Originally Posted by
wished
We ride our bikes through Rosemary and Seaside, great areas but pricey compared to living on the bay just a few miles away like we do. I love kayaking as much as biking and I am just minutes away from kayaking in beautiful waters. We do get some colder weather but not bad compared to most areas, even snowed almost an inch in 1989! I still bike and/or kayak about any day of the year.
The areas you mentioned like Marcos Island are also gorgeous, warmer but more traffic in that part of the state.
Yep!
Since we're escaping from Minnesota cold & snow we prefer, or at least my wife does, some place warmer than the 30A coast. She really likes to lay out in the sun (pool or beach), go for walks on the beach or shopping, play golf without a jacket, etc.
Yes, the traffic (and noise, pollution, and danger that come with it) are quite unappealing. Also largely unnecessary. Marco is quite small. You almost have to plan carefully to come up with a drive of more than a couple of miles. They could easily have made it a walk and bicycle haven and one much more appealing than Seaside or Rosemary but they were short-sighted and didn't when they had the chance. So it remains clogged with gobs of cars filled with fat people riding 1 mile to dinner and not paying attention to people who are walking or riding bicycles.
That said, Marco is better than many places in Florida, but that's not saying much. Let's remember that Florida has the highest pedestrian and bicycle fatality rates in the US.
Naples could also be a great inviting walkable and bicycleable place. We'd love to see that as we much prefer Naples food options to those on Marco. But while walking and bicycling are at least a bit of an option on Marco, they are not currently in Naples.