im moving to ft.myers in august

[blueknight]

give me the do's and dont's...lol. my wife got hired at a university there. both excited and feeling overwhelmed

[shenmue]

1. Um, it's really hot

Enjoy yourself.

[blueknight]

10. i know!

but it was 95 here in ky today

[Warpy]

2. If you love sharing a sauna with bugs

you'll adore Florida.

[edgineered]

3. That's alot of territory -

consider Ft Myers to be anywhere from Ft Myers Beach to the Babcock Ranch (east/west) and between Naples to the south and Port Charlotte to the north.

Picking up shells on Sanibel, kayaking on the many small rivers, Barbara B Mann events, Edison and Ford estates, many nature preserves, Naples Philharmonic, the local list is huge.

You won't run out of things to do, Miami and Tampa/St Pete are 2 hours away, Orlando is 3.

[blueknight]

11. going to try to stay in south ft myers

or there abouts. estero looks nice as well. thanks for the answer

[edgineered]

13. FGCU is in Estero

drop me a PM a week or so ahead of your arrival, there may be something I can help you with.

[merrily]

4. We went there once for Red Sox Spring training. We stayed in a hotel on the beach. NICE beach.

I've lived most of my life in places like Manhattan and Boston, so it seemed very quaint to me. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't there very long. Like any place, it's what you make it.

Best wishes for a happy life there.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

5. You will love it

But Sept is the worst month. I call it the swamp season. Nov/Dec very nice with warm water and cooler weather.
Lightening is a concern.Not so much gators/ sharks. It's so green and the seniors all look so tan and healthy.
Very busy Feb/ March.
Get a boat or get out on a boat to really enjoy. Check out Cabbage Key.

[femmocrat]

6. Lucky you!

Best wishes to your wife on her new job.

[Sancho]

7. You'll love the winters! Lots to do...

Welcome from Clearwater!

[NCjack]

8. Advice: Don't buy new stuff. You can get 70% off excellent stuff at the

frequent estate sales. Just get the Saturday paper before 6 AM, map out the sales, and move fast with $3-5K cash. My friend found everything to furnish his home in one place and bought it all for $5K. Sold the few items he didn't want on eBay, etc. Helps to have buddy with a pickup truck standing by to haul your "post new" stuff.

Be careful walking across streets or just standing close to the curbs. Florida drivers have a bad reputation for hit-and-run. To them, a cross-walk is just a means of concentrating and lining up the targets. When I was there, a woman (tourist) standing at the curb in the cross-walk was not watching the traffic. A car hit her so violently it severed a leg at the hip. There it was, in the road. Of course, the driver hit-and-ran. Next week, at the same cross-walk, a girl (tourist) was killed by a hit-and-run.

Expect some bazaar behavior. My friend rear-ended a car that was stopping for a red light. She calmly got her driver's license and insurance card in hand, opened the door, and got out to approach her victim. He sped away, probably because he had outstanding warrants (OSWs) and did not want to go through a police check. A lifetime residence told me that was typical, as a huge percent of drivers have OSWs.

Most of the old Florida mom & pop restaurants have been driven under by the chains, which in my opinion are in Florida are not very good. Too much much fried and too much poor garden veggies. Search for some family owned and operated restaurants. That's where I found the best food.

You have likely already learned that you should have about 10 $1 "susie" coins in your car, always. Everything in Florida is metered. The meters demand susies.

Learn to like linen clothes and the rumpled look. Try not to give up shaving.

[steve2470]

9. I'm not sure how good mass transit is in Ft. Myers

If it's anything like Orlando, it's not the best.

This means, you'll be driving a lot, unless you can bike to things close by or walk. Think good gas economy for your vehicle. Also, many toll roads in Florida demand coins, sometimes dollar bills if there's an attendant or some kind of E-pass you buy and affix to your windshield and keep restocked with money via your bank account or credit card.

Assume everyone you meet is right-wing, and you'll stay out of a lot of arguments. The university environment is probably much less so.

Sun block if you spend a lot of time outdoors. Air conditioning bills in the summer can be really bad, so think ways to save there (keep temp at 78 F, fans, etc).

Ask specific questions, and we can be more helpful, especially the Fort Myers residents here. Best wishes.

[blueknight]

12. thanks everyone

for all the answers!

[blueknight]

14. Found a nice place off gladiolus

33919 zip. any of you guys know anything of this area?