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For those of you who own beach houses...
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Anonymous
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I'm interested, where is it? Will you accept cash? |
Anonymous
| My husband and I have thought about this a lot and decided a beach or mountain house wouldn't work for us, What helped us in sorting things through was considering the situations of three families we know who have second homes, which they love. Our bottom line was that in each case at least one spouse was so passionate about their second home that he/she 1) is willing to brave traffic to get there -- even for a short stay, 2) is either a SAHP or has a job with sufficient flexibility to allow extended stays, and 3) is happy to go alone or with just the kids/extended family or friends. And that brings me to the second observation we made about these families: in all cases the kids are wlling to go b/c: 1) they don't have summertime sports or other activities at home (this is very tough with kids who swim competitively as ours do); 2) they have made friends with other kids who also have summer places nearby; and 3) they bring friends with them -- including boyfriends/girlfriends in the case of teens. Taking these factors into account really helped us make the call against buying a second home. |
Anonymous
Oh yeah, OBX sucks. I hate going places where you can (1) swim in warm water; (2) on beautiful, uncrowded sandy beaches; (3) for a reasonable price. Give me a $6,000/wk rental in Nantucket miles from the water any day. 
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Anonymous
We spent summers in Cape Cod, as my mom is from Boston and her entire family lives up there. Certainly the scenery is beautiful, but as a kid, the water was icy COLD. So cold sometimes my feet ached. I much prefer OBX and the warm water and sand bars. I've never returned as an adult, but prefer to take summer vacations instead in the Berkshires in Western Mass, but stay clear of the ice water that lines the coast. |
Anonymous
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Why do southerners think New England has cold water? I've never experienced cold water in the NE, even Maine, which is amazing. People in New England/NJ/NY grow up with summer houses because they are less than an hour from the beach! Not to mention GREAT skiing less than a couple hours away. It is a lifesyle choice, not to mention QUALITY of life choice (sans the "brew throughs" and tattoos!) It seems convenient for Southerners to dream up nonsense about it. Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining. Case in point about ignorance: Nantucket isn't even miles wide - LOL! One of the best things about NE beaches is that every one is truly different. I guess it's easy to knock if you're not familiar (!). Some have priceless sunsets. Some have amazing sandbars. There are too many fun things to do and see to list, without it being commercial. It is truly family friendly. Not that I don't love crossing highways to get to the beach, or playing with the elevator all day. Well, maybe not. I have found OBX not my cup of tea. Could be the hostile people, or the aforementioned, of many reasons....NAH! I really like the passion and positive people in the NE, it makes the beach vacation enjoyable. Their life is good, and it shows. Imaginary ice water - funny! |
Anonymous
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OBX SUX - LOVE IT! |
Anonymous
| Because the water up there (and here) IS cold. I have never been to OBX but have been to Nantucket and the vineyard many times, have been to parts of Cape Cod, ME, Rehoboth, Ocean City NJ and MD and they are ALL cold, even in August. It's all relative, and for those of us who grew up on the gulf coast everything on the atlantic north of FL (though I admit I have not tried GA or SC beaches) is cold. |
Anonymous
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I was in Rehoboth this weekend and the water was warm! Not pool warm maybe, but it took an hour or so to even start feeling cold.
I have no idea what the PP considers cold, but IME the waters of NE can be warmer, or cold, but never warm. |
Anonymous
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I was in the water off Cape Cod today. It was comfortable enough to spend a good amount of time in the water. Water temps here can vary tremendously depending on where you are. The bay side beaches are very warm - probably like DE, and maybe even NC. The Sound beaches are cooler but still pretty warm. The ocean beaches can indeed be bone chilling cold. Last week the water temp was 58 at the ocean beaches. But it was warm enough outside that it felt fine to go in.
Really it's not worth everyone arguing about. I happen to prefer New England. I don't like heat and humidity - I would stay in DC if I wanted that. I also don't like jellyfish and they tend not to be up here because they don't like the cold water. Others prefer the heat and the warm water. Luckily from DC you can go in either direction depending on your preference. Better that we aren't all flocking to the same place as then it would get mighty crowded. |
Anonymous
| Agree with previous poster that Cape waters vary considerably, depending on whether you're on the bay or ocean side,. Plus, there's the kettle pond option (these are ponds formed after the glaciers moved through), if you want really warm water. All in all, lots of options, so something for everyone, which also means you can find less crowded beaches. We also like the fact that the cooler New England weather allows for move recreational options on land -- it's not too hot to bike or play tennis. I'm not taking sides here, just trying to provide some factual info that might help folks considering both alternatives. Botton line, though, is that one's preference for the Cape v. OBX probably has more to do with cultural preconceptions and childhood/youthful memories than anything else. In other words, if you're a Yankee, your parents were Yankees or you just love all that old-WASP-y/Kennedyesque lore, you'll love the Cape. Pat Conroy fans and good ol' guys and gals, enjoy your time in the OBX! |
Anonymous
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OBX is kind of dumpy, though. |