I left Fairfax County 8 years ago. Retired and moved on. There are some things I miss, and some things I don't miss.

Things I miss:

Civility and lack of crime. Not much of that in FX County. Although everyone seems to be in a hurry, everyone seems to get along.

The grocery stores. The local Piggly Wiggly just doesn't cut it.

The Fairfax Public School System. There is no greater bang for your buck than having your kids educated in Fairfax County Schools. Here, everyone sends their kids to private schools to avoid the black persuassion.

Having professional sports teams. Even though the Redskins, Wizards and Caps are perpetual losers, at least they play in the big leagues. Here, minor league teams at best.

Things I don't miss:

Traffic. Enough said.

Snow shovels. Left mine when I left.

Traffic. Did I mention that?

There is probably more I can add, and I will, once I top my drink off. Later.

More things I miss:

Dulles and Washington National. You can go anywhere from those two airports. Not so much from Sarasota without having to fly through Jacksonville or Atlanta.

The Fairfax County Police Force. They were professional and well paid and trained. Here the police are corrupt and fat pigs.

More things I don't miss.

The frigging traffic and congestion. When I first got here, I arrived at my appointments 30 minutes early, misjudging the traffic. Not now. Everywhere I want to go is 20 minutes from my home.

The fishing here is great. No driving to the Shenadoah or the Cheasapeake to wet a line. I can be on the water 15 minutes from my house -- by golf cart.

BB in a moment.

Except for Chinese, we have better restaurants here. Could be because this is somewhat of a tourist area.

Damn I miss Ding How. Wish those chinamen would move to Sarasota. No one, absolutely, no one prepares Chinese like Ding How. Cherish them. They are a treasure and need to be patronized.

Go dowm to Gulfgate, Petey.

idontlikebeingrightaboutshitlikethisbutiam



Edited 21 time(s). Last edit at 5/31/1967 05:57AM by WingNut.

Last edit at 11/30/2015 01:37PM Last edit at 5/14/2015 03:52PM Last edit at 1/28/2014 05:57AM Last edit at 11/29/2015 01:10PM Last edit at 3/14/2011 11:52PM Last edit at 7/20/2012 04:07AM
Last edit at 6/29/2013 11:18PM Last edit at 3/19/2011 01:02PM Last edit at 3/26/2012 09:07PM

I also miss a good bagel place like Chesapeake Bagel or Einsteins. You would think that with the number of Jews who live here, we would have a good bagel place. Wrong. Piggly Wiggly bagels don't cut it.

Enjoy your bagels while you can. If you retire and move, that benefit might no longer be available. BTW, we do have Philadelphia Cream Cheese in the grocery stores.

fAter a fallow period in the mid Seventies, the band experienced a revival during the late 1970s and early 1980s with albums Sleepwalker, Misfits, Low Budget, Give the People What They Want and State of Confusion. In addition, groups such as Van Halen, the Jam, the Knack, the Pretenders and the Fall covered their songs, helping to boost the Kinks' record sales. In the 1990s, Britpop acts such as Blur and Oasis cited the band as a major influence.[1] The Kinks broke up in 1996, a result of the commercial failures of their last few albums and creative tension between the Davies brothers.[6] Sully Rd South onto lee Jackson Memorial Hwy into Chantilly, check status of machines at Fair Oaks Mall. Return any defective parts that are present. If you have not heard from Bill Splevins or Mara Toles at this time, continue to Fairfax County Court house. Don't park on Judicial Drive.They were the second group of the British Invasion on The Ed Sullivan Show, appearing in March for two weeks after the Beatles appeared three straight weeks in February 1964. For some time the Dave Clark Five were more popular in the US than in their native UK, but had a renaissance in the UK between 1967 and 1970. The group disbanded in late 1970. On 10 March 2008, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[2]

idontlikebeingrightaboutshitlikethisbutiam



Edited 21 time(s). Last edit at 5/31/1967 05:57AM by WingNut.

Last edit at 11/30/2015 01:37PM Last edit at 5/14/2015 03:52PM Last edit at 1/28/2014 05:57AM Last edit at 11/29/2015 01:10PM Last edit at 3/14/2011 11:52PM Last edit at 7/20/2012 04:07AM
Last edit at 6/29/2013 11:18PM Last edit at 3/19/2011 01:02PM Last edit at 3/26/2012 09:07PM



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2015 09:42PM by WingNut.

Petey Greene Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I also miss a good bagel place like Chesapeake
> Bagel or Einsteins. You would think that with the
> number of Jews who live here, we would have a good
> bagel place. Wrong. Piggly Wiggly bagels don't
> cut it.
>
> Enjoy your bagels while you can. If you retire
> and move, that benefit might no longer be
> available. BTW, we do have Philadelphia Cream
> Cheese in the grocery stores.

Chesapeake is long gone, and Einstein are mediocre. Of course all that really tells us is how bad Florida bagels must be! Hey, there's an Einstein in Sarasota, 3800 S. Tamiani. You're welcome :)

Philly is a national brand (owned by Kraft nowadays IIRC), available in all 50 states and Canada.

Ummm...

You know there is a Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Publix.

Pete - you're the shit! keep sticking it to the man, I dig the brevity.

Petey Greene Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The Fairfax Public School System. There is no
> greater bang for your buck than having your kids
> educated in Fairfax County Schools.

Still largely true. Sure there are a lot of things that suck about FCPS - and everyone is always complaining about everything. But I am thinking people just don't realize that most school systems in the US are dealing with the same issues and have no experience with school systems that suck waaaaay more than FCPS.

I think Publix is pretty awesome. Beats most stores up here except for Wegmans.
And as far as sports teams you are way off. Florida has lots of professional sports teams, several in Basketball,baseball and football.
Schools definitely rock up here and I agree on the traffic.

And here's why...

The only nice weather is in March and October. And those can be iffy. It rains every afternoon at 3:00. You get copious cloud-to-ground lightning strikes with that at no extra charge. You need to know where the hurricane evacuation route is. Tourists in their rental cars make driving a nightmare. If you aren't a tourist, Spanish is the first language. Lo siento. Gas prices are awful. There is sand in everything. Half the state will be underwater in 50 years. Aside from narrow strips along the coasts and a tiny blob around Disney, the state is nothing but brown, flat, fetid, and ugly scrub- and swampland. Sinkholes. Alligators that eat your dogs and cats, Pythons that eat the alligators. Gambian rats coming to your neighborhhod soon. Jellyfish. Coral snakes. Mosquitos. Fire ants. Killer bees. Palmetto bugs -- actually giant flying cockroaches. Florida has all those things, but no Asians and no edible Asian food. The schools at all levels are simply atrocious. Football is an admired college major. The median age in a given area is likely to be greater than 55. Your waitress at IHOP will have been on Medicare since the Clinton administration. Jobs (if you can find one) come with low wages and no benefits. But it still costs $1200 for a crappy apartment. Flip-flops are considered formal wear. Spring Training is a form of high culture. Bahama Breeze counts as a fancy restaurant. There is no mass transit. All the good roads have tolls. And cops. Local officials are as corrupt as in any 3rd world country. No one cares. All the religious whackos who used to live up here have moved down there. There are more "We Buy Gold" places than banks.

^ Loved it! Every time I look at the beach, I want to move to Florida. You may have discouraged me.

Petey Greene Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I left Fairfax County 8 years ago. Retired and
> moved on...

You may be retired, but you definitely haven't "moved on". The mere fact that you waste your time posting on this site is proof positive of that.

You can bullshit friends and family, but not us strangers. My assessment is you are miserable in Florida. I can hardly blame you, what a horrible, horrible place. I can't imagine a life of running from one air-conditioned place to another for most of the year. Getting up at 5:00 am to do chores because it will be 90+ by 8:00 am. Walking around outdoors in Florida is like taking a shower with your clothes on.

Western NC is chock full of folks that have fled the heat, bugs and crime of the Sunshine State. I suggest you join them. Maybe not NC, but someplace as pleasant.

I will retire and flee Fairfax County soon myself, but I'm headed to Vancouver Island, BC. (BC=British Columbia, that's in Canada, the large country north of the USA). We have owned a home on the water there for 20 years, so we know pretty much everything about life there. Obtaining permanent residency (and hopefully, eventual Canadian citizenship) has been a challenge, but is finally coming through.

We look forward to spending the rest of our days sailing our beloved 46' ketch and exploring the Strait of Juan de Fuca and it's countless islands.

And believe me, as we watch the sun set over the stern rail, the LAST THING on our minds is going to be Fairfax Fucking County or anybody in it!

Throw in the towel, Petey, and admit you fucked up moving to Florida. Get out, before your brain rots in that sub-tropical steambath.

canuck2B Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Petey Greene Wrote:

>
> And believe me, as we watch the sun set over the
> stern rail, the LAST THING on our minds is going
> to be Fairfax Fucking County or anybody in it!
>
> Throw in the towel, Petey, and admit you fucked up
> moving to Florida. Get out, before your brain
> rots in that sub-tropical steambath.


Any place is better than this shit hole. Except Detroit and Baltimore.

the Strait of Juan de Fuca and it's countless islands....

...with its howling gales, interminable fog and 180 days of rain. You must like getting moldy.

Florida is cool. Canada is cold. Maybe you guys could be friends? think about it? share houses, tired of the heat go North, freezing your balls off? Go South Old Man.

You suckers have had a warmer summer than we have down here


Its 84 degrees right now and feels great with the ocean breeze, off to catch me some red fish.

Petey Greene Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You suckers have had a warmer summer than we have
> down here
>
>
> Its 84 degrees right now and feels great with the
> ocean breeze, off to catch me some red fish.


The basement dwellers here who have never left NoVA don't understand that it really doesn't get much if any hotter there than here. Often not even as hot especially near the coast. You just don't have the 4 months of dead dreary gray cold.

I miss the convenience of having everything 5 minutes away. We're a bit in the sticks right now and everything is a drive now. I miss being a reasonable drive from OBX (lots of fun memories of OBX). I miss the lakes and well maintained trails. I miss the beautiful spring time in Northern Virginia - from the flowers, to the cherry trees to the smell of damp earth after a spring rain. I miss the incredible and wide variety of courses/activities in the schools. And, of course, I miss the people we know from the area.

What I don't miss: SNOW. Traffic. Me firsters. California transplants (lol, had to throw that in there).

When I move I'll miss this blowing me every night just before drifting off into a soporific dream like state knowing that it will be repeated the next night:
Attachments: