Too Many American Tourists
 

Hi All,

We are currently visitng my Lady Wife's aunt in Boca raton, FL. It is high season.

Except for some Canadians and the occasional European or Asian, all the tourists are from the US.

They are noisy, pushy, impolite and just plain unpleasant.

They all drive huge SUVs, disregard the traffic rules, and are constantly honking their horns.

The area is so crowded that there is a long wait at restaurants, even if you have reservations. People have taken to bribing hostesses to move their reservations to the head of the line.

Service is almost nonexistent and the kitchens are overwhelmed.

Don't bother trying to get to the beach in a car. No parking anywhere.

In addition, all of the locals are also from the US, and they are as bad as the tourists.

I assure you, visiting London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Athens, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin and Munich at the height of the season is much preferable to this mob scene.

((I))

Great - American bashing here and abroad. It's amazing the UN allows us out of our homes.

I don't think it is "bashing" to state the facts. Ira is NOT a complainer... I'm taking him at his word here. Not a pretty picture!

I live here in Boca Raton year round. "Season" is very hard on us locals who can't get into our favorite restaurants or drive anywhere without getting stuck in traffic. Please don't think we're all so uncouth. There are some good eggs among those who live in, as it is called on Seinfeld, Del Boca Vista West Phase II:)

Ira; I promise to behave on our visit to Florida in April, will respect all trafic rules and will do my best to be polite and pleasant.
Now, are there any restaurants where we can avoid these people? We're staying near Fort Lauderdale.

In Arizona, they are called "snowbirds" - usually with a grimace or sneer.

Bumper sticker: WELCOME TO ARIZONA. NOW GO HOME.

Robespierre, we have the same two things -- both the nomiker and the bumper sticker. We also add "if it's called tourist season, why can't we shoot them??"

I lived in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca, Palm Beach, and environs for 20 years. I finally got smart and moved up to north central Florida in 2001. Of course, now that all the hurricanes hit the southern parts, they are moving HERE! :(

I sympathize, agree, and ratify Ira's descriptions. Most of the tourists in south Florida are obnoxious, IMHO. The most wondrous sight is that first Canadienne or New York license plate heading north on I-95, SUV filled with luggae, around April or so.

Who goes to Boca Raton, FL during Spring Break/high season expecting to have a wonderfully civilized time? Really, one of the keys to being a successful traveler is knowing what you are getting yourself into and a Feb. visit to Boca is going to find some great nightlife, full restaurants, drugs, college students, and very little patience. That is actually what they sell. If you watched any commercials or looked at brochures, they all advertize fun fun fun, lots of sun, great nights out, etc. No one, unless they are dishonest, will try to say that you can have a relaxing vacation in Boca (unless you are on a resort oriented to that. . . once you hit the city, it is your responsibility to stay sane). Everyone has gone with the expectation of letting loose and yes, it is annoying that some choose to do so in pushy, absurd ways, but you have jumped into a very specific tourist culture, and one you were obviously not cut out to be a part of.

Perhaps you won't find all of that in Europe because fewer Americans can pay to get over there. Also, there is some expectation of cultural travel, whereas Boca offers a pretty superficial experience, and those who go are seeking just that.

Have you ever been to Alicante during high season? It is a beachfront city much like Boca and let me tell you, Europeans can be just as pushy and annoying as the Americans you cite. Maybe they don't have SUVs, but let me tell you, a Citroen can make just as much noise when it wants to move forward and can't.

Claire

Well, Ira, if you can't be holed up in Paris I suppose the "rat's mouth" is some sort of substitute.

Perhaps those "missing" Europeans have already figured out what you are just now discovering.

Hi guys,

Read my last paragraph, please.

((I))

Ira, we also get the snow birds here on St. Simons but they tend to be very nice, polite, and friendly people. I guess the rude ones go on down to Fla.

Ira-I personally feel that Rome is becoming solid groupings of American tourists second only to the Japanese tourists even in low season. This past weekend that I was there was almost impossible to walk around and its only February!!!

Oh Ira! I feel for you! I hate Florida. Next stop - anyplace Europe. Or, go someplace COLD.

Spring break? In Boca? I see no signs of this. Are you sure you're not confusing us with Panama City? It's definitely moneyed retirees and families who head to our condos and resorts this time of year.

I think Ira's intent was satirical.

Naples Florida was the same way last weekend... I went for a 50th Birthday...
And I'll accept that this is being "written snidely", what is up with all the "italianate" architecture? Beige stucco from vista to vista??

Of course it was satirical!! And no colleges in the US, anyway, have spring break till at least the first week of March, so the college kids are not to blame!!

Altho this week *is* a school vacation week for many of the public school systems (elementary through high school) in the Northeast, so it is a week I would avoid in FL if I had other choices for dates to travel.

Trust me, Ira, we Europeans are not immune. Try the Costa del Sol in August

My Alma mater is on Spring Break now, as are 3 of my friends in grad school.

I get the satire, though, I just think that expecting anything but what he is seeing in Boca is shooting too high. I have been there a few times, and it was just to party. Nothing more and nothing less.

One more reason to never step foot in Florida.