Please explain east coast beach vacations to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um, people leave the dc heat and humidity behind by heading to nearby lakes, beaches, mountains, etc.

People also hop on planes or set out on road trips each summer.

Overall, I like having 4 real seasons.

And in some cities, you don't have to have a beach house or fly somewhere to be able to enjoy year-round outdoor activities. That's the point. DC may have a lot to recommend it, but access to great outdoor opportunities year-round is not really it. I do appreciate that we have a long temperate season from Feb - June. But the summer is just unbearable.

Where do you live that you are isolated from outdoor fun during the summer?

I’m in MoCo and I’m 45 mins from Annapolis and the water. Plenty to do.

We enjoy minor league and Major League Baseball. Great in the shade of evenings.

We go fishing all over the state as day trips.

Rock Creek park is shady.

We have some brutally hot days each summer, but for the most part the heat is tolerable.

Personally, I always find SF and parts further north too cold. I’m always wearing a coat while the locals are in shorts and t-shirts.

+1. If you live anywhere in the DC area and can't make a fun day out of museums, waterfront, Annapolis, Baltimore, Old Town Alexandria, National Harbor, parks and trails and kayaking, shopping and restaurants and theater? Man, you must be depressed or hopelessly dull and lazy.

sure it can be ok, but you’re delusional if you think that’s equivalent to the outdoor activities out west. The DC area has a lot going for it, but being outdoorsy and access to truly beautiful nature is not among that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's absolutely no comparison between DC and West Coast when it comes to weather. In many places on the west coast, you can be outdoors year-round, whereas we have months in DC when you could literally die from a heat stroke. It's kind of sad to think that being limited to going out at 6am and dusk are anyone's idea of a city with great access to outdoor activities and nature. I'll say it again - people who live here literally don't know what they are missing.

This whole thread makes me laugh.

I lived in Silicon Valley for five years. Yes, the weather is amazing year round. But I could not wait to get back to the mid Atlantic! I love having four seasons. I love the cities and energy and people and nature and beaches and bays and trees and activities and history and all of it.

I'm glad I lived in California for a few years when I was younger. I know some people love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. I hope those people continue to love it!
In the meantime, I'm sitting on my deck looking at the river, and can't imagine living anywhere else either.

I mean yeah, if you’re wealthy enough to have a view of the potomac from your house, I’m sure it’s nice.

But pretty much everyone with a house here at least can have a lovely, lush, green yard with tall trees that's just gorgeous. You should see most of the yards in Los Angeles, for example, or most of the west coast. Just so dumpy and brown everywhere. The biggest tree being a palm tree

I have a lovely back patio with a beautiful tree, which is completely unusable from June - late Sept due to mosquitoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's absolutely no comparison between DC and West Coast when it comes to weather. In many places on the west coast, you can be outdoors year-round, whereas we have months in DC when you could literally die from a heat stroke. It's kind of sad to think that being limited to going out at 6am and dusk are anyone's idea of a city with great access to outdoor activities and nature. I'll say it again - people who live here literally don't know what they are missing.

This whole thread makes me laugh.

I lived in Silicon Valley for five years. Yes, the weather is amazing year round. But I could not wait to get back to the mid Atlantic! I love having four seasons. I love the cities and energy and people and nature and beaches and bays and trees and activities and history and all of it.

I'm glad I lived in California for a few years when I was younger. I know some people love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. I hope those people continue to love it!
In the meantime, I'm sitting on my deck looking at the river, and can't imagine living anywhere else either.

Completely agree. And the bleak. brown summers of SoCal can never compare to the lush verdant glory of east coast summers! I was so thrilled to move back!

yeah, nothing like having to stay inside because the heat could literally kill you in DC ...

What are you talking about? It's generally in the 80s here in the summer, sometimes the 90s, much as it is in most of the south. Are you under the impression humans can't withstand those temperatures? I'm outside all summer with my kids and we are all alive and healthy. I love a properly hot summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's absolutely no comparison between DC and West Coast when it comes to weather. In many places on the west coast, you can be outdoors year-round, whereas we have months in DC when you could literally die from a heat stroke. It's kind of sad to think that being limited to going out at 6am and dusk are anyone's idea of a city with great access to outdoor activities and nature. I'll say it again - people who live here literally don't know what they are missing.

This whole thread makes me laugh.

I lived in Silicon Valley for five years. Yes, the weather is amazing year round. But I could not wait to get back to the mid Atlantic! I love having four seasons. I love the cities and energy and people and nature and beaches and bays and trees and activities and history and all of it.

I'm glad I lived in California for a few years when I was younger. I know some people love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. I hope those people continue to love it!
In the meantime, I'm sitting on my deck looking at the river, and can't imagine living anywhere else either.

I mean yeah, if you’re wealthy enough to have a view of the potomac from your house, I’m sure it’s nice.

But pretty much everyone with a house here at least can have a lovely, lush, green yard with tall trees that's just gorgeous. You should see most of the yards in Los Angeles, for example, or most of the west coast. Just so dumpy and brown everywhere. The biggest tree being a palm tree

I have a lovely back patio with a beautiful tree, which is completely unusable from June - late Sept due to mosquitoes.

Unusable how and to who? The vast majority of humans thrive in such an environment, and mosquitoes are simply a reality of life. But pay for it to be fenced in if you're really so fragile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the west coast and I think east coast beaches are overrated, but we do bring our kids for a weekend and they love playing in the waves and building sand castles.

I think beaches you can swim at are overrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the west coast and I think east coast beaches are overrated, but we do bring our kids for a weekend and they love playing in the waves and building sand castles.

I think beaches you can swim at are overrated.

* can't * swim at

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the west coast and I think east coast beaches are overrated, but we do bring our kids for a weekend and they love playing in the waves and building sand castles.

And you will have east coast kids that roll their eyes when they go back west with you and you tell them they cant go in the water at the beach. "What's even the point?" they'll ask.

Signed,
A proud east coaster with a west coaster parent.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, can’t we all get along?! 😆

I’m a native Washingtonian, but I’ve been living in southern CA for two decades, and I do believe California is gorgeous. The person that said our yards are brown? Say what? We don’t import water for nothing! My yard is beautiful. But, I love the east coast beaches. They are so special in that you can rent a beach house and eat crabs on a wooden deck and smell the sea. It’s very very special. Enjoy it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's absolutely no comparison between DC and West Coast when it comes to weather. In many places on the west coast, you can be outdoors year-round, whereas we have months in DC when you could literally die from a heat stroke. It's kind of sad to think that being limited to going out at 6am and dusk are anyone's idea of a city with great access to outdoor activities and nature. I'll say it again - people who live here literally don't know what they are missing.

This whole thread makes me laugh.

I lived in Silicon Valley for five years. Yes, the weather is amazing year round. But I could not wait to get back to the mid Atlantic! I love having four seasons. I love the cities and energy and people and nature and beaches and bays and trees and activities and history and all of it.

I'm glad I lived in California for a few years when I was younger. I know some people love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. I hope those people continue to love it!
In the meantime, I'm sitting on my deck looking at the river, and can't imagine living anywhere else either.

I mean yeah, if you’re wealthy enough to have a view of the potomac from your house, I’m sure it’s nice.

It's actually the Severn River, but yes - it is nice. Sure beats the postage size lot I could afford if we still lived in Silicon Valley.

[Anonymous]

It's okay, OP. You're not a beach person. Maybe you're a windsurfing person, but not a beach person in general. Beach people really derive great satisfaction and contentment from being near the ocean. I grew up in Southern California but now live on the east coast. Never met a beach I didn't like!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's absolutely no comparison between DC and West Coast when it comes to weather. In many places on the west coast, you can be outdoors year-round, whereas we have months in DC when you could literally die from a heat stroke. It's kind of sad to think that being limited to going out at 6am and dusk are anyone's idea of a city with great access to outdoor activities and nature. I'll say it again - people who live here literally don't know what they are missing.

This whole thread makes me laugh.

I lived in Silicon Valley for five years. Yes, the weather is amazing year round. But I could not wait to get back to the mid Atlantic! I love having four seasons. I love the cities and energy and people and nature and beaches and bays and trees and activities and history and all of it.

I'm glad I lived in California for a few years when I was younger. I know some people love it and can't imagine living anywhere else. I hope those people continue to love it!
In the meantime, I'm sitting on my deck looking at the river, and can't imagine living anywhere else either.

I mean yeah, if you’re wealthy enough to have a view of the potomac from your house, I’m sure it’s nice.

But pretty much everyone with a house here at least can have a lovely, lush, green yard with tall trees that's just gorgeous. You should see most of the yards in Los Angeles, for example, or most of the west coast. Just so dumpy and brown everywhere. The biggest tree being a palm tree

I have a lovely back patio with a beautiful tree, which is completely unusable from June - late Sept due to mosquitoes.

Unusable how and to who? The vast majority of humans thrive in such an environment, and mosquitoes are simply a reality of life. But pay for it to be fenced in if you're really so fragile.

so we’ve moved from “The east coast is better” to “suck it up!”

[Anonymous]

No time to read this entire thread but OP if your kids are interested to go, why not book a long weekend outside of July/august and check it out. Who knows, maybe you’d e joy it, or at least your kids would.

[Anonymous]

My H is not a beach lover, but is good for a few hours of sun and swimming every day. He always rents a bike and does a long ride every day. My kid could literally swim and boogie board and lay in the sand for 18 hours straight. We minigolf, rent mopeds one day, hike, maybe go fishing one day. I could look at the ocean for hours, feel the breeze, read a book in the shade of the umbrella and never get bored. We vacation with the same friends every in RI every summer and it's heaven.

[Anonymous]

Things change, when I was a kid in the early-mid 1969svwe surfed in addition to sailing, dune hikes etc (Cape Cod). Sharks have changed the perspective on water activities where we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"I grew up going to the coast for windsurfing and boogie boarding (in a wetsuit even in August) and then for fishing and crabbing"

Well I can see why you're confused. No one has ever, ever, once done this stuff on east coast beaches and in fact these activities are banned for the entirety of the atlantic ocean. You're only allowed to lay comatose on the beach in dead man's pose or you'll be fined or possibly thrown off a bridge mob style.

I’m asking because I don’t know. The people from DC I’ve met definitely don’t sea kayak. If I can do that in Delaware it sounds a lot more fun than what I currently envision.

Well, that's on you bud. Half the people I know in my Bethesda neighborhood either kayak or paddle board.