What do you miss...?

[rshoffer]

I know this is probably a taboo question but I am curious if any of you miss anything (besides your family and grandchildren) about the winters up North. The reason I ask is here's what I miss (a lot): We lived in the country, deep in the woods on a mountainside in Pa. I installed an outdoor woodstove that heated all of our domestic hot water and the home as well. I loved cutting firewood, hauling it in my old Ford F-150, often spending every Sat or Sun afternoon cutting, hauling and stacking. My cousing Jimmy lives up in Potter County and does the same. Yesterdy he and I had a long phone chat and I realized how much I miss my "lumberjack" weekends. What do you miss?

[villages07]

Ledo's Pizza .... that's about it (and I see there is a franchise in Altamonte Springs); also, Trader Joe's.

In the non-food department, we lived about 15 mins from a quaint little town on the Chesapeake Bay. It had a nice 3/4 mile long boardwalk ... I miss going there for walks and smelling the scents of the Bay.

But, those couple of things are far outweighed by all the wonderful stuff here in TV.

[chelsea24]

First, I miss some of my friends and especially my dear friend Carol. Also, I miss the glitz of Chicago. Michigan Ave. Everything at my finger tips. I miss the wonderful Italian food. I miss the cultural areas, The Historical Society, The Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium (I know, I know we have Sea World!) I miss the open air concerts in Grant Park and Rivinia. I miss pizza deliveries and Chinese food deliveries. I miss Lake Michigan and summers walking around Navy Pier. I miss the grit and guts of the people. I miss the city streets and lampposts. I miss the autumn leaves. Wow!

So why do I live here? Well, if I didn't live here, that list would be twice as long! Guess I've just been lucky enough to live in the two best places in America! :laugh:

[rshoffer]

I was worried I was the only Villager who had pangs for the things they left behind ... Chicago sounds awesome.... 'course Ima country bumpkin, I'd be like Crocodile Dundee in Chicago.

[NJblue]

I don't know yet what will be on my list, but what I think I'll miss are:

the color of fall leaves and the crisp blue autumn sky (but, that's what a trip up North in the fall is for)
the sounds of geese flying overhead in formation
an FM radio station that plays classical music (but that's what XM radio is for)
the beauty of freshly fallen snow on a calm, sunny day (but, we really don't get too many days like this in NJ)

[wdwduo]

Wow, now that Larry and I are in NJ visiting the kids and grandkids, I'm missing TV and the warm weather...and when we get back home to TV, I'll probably start missing the kids again!

[islandgal]

I miss the beach, the beach, the beach

[KayakerNC]

I miss ice-fishing on Lake St Clair in Michigan. Fresh yellow perch, walleyes, and pike.
:coolsmiley:

[MSNPA]

I miss the wildlife. In Pennsylvania our back yard faced the woods and a stream. I loved feeding all the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and racoons. We often spotted deer and every spring we had a family of foxes.

I also miss certain restaurants, Giant grocery chain and certain clothing stores.

[The Great Fumar]

This is going to hurt ,!!!!
I'LL have to say that I miss all the millions and millions of willow and oak leaves in my 110 x 255 ft yard (100 on the water) I miss wondering if the Ice will destroy my beach , I miss putting in 80 ft of dock and boat hoist in Water that still has ice floating on it , not to mention the winterizing of the boat so that the Guests will have something to play with.........I miss all the company that drops in uninvited to spend the weekend and your not sure if they are your cousins or your wifes and afraid to ask..........I miss all the tools that my neighbors borrow and never return , also the neighbors who call and invite you to their birthday party and tell you they are on a gift list at an expensive jewelery store .....( we don't have a dollar store in northern Michigan ) I miss the trips to the Emergency Room with a bad back from shoveling five foot drifts from your driveway and just as you finish the plow goes by and dumps it all back in again......I could go on and on .....
Do I miss back home ???? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING !!!!!!

FUN IN THE SUN ...... FUMAR

[villager99]

all of the above plus adequate public transportation

[meriboo]

Up until this past fall and Holiday season, I did not miss one thing from my Chicago roots. But after living in the panhandle of Florida (we are TV wannabees....waiting for house to sell) for 3 years, I MISSED Christmas Decorations. Houses don't decorate here, stores don't decorate....there was a huge hole in my Holiday feeling this year. I guess, next year, I will need to head to Chicago, Michigan Ave....Fields (opps Macy's) for a decoration fix and eat 'under' the tree. A nice crisp fall day would be a treat, too. Other than that...I miss nothing. It is so nice to not bundle up in Dec., Jan., or Feb....to make a trip to a store.

[rshoffer]

up until this past fall and holiday season, i did not miss one thing from my chicago roots. But after living in the panhandle of florida (we are tv wannabees....waiting for house to sell) for 3 years, i missed christmas decorations. Houses don't decorate here, stores don't decorate....there was a huge hole in my holiday feeling this year. I guess, next year, i will need to head to chicago, michigan ave....fields (opps macy's) for a decoration fix and eat 'under' the tree. A nice crisp fall day would be a treat, too. Other than that...i miss nothing. It is so nice to not bundle up in dec., jan., or feb....to make a trip to a store.
you'll love the decoratins in tv

[MMC24]

OK, this is what I miss from up north . . . . . .um um nothing!!!

[fraurauch]

Really good locally grown corn and tomatoes. Florida's produce just doesn't compare.

Also, probably #1 thing, fresh cut french fries.

[Coconuts]

I miss adult "snow days." That's when the weather is so crappy, I decide not to go out. And it's so bad no one else is going to go out. Then the plan is to stay in flannel PJ's, eat chicken noodle soup out of the pan and watch an old pirated copy of Peyton Place AND Return to Peyton Place on TV. Heaven. Well I declared last Saturday a "snow day." Walked around in dirty shorts, didn't make the bed, load the dishwasher or pick up a thing. I was about to make my soup selection when Honey brought in two neighbors for a house tour. This weather is not conducive to a snow day!!!!!!

[njgranny]

The geese here in southern NJ are confused. They fly over every which way so we get to see them often. :-)

[tucson]

Maine lobster,:icon_hungry:Ipswich fried clams,:icon_hungry: N.E. clam chowder and :icon_hungry:scallops (the BIG ones) and haddock!!:icon_hungry:

[billethkid]

not miss the "stuff" up North.
For me, I don't miss anything about any area that does not have palm trees.

BTK

[cmj]

Real Philly cheese steaks (it's about the Ameroso roll.) Since I gave up beef, I miss chicken cheese steaks.
Our 2nd home in Cape May, NJ. The beach. The air. The dolphins.
The smell of fall leaves when you walk through them.
The variety of songbirds. My friend told me yesterday she has bluebirds in her houses!
Our fireplace.
Boscov's. (Oh, do I miss Boscov's.)
Wegman's. (Food Market is the start of the experience but it falls short.)
Wawa. Wawa coffee. (Bliss.)
Sweet peppers on hoagies. (And the rolls.)
Crab cakes at the Lobster House.
Rolling hills.

[Best Mom]

There is so much beauty in the colored leaves. I miss all the hard wood forests, wildlife and hugh acres of unspoiled land. My father's family was pre-Revolution and considered a founding family, thus everyone knew us or were related to us. My soul is in that land knowing my ancestor was the first white man and every generation has lived on that land.. I loved knowing everyone where ever I went. Many small towns are like that. I love long walks or horseback riding for many miles, just seeing nature.
I loved the democracy of voting for mayors and councilmen and nothing done without a vote. I miss the excellent schools, and since I have always lived in a college town-I miss all that goes with living in a college town. (free concerts, lectures)
I even miss snow... but I only want to see it coming down in big fluffy flakes in front of my picture window! :laugh:
Most of all I miss the dear friends and seeing my former students.
But not two worry...I still go back and have not sold my home yet.

[Fourpar]

Not a thing! If all those things are that important to you perhaps you might want to move back up there...Okay, so maybe I'm off the charts a little, but really there isn't a thing I care to re-experience up North. This is home!

[BarryB]

As of now the only thing I miss is going to Madison Square Garden sitting in my seat that I've owned since 1972 to watch New York Ranger Hockey

[ConeyIsBabe]

Since I relocated from s/Miami Florida to the Pacific Northwest I guess I could report on the things I miss about my 40 years in s/FL:

It was truly Paradise back in the mid-60s and that's what I miss!

There were no crowds. There was little traffic. People were actually friendly. I never heard of road-rage. Summer heat-humidity was tolerable. The winters had some cold spells, even in s/FL (snowed once in '78). Crime was not a problem.

FLORIDA in the 60s & 70s = That's what I miss the most!

[Best Mom]

Fourpar,
I love it down here too. If I was asked to list all the things I would miss down here... my list would be just as long.

[uujudy]

This will be my first January in years without the Sundance Film Festival, and I'm a little anxious about it. I love the whole Sundance experience! It's the social event of the season for my little town in Utah. We meet groups of friends for dinner, then we all go to the movie, then we go out to a bar afterward and discuss the movie.... and we do this for 10 days straight! By the end of the 10 days we usually couldn't remember what movies we had seen, but it was always lots of fun. :popcorn: Sometimes they had Q&A's with the actors or directors after the show. Last year we went to a party with the cast and crew of Young@Heart. If I'm a little jumpy and scatterbrained (more than usual!) from January 15-25, it's because I'll be wondering what I'm missing.

On the other hand, Sundance is always during the coldest part of winter. I will NOT miss trudging through knee-deep icy snow in windy, single-digit temperatures to get to the restaurant and the movie. :cold: Let's see... Ten days of Sundance vs/ a whole winter in The Villages. No contest.

[uujudy]

My friend told me yesterday she has bluebirds in her houses!

CMJ, we also had bluebirds in our palm trees yesterday! :coolsmiley:

[faithfulfrank]

Well, life is all about trade-offs.
I'm up here in NY, freezing my buns off. It's now 16 degrees. Black ice everywhere, and I almost fell today a few times. (Do you know that 25% of seniors who fall and break a hip DIE within a year??)

I can't wait to move down there for good!!!

Yes, I may miss the smell of burning leaves, or the colorful fall leaves. I may miss the magic of those big flakes slowly drifting down. I will miss the deer playing in my yard, and the wild turkeys at my bird feeder.

But I won't miss the days of dreary, gray piles of ugly snowbanks.....the salt that makes EVERY car the same gray color......the potholes......the pushing the shopping through the snowy slush....having to bundle up like a sumo wrestler in layers......having to wear gloves that aren't golf gloves......BOOTS.....bad drivers rear ending you because they don't know how to drive in snow......snowplows hitting your mailbox EVERY winter...scraping ice off your car and warming it up for 20 minutes before going anywhere......etc,etc.

I will love Florida more then I will miss NY. Count your blessings folks....I envy you because I still have 909 days to go......

Frank D.

[Barefoot]

I miss living in the country and having horses in the back yard. I miss riding my horse through the first snowflakes of the year, singing carols and seeing his ears tilt backward to hear me. I miss snuggling by the wood stove when a winter storm rages outside. Like MsnPA, I miss feeding the birds and wildlife. Heck, I even miss the muddy springs and the multi-coloured fall leaves.

I also miss my youth, and the energy that living a country lifestyle requires.

Now that I'm in my golden years, I wouldn't want to live on a horse farm anymore or experience raging storms or spring mud.

Everything in life has a season. We move on and experience new pleasures. I love everything about TV, especially my friends. Everywhere I go in TV, people are smiling. I feel blessed to be able to have a home in such a wonderful community.

[redwitch]

GOOD sourdough bread; Gallo Salame; the great San Francisco restaurants; Top Dog in Berkeley.

Driving through the tunnel and seeing the Bay Bridge and San Francisco. San Francisco! Yosemite. Having to drive no more than 3 hours to get a complete change of countryside from beach to mountains.

Yosemite. I really, really miss the annual camping out in Yosemite and wandering wherever our feet felt like going.

Mountains. That is probably the only thing I truly hate about TV -- it is too flat. I miss my mountains.

Even so, I like living here. If I can't live in the Bay Area, this is a great second choice. I've made some wonderful friends, have met many great people and don't regret a minute of my life here, except maybe when Kathie tried to kill me.

[chuckinca]

GOOD sourdough bread; Gallo Salame; the great San Francisco restaurants; Top Dog in Berkeley.

Driving through the tunnel and seeing the Bay Bridge and San Francisco. San Francisco! Yosemite. Having to drive no more than 3 hours to get a complete change of countryside from beach to mountains.

Yosemite. I really, really miss the annual camping out in Yosemite and wandering wherever our feet felt like going.

Mountains. That is probably the only thing I truly hate about TV -- it is too flat. I miss my mountains.

Even so, I like living here. If I can't live in the Bay Area, this is a great second choice. I've made some wonderful friends, have met many great people and don't regret a minute of my life here, except maybe when Kathie tried to kill me.


OK - I give up, where is Top Dog in Berkeley?
On my drive home on New Year's Eve Day, I got out early and decided to have lunch at Brennan's. Got off at University and turned right on 6th and right again to get to Brennan's and it was GONE! The whole half block was cleared and they are building something new - talk about disappointment!

The most fantastic view of the the Bay and City (other that the top of Mt Tam)is the off ramp onto the Warren Fwy after leaving the tunnel!

Read recently that they are closing some of the tent cabins in Camp Curry in Yosemite Valley due to too many boulders dropping on them.

Growing up in the flat of Chicago and living in the Bay Area with the Mountains all over the place, I'll take the Mountains any day; but will enjoy the sand dunes and weather in the winters in TV and pass on the cold rainy weather in Norcal.

.

[KathieI]

..........except maybe when Kathie tried to kill me.

LMAO!! Too bad it was a failed attempt! Only kidding Red, I love you! But if I ever do succeed, I want Jess!!

[islandgal]

I love The Villages. It is a Paradise but I miss being able to walk to the beach and being surrounded water.
During the freeze, I experimented with Movie Maker in Windows 7 and came up with the attached - a little soapy!!!

http://s256.photobucket.com/albums/hh170/bj2island_2008/Hilton%20Head%20Island%20Movie/Hilton%20Head%20Island%20Movie/?action=view&current=HITONHEADmOVIE2.flv

[JUREK]

Islandgirl:

If that was your test you passed with flying colors. Having a beach here would be a blast.:bowdown::bowdown:

[islandgal]

Hi Jeruk
Good to hear from you. Have you been to HH since you moved here?