Would you (or do you) live in a 55+ community? (federal, relatives, meal)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Robyn, why the mediocre food and cultural stuff in Jax? Seems like an area that could support all of that quite well. Is there an anti-business atmosphere there? What is the demographic, in general?
The mediocre food thing may be part of a national trend. More and more chains. More independent operators - even good ones - opening new restaurants that feature "fancy" burgers and "fancy" pizzas instead of better stuff. Perhaps the result of the economy over recent years. Note that I have a hard time finding good restaurants in a lot of places these days - so it's not only JAX. E.g., I don't think the restaurants in Miami are - for the most part - any better than those here. Also - I am kind of spoiled as a result of many trips to very big cities with world class restaurants.
The cultural stuff really isn't so bad considering the size of the metro area. And the age of the area. Remember that most of the great art collections/museums in the US were put together in the 19th and early 20th centuries - when almost no one lived in Florida. And - even today - some of the people in Florida with world class collections plan to leave them to museums in cities they lived in before they wound up in Florida.
The area isn't anti-business. But suffers from an undereducated work force. Here are the basic demographic statistics about JAX:
I think part of the problem where I live with regard to restaurants is that a lot of people who live here are young families with children - people who are more likely to go to McD's than a fine dining place. Robyn
I think part of the problem where I live with regard to restaurants is that a lot of people who live here are young families with children - people who are more likely to go to McD's than a fine dining place. Robyn
According to City Data, the median age in JAX is 35. That's the general age when a lot of young adults (with money behind them) start up bistros and specialty restaurants. I'm surprised you don't have more of that in a city that size. Maybe we should send some young entrepreneurs your way. As for 55+ communities, is there a significant population there of that age group? Are these communities filling?
As for 55+ communities, is there a significant population there of that age group? Are these communities filling?
We just took a discovery trip to Anastasia Island, which is just south of Robyn's town. There did seem to be a significant population of seniors there. I'm not sure if the 55+ communities per se are filling. Also not sure if the area in general is attracting a large number of new residents at this time, although there are people moving there. Many of the new residents are retirees.
Retirees who really want an inexpensive place to live might consider Palm Coast. It's not the most glamorous place and there are no jobs there--but on the plus side, it's not expensive and I suspect that's drawing retirees, too. https://www.city-data.com/forum/retir...-give-you.html
One thing we noticed when we lived in Florida regarding mediocre food (my, how this thread has taken a turn from it's origination) is the blatant inability on the part of restaurant owners to try. They just throw excuses at you. They blame the lack of crunchy hard-crusted Italian bread on the humidity, there's always a truck that didn't deliver that day, and once I had to go to choice #3 on a menu (at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night) because they were all out of #1 and #2 already. The funniest was in 2007 we were told by a waiter that they didn't have draft beer because their draft lines were blown out in the hurricanes of 2004 and he was serious. They just sort of lay down and die in the area of creative dining. I guess the thinking is that a margarita makes everything taste okay.
They just sort of lay down and die in the area of creative dining. I guess the thinking is that a margarita makes everything taste okay.
I was in Florida for a wedding at the end of March this year and I took a side trip to the West Palm and Boca areas to look at 55+ residential communities. I hadn't been in S. Florida in almost a decade. What I was quickly reminded of is how bad customer service at retail and restaurants seems to be ... across the board. I've thought that for the span of 35-years I've been visiting. It would be one of the challenges I'd have to overcome if I move there, even seasonally.
I wonder if some 55+ communities in Florida have community buildings that are also promoted as good places to ride out a storm. For example, a recreation room in a comfortable, secure cellar that also serves as a central gathering place (or a secure first floor gathering spot if the water tables won't allow basements). I could see that being a selling point for a 55+ community in some of the states prone to bad wind storms.
According to City Data, the median age in JAX is 35. That's the general age when a lot of young adults (with money behind them) start up bistros and specialty restaurants. I'm surprised you don't have more of that in a city that size. Maybe we should send some young entrepreneurs your way. As for 55+ communities, is there a significant population there of that age group? Are these communities filling?
People here open up restaurants all the time. But the vast majority are boring and/or not very good. The best restaurant in our metro area (in St. Augustine) shut its doors a couple of years ago - and the owners moved to California:
One thing we noticed when we lived in Florida regarding mediocre food (my, how this thread has taken a turn from it's origination) is the blatant inability on the part of restaurant owners to try. They just throw excuses at you. They blame the lack of crunchy hard-crusted Italian bread on the humidity, there's always a truck that didn't deliver that day, and once I had to go to choice #3 on a menu (at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night) because they were all out of #1 and #2 already. The funniest was in 2007 we were told by a waiter that they didn't have draft beer because their draft lines were blown out in the hurricanes of 2004 and he was serious. They just sort of lay down and die in the area of creative dining. I guess the thinking is that a margarita makes everything taste okay.
That about sums up some of my recent experiences. Here's one of my recent reviews of a local restaurant:
Perhaps It's Better At Dinner
I had been planning to try this restaurant for a while - since we like to support places that are locally owned and attempting to be somewhat creative. My husband and I had lunch there today... And - it was - quite simply - awful.The lunch menu is quite limited - and there are no daily specials. I was planning to have the fish of the day. Upon arrival - we're told there is no fish available for lunch. Because the fish sold out at dinner last night...So I ordered the Chicken Adjica . My husband ordered the Cobb Salad (which is clearly not a Cobb salad as described on the menu - but it sounded interesting). A few minutes later - my husband is told that the "Mayport Lump Crab Meat" [in the salad] isn't available either - so there will be shrimp in the salad.My chicken - which is supposed to be seared - is a chicken breast that is so tough I suspect it has spent time in a microwave. There is no evidence that it has been seared in any way - shape or form as described on the menu (the skin is soft and greasy and not worth touching). Again - the microwave pops into my mind. It is accompanied by a few slices of squash and a few soggy pieces of potato shaped like fries. The sauce tastes like a decent salsa I could buy in a jar. My husband's salad arrives with a poached egg [that is overcooked]. He asks for and receives a second one that is slightly less overcooked...If there are any shrimp in his salad - he can't find them (neither can I). So the server brings out a side of shrimp for the salad - a small mound of tiny shrimp diced into teeny weeny pieces. The smoked bacon doesn't taste like bacon at all. The greens and dressing are ok (but nothing I couldn't make at home in 2 minutes). My husband would have had a beer at lunch. But there are none on tap - and nothing out of the ordinary in bottles.Someone in another review...remarked on serving salt and pepper in small dishes. This is par for the course in higher end restaurants. But not without serving spoons. When we asked our server about this - she said that she had looked for the spoons - but couldn't find them (apparently sometimes they're there - sometimes they aren't). The room is pleasant - the service is fine - and we enjoyed chatting with our server...[G]iven the price points and the pretension - a $14 burger at lunch...and a $100 tasting menu tonight - diners have a right to expect at least very good if not excellent food.
I mean - when you can get a 2 course lunch at Jean Georges in NYC (one of the best restaurants in the US) for $38 (admittedly one of the best food bargains in the US) - who wants to deal with stuff like this? Robyn
I wonder if some 55+ communities in Florida have community buildings that are also promoted as good places to ride out a storm. For example, a recreation room in a comfortable, secure cellar that also serves as a central gathering place (or a secure first floor gathering spot if the water tables won't allow basements). I could see that being a selling point for a 55+ community in some of the states prone to bad wind storms.
We don't have basements in Florida for the most part (perhaps there are some in the inland parts of the Panhandle - where elevations can be over 100 feet above sea level - most of the peninsula is less than 10-20 feet above sea level).
I have seen some communities that have hurricane contingency plans like the one you describe. E.g., like my father is supposed to evacuate his villa and go the main building. And the SNF where my late FIL used to live used to plan to keep residents "in place" in a cat 3 storm or less. I think that is pure insanity. Especially when you take into account both older and current wind codes. E.g., when we built here in 1995 - the wind code at the beaches was 95 mph (unless you were within 2-3 blocks of the ocean). We built our house to 125 mph. Also - a lot of the metro area - including many inland areas - is prone to flooding.
I would hope that after the Katrina nursing home disasters -
- that senior communities (and seniors) would have more sense than to try to ride out anything more than a tropical storm.
BTW - many parts of the metro area are in mandatory evacuation zones. Although some of the zones are laughable. I'm supposed to be in zone 2 - even though I live on a narrow barrier island with the ocean to the east and the ICW to the west. Even if we didn't get flooded out - the causeways leading to the island could easily get flooded out - and we'd be stranded. We should be a zone 1. Robyn
People here open up restaurants all the time. But the vast majority are boring and/or not very good. The best restaurant in our metro area (in St. Augustine) shut its doors a couple of years ago - and the owners moved to California:
Robyn
Robyn, they seem to close overnight. I think one reason is because some people move to Florida from elsewhere hoping to fulfill their lifelong dream of opening a restaurant or a specialty food shop but they're retirement age or close to it. They soon get afflicted with 'Florida Brain' and they start playing golf, beaching, and next thing you know they're telling you the truck never showed up that day. A few weeks later there's a permanent 'Gone Fishing' sign on their door.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
