Spring Break 2019 Review

Over spring break I went to Marco Island, Florida, with my roommate Jordan. She lives there, so we stayed with her parents and I got to meet lots of her friends and extended family. We went to South Beach on Tuesday, and I learned a lot about the beach. This was my third time going to a beach, I’ve been to Panama City Beach once in 2010 after the BP oil spill when it was cheap, and I went to the beach in Wilmington, NC this past winter in 50 degree weather. I learned that I really do not like the world-renown “relaxing” feeling of sand between my toes, and I learned that people like to sit on the beach doing nothing for long periods of time. I loved the sunshine, warm air, and the nice breeze, but the inactivity made me anxious.

I also observed differences in the economic activities of a tourism-based island with a large retired population. On the island, there were lots of restaurants, bars, hotels, bike rentals, banks, and other service-oriented industries, and the most popular way to have a consistent and sufficient income is to be a bartender. I noticed a lack of office buildings, and factories, because the land is utilized more profitably with service-oriented buildings. Although this is great for vacationing and retiring, Jordan has to drive 40 minutes to the next city over for school and other specialized needs. This was an interesting phenomenon to study, especially as we study land use decisions in my ENR 3500 class, specifically how land use decisions are designed to maximize profitability.