[eweissenbach]

Since we just returned from our first visit, a lifestyle preview, we have not experienced TV in Jan - Mar. Our mid-April visit was pleasant in every way, and we did not have any problems with traffic, or crowds. We will find out next Jan/Feb if things are different, as we are renting a place for those months. I cannot beleive it is not manageable, but others may have a difference of opinion.

[memason]

I have lived my entire life in places bigger than 80,000 people. Try Japan at 14 million and riding a Tokyo subway, then you can really appreciate crowded...

I will be a full-timer by November and I will embrace the snow birds, since it's their investment in TV that makes TV what it is. Without that investment, I suspect we'd all like living somewhere else...

Please....someone remind me of this, if I ever post about crowds

[angel222]

I moved to TV in May '09 from NY.....My first "in season" was this past winter and there was absolutely nothing difficult in TV if you truly experience your freedom of retirement. I love not having a particular time to "have to" eat by; haven't stood on line and not met some great people; enjoy changing golf times and experiencing another course; and if this is traffic you should see the LI Expressway!! The best thing about being here this winter was to get the phone calls from friends and family in NY telling me how lucky I was to live here (no snow!) and I know they are RIGHT!
Sounds to me like you should change RE agents ... enjoy the freedom of choice!
Char

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by memason

I have lived my entire life in places bigger than 80,000 people. Try Japan at 14 million and riding a Tokyo subway, then you can really appreciate crowded...

I will be a full-timer by November and I will embrace the snow birds, since it's their investment in TV that makes TV what it is. Without that investment, I suspect we'd all like living somewhere else...

Please....someone remind me of this, if I ever post about crowds

I had worked in China and Hong Kong and know what you mean. In NJ where I live until next month, you wait for a table even on weekdays. I hate lines so I either eat at off hours or eat in. I love my wife's cooking better than eating out. No heartburn afterwards, either.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by rwcw

Let me preface by telling you that our house is up for sale and we're moving to the Villages, ASAP.
The churches are crowded (especially the Catholic, even the one in Bellview) and the movies are crowded with lines you won't believe and it's difficult to find any free bowling lanes any time of he year. We were there over Mothers Day one year and spent half the day driving around looking for a restaurant where the wait was less than an hour, even driving down to Leesburg. During the season some of the pools have to turn people away due to maximum occupancy limits.
We were there this past Christmas and New Years and it was crowded every where we went.
Your Realtor was telling the truth in my opinion. There's a lot of adjustments that we'll have to make but we expect that they'll be off set by the nice new home we'll be getting, the activities we will be able to participate in and the people we'll be meeting. We're golfers.

I have done the driving around thing to find a resturant that has a shorter wait. Now I am a little more high Tech and use my iPhone to do that. I am not kidding when I say that my wife and I have not been to a movie theater since sometime in the early 70's. I was a pioneer in home theater and to this day maintain one (two right now) in every home I had. No lines and I can pause the movie anytime I want. As for food, I prefer my BBQ over anything I find in a resturant so eating out is not a priority but something we do if we do not have to wait in line which is mostly off hours.

Now days we make our own entertainment experience and experiment with BBQ sauces and recipes. No lines at all. We enjoy hosting friends most of all as we find joy in conversation, a good bottle of wine and some good people to laugh with. If we go out to eat and the wait for a table is too long, we go right back home and fire up the grill and cook some meat. Not many movies worth seeing anyway. Gee, I am begining to sound like my father.

[Grill Meister]

In the winter we have a larger number of visitors and seasonal residents; therefore, there will be waits at all of the restaurants. Don't make the mistake some many others make and expect to go to a restaurant at 5 and beat the crowd. Everyone has the same idea and at 5pm you will definitely have to wait. Go at 7pm and most times you can fire a cannon through the restaurant and not hit a soul.

The renters usually vacate around March 31st and the seasonal residents leave before May 1st. After May 1st, you can fire that cannon again. Restaurant tables are readily available and you have no problem getting the tee-time you want at the course you would like to play. As was said, "Summertime and the livin's is easy."