I'm sorry about your parents but you did them a great service.  I hope you enjoy FL.  Since you don't want to be idle maybe you should talk with your favorite deli about opening a FL branch.  I hear the same from a lot of people in FL.  Offer real NY pizza, bagels and deli and you should do well I would think.

Love all the suggestions, caveats, and provisos.  Hell, I may even learn to like grits....but, that's a long shot.


FMD  : ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Bob C....You'd think that with all the New Yawk "snowbirds" down there, that you'd be able to get a decent nosh....

Thanks, again for all the condolences.

Frank

Frank
No one mentioned the Mets, I guess they are still in West Port St Lucie.  You can make a ton of money adjusting/fixing pianos as they try to adjust to the humidity.  There are a lot of people moving to Florida, there a lot of people leaving Florida, they are called "halfbacks" because they go halfway back home to North Carolina or Virginia.  I grew up in Florida but I am a Texan by choice.  BTW West Palm Beach has a lot of good Pawn Shops for gun shopping.

Good luck

OK....I now have a plan.  Do what you gotta do before 11:00 AM or wait till after 3:00 PM, or roast while you're doin' it.  Not a problem for me...I could do "lazy" very easily.

Doing something new and fresh energized this very jaded man, and I'm looking forward to all the wonders of Southern-living.  I'll have to get used to all the brightly colored houses, and barrage of tropical clothes, prints, designs, etc.  No problem, again.

I also have a feeling that sooner or later I will run into many NYC transplants that now live down there.  Even if I don't, I'm not worried.  A new life with new people ain't a bad thing.

Thanks for all the inspiring thoughts.  Like Gloria Gaynor once screeched ......"I will survive".


Frank

Frank, I grew up in FL and have lived near NYC for most of the past 10 years.  I would move back in a heartbeat if given the chance.  It sounds like you have a great attitude about it, so you should be fine.

However, don't underestimate the strength of what I'll call "relocation nostalgia blues".  Basically, it's the tendency to focus on how much you miss the things you are giving up by moving, rather than the things you are gaining. 

I've relocated a few times, and even when I was sure I was doing what I wanted to do, and glad to be in the new place, it can be a strong feeling. 

It is strongest in the first 6 months or so, and then begins to subside. 

If you get blue and start missing NYC intensely, just hang with it for awhile, and see if it gets better. 

Best of luck to you, and I hope you and  your figs do well down there.

one thing i had to get used to was everyone saying "thank you", and "excuse me". when i was teenager in flushing, it was more like "get out of my face".

Everyone has been so kind and concerned about my possible relocation that it is really heartwarming.  I have many wonderful friends on this forum.  My decision to move did not come easy.  I will leave behind family, friends, a beloved dog-who stole my flinty heart, and everytjing that has become familiar to me over the past 63 years.  I still can't believe that I came up with this idea to relocate, but I have really grown weary of this life up here, and as I age each year, I just don't have the fight in me to deal with the daily crap, high bills, and lousy weather.

Within the next month or so, I will drive down to Florida, and stay with friends for an extended vacation, and fact finding tour.  I want to be sure that should I relocate,  I will be able to actually live down there without regretting the decision.  I wish I was a little younger. I wish I had more resiliency to bounce back from bad choices, but it is what it is.  I need to at least see what the Southern-life is all about.  Will I learn to love Florida...I don't know.  Will I come back to NYC...I don't know.  I have more questions than answers...

Life is not easy, and hard choices will have to be made sooner or later.  Trite, but true.  My time has come to make some difficult decisions.  I have to at least try.

Thanks, really, for all the kind words and thoughts.


Frank

Frank,

Best wishes on your Florida adventure. Just so you know people in other southern states joke that Florida is not really a southern state because of all of the relocated northerners. All joking aside I think you will quickly acclimate to the climate and culture. The reason people smile so much and are so friendly is because the south is such a great place to live.

You nailed it when you say you should do your gardening in the morning or evening and have siesta during the hot part of the day. Maybe even have a rum drink.

Good luck,

Womack