10 Things I’ve Learned About Living in South FL

It’s been almost 3 years since our family made the big move from Chicagoland to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (basically West Palm Beach).  Some differences I noticed were instant-oh hey it’s 80 degrees in December?! Other differences were noticed much later after living in the area for a while.  Keep in mind I haven’t been here long enough to fully understand the FL life, but I’ve definitely caught on to a few things. Here’s 10 things I’ve learned about Living in South FL from the perspective of a Chicago Transplant:

1. If the Temp is Lower Than 75 Degrees, Bring Out Your Pants and Sweaters!

I have always been a freezing cold person, but 75 degrees in Chicago is considered summer.  I used to wear shorts during this weather, but last week I found myself wearing leggings and a scarf when it was in the 70’s outside.  I was comfortable in this outfit and this past month I’ve wished that I brought more “cool weather clothing” with me instead of leaving most of it in Chicago.  My mom even wore her winter puffy coat to church when it was 50 degrees last week!  No one really wears shorts and tank tops except in the summer when it is 85-90 degrees.   

2. They Call It “The Sunshine State,” and I Call It “False Advertisement”

Florida is not as sunny as you might think. Two things in particular might be influencing my thoughts on this-One, the first month we moved here was the rainiest May on record in FL-lucky us! And Two, El Nino has increased the current rainfall this year.  I LOVE sunny warm days here…if only they weren’t so few and far between!  In the rainy season (May-October?) the mornings are beautiful and sunny-perfect for scorching you on a morning run (seriously my shorts are SO drenched in sweat that I’m literally holding them up the final miles b/c the weight of the sweat is pulling them down!...I mean, I NEVER do this…TMI!).  By the time you go home, shower, and have lunch, the clouds have rolled in and ruin the afternoon festivities.  Downpours are sooo common…and completely random.  We have scrambled out of the house in the pouring rain to drive to church 10 minutes away where it has not rained a drop!  

3.  Two Words: “Hurricane Shutters”

This is my last weather-related topic-I promise!  But seriously, when you move into a house and your parents are showing you around and suddenly mention-“oh yeah, these are the hurricane shutters” you think “oh how comforting!”  I remember getting a phone call from my parents while at school last year: “hey, what’s up?”  “oh we’re just buying hurricane supplies…”  “there’s a hurricane coming??!!”  Houses are made of concrete and the quality of your hurricane shutters are SUPER important-house hunting here included knowing how “hurricane-proof” the house was.  Obviously us Chicagoans new NOTHING about what kind of shutters were best, but leave it to my research-loving dad to tell us everything about the best and most expensive kind! 

4.  Everyone Drives a New (and mostly likely expensive) Car

If you drive anything older than 5 years, you stick out like a sour thumb.  My brother and I noticed this driving home from the airport our first visit here!  ALL the cars are shinny, new, and expensive.  I used to see a Lexus and think, oh that’s nice, but now I see new and expensive cars on a regular basis.  I’m talking Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche…see them all, it’s crazy! Related to this: The Interstates here go “North to South” and none go “East to West” in South Florida.  This makes directions easy for someone who lived in Chicago and there are tons of roads going every directions with lots of cross-overs!  Also, U-TURNS are CRAZY popular here!

5.  Holding the Door Makes You Look Like a Saint

ABSOLUTELY NO southern hospitality here. One morning I was getting an iced coffee and held the door for the couple leaving the store.  They said, “oh look at what a nice lady you are,  wow you’re holding the door, thank you so much!”  It is not common to act courteous in public.  I’ve said “excuse me, I’m sorry” in the grocery store before and the person I’m apologizing too does not even look at me, let alone acknowledge me. Coming from the Midwest where people will help you find directions, this has been THE hardest thing to deal with.  Sometimes I’m just like, “can you please treat me like a person?”  For someone new to the area, it makes you feel even more isolated and alone when a friendly face is hard to find!

6.  Bike Lanes are Awesome

Biking here is waaayyy easier than biking in Chicago was.  Us bikers have our own little spot on the road-which cars may or may not notice (poor Dad-he’s been on the receiving end of a few collisions, but he and the bike are fine).  There is a 10 mile bike loop around our house which has 3 round-abouts and no stop signs, which means I can keep going without having to stop.  I rarely have to unclip my shoes while biking which prevents wiping out in some cases...which I"ve only done once-“Bike path near the Shed Aquarium in Chi” I’m lookin at YOU!  This is great for tri training-it was my favorite thing when we moved.  LOVE IT!

7.  Sandwich and Smoothie Places are Everywhere

Food restaurants here are way different.  I mean, it makes sense-in the heat you are not really up to eating huge and heavy meals. My favorite go-to places are sandwich/salad/wrap places (“Field of Greens” “Nature’s Way Café”) and smoothie places (“Tropical Smoothie Café”).  They fill you up while keeping it light enough to walk around in the heat-many are really active here.  Up north there are more “comfort food” places with burgers, chili, fried chicken. Sure they have that here too, but it is much more common to see deli, smoothie, or frozen yogurt type places. 

8. Everytime is Prime-Time

The time is 2:00 in the afternoon.  The day is Thursday.  I CANNOT find a parking spot at the grocery store-seriously!! Since there is such a HUGE population of snow birds (and a large elderly population in general), people can go shopping at any time in the day.  I have tried to avoid the rush, but it is impossible.  There is just NO GOOD time to do anything.  You just have to deal with crowds being everywhere at everytime. 

9. Almost Every House Has a Pool

I mean, this makes sense given the weather year round.  All the public pools with lanes are outdoor as well-Yay for thunderstorms canceling swim practice.  My parents..err…my dad was hoping to find a house WITHOUT a pool (Mom and I be like “BOOOO” haha!) because it was a “liability.”  That’s dad for you-always being the "voice of reason" instead of the "voice of pool-lovin’ fun!"  Well, in the end they did purchase a house WITH a pool and a hot-tub which dad enjoys the most.  So it was a win-win!  Now mom and I can float on our floaties without fear of sharks!

10.  Palm Beach is the Golf Capital of the World

Our main drag is “PGA blvd” and right across from where I live is PGA National.  I am not a great golfer, but I can play.  My dad actually helped me learn while in Chicago and surprisingly our family stopped playing golf when we moved here.  Tiger Woods lives close by and there are lots of other famous athletes here like Venus and Serena Williams. 

Having lived in Chicago for practically my entire life, I’m sure these are probably not things that a native Floridian would notice, but I think it’s interesting to think about some differences that I personally have found.  Right now I’m really trying to live here in FL with a more “long term” view-instead of just the short breaks I had for college.  I’m hoping to make this place home someday.