cannot receive financial aid, scholarships, or fellowships without it. But should one really have to go into debt in order to retake Algebra I in community college? I went through not only my AA but also my BA and MA degrees by paying out of pocket and not taking out any student loans. It is only as a Ph.D. student that I've had to do so. I know folks in NY who are 40K in debt just from their community college days - pure madness. If one adds it all up, it would have cost them the same to live and go to school in California.

Don't get me wrong, California's best days might already be behind it. But that could be said about a lot of places, especially the Rust Belt from where I escaped in the 1980s. My hometown still hasn't recovered - people (and the media) still talk in terms of manufacturing jobs when we all know that that segment of the economy is no longer on life support, but is clinically dead.

In that respect, Florida is the land of opportunity.

I went to a STATE community college and graduated 8 years ago. They are not expensive. No way, did I spend $40,000. I paid CASH for about half of it and the other I financed, through subsidized Stafford Loans. Everything was paid off in full about 3 years ago.

[HowDeDo]

'Floridas climate is too hot'

Originally Posted by TriMT7

Which climate is that? North Florida, or South Florida? Inland, or Beachside?

REPLY: Is there anyone who lives in the Panhandle who finds the climate too unbearable during the summer months ? Thanks.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

North West Florida, this is what I'm talking about:

Navarre Beach


Destin




Pensacola beach

when you look at postcards from Naples beaches, it looks exactly the same. Even when you yourself look at the beach from a distance, it all looks nice and blue/green. Yet, when you actually go IN the water, it is brown and murky. I have no idea why that is. It was never like this in the Caribbean. What you saw, is what you got.