Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
#46
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I was impressed with Spanish Springs when we first came, because it was already established. I really liked the Sumter town square and surrounding environment. South of (the southern version of) 466 hadn't been developed yet when we stayed somewhere near St. Charles and Bailey a few years ago. I knew (factually) that it wasn't perfect. I knew that the whole thing looked like a facade, a very bizarre reconstruction of a fantasy world that doesn't actually exist. Totally unnatural. But as a facade, it was well-constructed and attractive from a distance. Drive-by pretty, in other words. But that doesn't help at all, if you're actually living there, and still connected to the outside world. I won't be in vacation mode when we move, because I'll still have to work for a living. Hubby might be retired, but I won't be. If there are risks in The Villages that we just don't typically encounter here in New England, I need to know what those risks are, how high they are compared to the risks here, whether insurance a) covers it and b) actually pays out if you have to file a claim, and how much it's going to cost to accept the risk. I need to know what -I- will be doing while hubby is playing golf, on days when I'm not working. No point in buying into what is (for us) an expensive retirement community, if I'll just be sitting home most of the day. We're paying for amenities, I expect to be able to use them without spending half of my time waiting for "my turn." When someone pays me to work for them, I'm expected to perform tasks for almost the entire time I'm getting paid. I am not getting paid to tell people to wait. I expect the same from whoever I'm paying to provide amenities to me, within reason. A 45-minute wait for a 1-hour class is not reasonable. If this kind of wait is only for fitness instruction, I don't care. I don't need an instructor to teach me how to get fit, and wouldn't likely attend those types of classes anyway. But things like pottery, painting, woodworking, hikes and day-walks, maybe make-up application techniques, literature classes, philosophy, etc. etc...those are things that would interest me. And sure if I want to join the gym, I wouldn't tolerate having to wait an hour to use the free weights or hop on a treadmill. I go there to move, not to stand still. I can stand still at home. |
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#47
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If instructors offered classes in a series like they do at community colleges and adult ed at public schools, instead of a "show up and learn something new" it could work a lot smoother. Sign up before the series starts. When you sign up you are reserving your spot in advance. Once all the slots are taken up, the opportunity is closed, and no one else can sign up. You make people pay a nominal fee - perhaps just $5 for the series. Reasoning: most people, when offered a series of things for free, are not likely to show up, thus depriving someone of a spot that they would have gladly taken. If you have to pay for the privilege, it has value, and you're more likely to respect the privilege you were granted.
If an instructor is teaching abstract art, a 4-class session, once a week for four weeks, every Tuesday from 3pm-4:15pm starting February whateverth. $5 reserves all four classes, once the 20 seats have been filled, the sign-up sheet is removed. If there are still slots available, walk-ins are allowed beginning at 2:45, and ending promptly at 3, for $5 per walk-in. This covers materials and the instructor's cost of providing the class in the first place. Any books or demonstrations, film, spreadsheets, etc - it's just covering those costs. And if it turns out the nominal fee ends up with a profit, she can return it by preparing a snack on the last day of the series, thus using up any extra she might otherwise have kept. |
#48
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Being year round residents, we have adapted to the crowding from the beginning of January to the end of March. We avoid a lot of activities we might usually be involved in the rest of the year, we rarely go out to restaurants or country clubs here in TV and always place a golf reservation request with a foursome even if it means we play less often than we do the rest of the year. We rarely go to the squares for entertainment, they are just too crowded (even for the groups that aren't very good) and since many of the people here during the winter are in vacation mode, there are just too many people who have imbibed too much in the squares in general for our taste. We try to take care of most of our doctor visits etc during the off season as well. If we do want something from a specific restaurant or country club inside the bubble, we call the order in and get it to go. We do get together in neighbors homes for dinner and to play cards etc more often since most in our neighborhood are also year round residents. You just learn to adapt until it is less crowded again in the spring instead of fighting the crowds on a daily basis. Nobody has time for that !
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"The secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven't made up their minds." - Casey Stengel |
#49
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The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it. George Orwell. “Only truth and transparency can guarantee freedom”, John McCain |
#50
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The model you suggested was in place for a number of years through the Life Long Learning College (now defunct) and the current Enrichment Academy. The classes/clubs at the rec centers work differently.
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#51
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Where is this “outside world” of which you speak? Everyplace on the planet is all the same...except for TV? Is that it? TV is just another place in this mysterious “outside world”. Subdivisions. Shopping. Entertainment. Activities. Last time I checked, you might be able to find some of this stuff in a few places outside TV. TV is whatever you make of it. Nothing more. Nothing less. It just has a few more options than many places. There ya go. Last edited by Polar Bear; 01-10-2019 at 01:08 PM. |
#52
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#53
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Their system is the same as any class in TV, get there early and hope you get in. However the difference between TV and Lifetime Fitness is, those lifetime lines are 24/7 365 days a year. TV is in line with any fitness center to take a class, but TV is a free class.
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Do not worry about things you can not change Last edited by asianthree; 01-11-2019 at 11:04 AM. |
#54
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#55
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John, now that Village Health care residents go to MVP free, MVP is just as crowded as the rec. Centers. I went for a 1015 Zumba class at 10:00 and was squeezed in to a spot. I've been going to that class for 4 years and NEVER saw it that crowded. Sure it's "season" but it's more because MVP is free to a lot of residents.
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#56
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It is very crowded in the Villages, and no longer just during season.
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#57
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#58
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In our 20th year here during 'The Season.'
Never was much different, and always crowded this time of year, and the same old bitching about Snowbirds Now with the added development, and the present lack of new facilities down south, pressure on existing facilities is even stronger. But us snowbirds will soon be gone and you full timers can have the place all to yourselves once more. That is of course we all go home, because if we don't, and decide to become full timers, it will be all year round overcrowding. Be carefull what you wish for, and thankfull for what you have! Amen. |
#59
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#60
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Just a quick point of information...MVP is not free for ALL Villages Health Care members. Some plans aren’t included.
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Closed Thread |
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