Rete

Having just returned from a week in Florida, yup, its the rainy season in Florida and the Gulf states. Nary a day without rain, sometimes water main break rain, in Ft. Myers. We're a bit dryer here in MS but not by much.

zzrmark

...but in a 'normal' Florida rainy season it is blue skies all day and then all hell breaks loose mid-afternoon for about an hour and then it's back to blue skies. However it's rained for two days straight and seems we're in for a bit of a blow after midnight!!!

Did you 'do' the Edison/Ford winter homes whilst you were in Ft Myers? My second favourite place in Fl after the, very local, Ringling museum.

Rete

No, I have family living in Ft. Myers and other than taking the kids to the science hands on museum and the beach and the pool twice a day, we didn't venture far. We do come your way for lunch when I visit without the wee ones. Next visit, sis and I are going to take the boat to Key West for a few days. Looking forward to doing that come winter. Not a bad drive down 10 and 75 from my place.

ddsrph

Colin
How is your time in Texas going?

Jim

Colin Robinson

Odd! I can't make up my mind whether I love it or hate it?

I hit Lubbock first of all and was suitably impressed by it's Great Lakes and Mighty Rivers. Then I moved down to Austin and am now in San Antonio. Now, I can cope with the antics of drivers in LA and am literally at home in London! I can also deal with Spanish Coach Drivers and even little old men in huge Mercs in Portugal! I have even been known to hold my own in Paris for goodness ake, but AUSTIN??? Ye gods! You're in a one way street, so to turn left, you have to be in the far left lane, then, all of a sudden, it's not one way anymore and you've got traffic coming straight at you! You stop (completely!) at a Stop sign and first to arrive pulls away first - OK - but then 20 yards further on, you come to another Stop sign, get there first, pull away, and the car coming towards you is going to hit you as this one is NOT a 4 way stop!

To park "Downtown" in both towns, you need a second mortgage (or not to be suffering, financially, from Brexit!) and when it's not chucking it down, it's 90+ degrees and humid as Hell!

BUT - the people! They are fantastic! "Ahm fixin' to say "Howdy" to everyone I meet" because they are great! Mexican Food is a Good Thing, as long as you ask for meat and onions only and Texas BBQ is fantastic! And I almost got thrown out of a Chinese Buffet place last night for asking for a SMALL bit of steak which was in with the price! The chap showed me what he had and none of them were smaller than double the size of a dinner plate!

Galveston next for 3 days, then New Iberia in LA (which is NOT Los Angeles, but Louisiana as I have discovered!) and, if I have this right, only Galveston and New Orleans are Big Towns before I fly back in..... Ye gods, only 22 days! Sigh!

Wish you hadn't asked now Jim?

livinginnyc

I've been to Galveston once, my only memory was the beach is super windy with loads of massive ships on their way to Houston.

I spent a month in New Orleans last May, definitely one of my fave cities... ever! Be sure to get some Beignets from Cafe Du Monde (if you go to the riverside Mall, you'll get served way faster than the 'original' one near the Cathedral).

Also enjoy stumbling down Bourbon street getting beads thrown at you from every balcony going - at the very bottom of the street (away from Canal), is Lafitte's - the oldest (I believe) bar in NOLA. Lots of ghost stories from the smuggling/pirate days!
(apologies if some of the above has already been mentioned!)

ddsrph

Sounds like things are going well. You are seeing a good cross section of the country. While in San Antonio be sure to check out the River Walk. I went to Air Force basic training in San Antonio in early 1967. I have been back several times.

zzrmark

I hated Bourbon street at night, it was by far the sleaziest place in the US that I've had the misfortune to visit, it's all strip joints and bars full of drunks. The place stunk of stale sweat, stale beer and horse piss. Frenchman street on the edge of the French quarter is well worth a visit if you are looking for a place that has a, marginally, more 'authentic' old style New Orleans.
I had no issues driving in Austin but trying to park in the French quarter is about as satisfying an experience as sticking knitting needles in your eyes!

ddsrph

Colin
Where are you at present? Has the busted pipeline increased your gas prices?

Jim

Colin Robinson

The what now? Remember, the only "news" I get to see is on the TV in McDonalds int he morning, when some blessed cookery show isn't on instead? I've not heard fo any busted pipeline?
But then I survived Texas, hit Louisiana, emerged (relatively) unscathed from a two night stay (that should have been four but I chickened - or steaked - out and left early) in New Orleans at an airbnb place living next door to drug dealers, being woken at 0600 by one of the 5 women in their 20'sw I was sharing he place with (NOT as much fun as it sounds!) doing the washing up before she went to work and woken again at midnight by another throwing up in the ONE bathroom, next door to my bedroom, for the best part of two hours whilst I went outside in the street to do what we men do when we're woken at night!
Having escaped, I made my way to Mississippi (note I spellt it propa!) and am currently in Ocean Springs, just outside Gulfport, as the guest of the nicest, kindest couple you could ever meet as their first ever airbnb customer!
So the mad Brit lands on his feet! Next stop, Fairhope, Alabama, then Panama City Beach, Florida, followed by a long day's drive to The Villages and finally, the last 3 days in a Motel in Orlando to repack all my stuff so I don't have liquids in my hand luggage and sharp things only in the hold bag and so on.....
Then all that's left is to pray the weight of my gear is accepted on the flight and then to come on here and thank all those who were so kind and helpful in making my trip as enjoyable as it has been and blow a large Tssssssp! to those who said I wouldn't make it!

ddsrph

Colin
After your travels if you had to move to US where would you select to live?

scot47

How could anyone miss Meridian, Mississippi, birthplace of Jimmy Rodgers ?


Personally I am wary of meeting random strangers met through the internet. Too many serial killers and crazies out there ! It takes one to know one.

Colin Robinson

Not an easy question Jim.... Colorado for the scenery? New Mexico for the friendly people? Texas for the meat? From what I've heard, I need to see Boston, Chicago and NYC before deciding....

And just to set the record straight, it wouldn't be a question of "...if you HAD to.." in my case, it should be "If you COULD!".

Colin Robinson

Jimmy who? The chap who sang "English Country Garden"?

And if you're talking about "Couchsurfing", I felt the same way at first but then when you think about it for a while.... You can read their profiles, and it's not so much WHAT they've written as HOW they've written it that gives you a clue to the person and you can check their references given by others who have met them so you get a range of unbiased opinions as to what they are like?

Yes, there are killers and nutters out there but I would not like to go through life not meeting all the myriad genuine people for fear of just the odd few? And, as I said, there are steps to take to minimise the risk still further? Let's be honest, crossing the road is a risk of sorts, isn't it?

Rete

Hey, forget Meridian. What about Tupelo home of Elvis or Oxford home of Ole Miss or Kosciusko, MS birthplace of Oprah Winfred. Or my city of Hattiesburg which is home to the University of Southern Miss, Carey University and Camp Shelby military base. Pass Christian, Gulfport, Long Beach, Biloxi all great coastal cities.