Sunday, March 19, 2006

How Do You Spell Relief?

Ah yes, what’s that sound? No helicopters, sirens, and boom-boom rap music and I can hear the ocean again? It must be the end of Texas Week.

The butcher’s bill was pretty light this year, with one death, a double-stabbing, and some of the usual accidents and mishaps, including a minor riot at the Radisson again. No Coast Guard rescues required. The worst we saw was a kid that just got out of the hoosegow asking for a free cell phone call to his parents.

Oh, and staying up all night and seeing the trash in the morning. Sheesh.

By all accounts from the locals, Texas Week was down from the peak years of the past, although it will take some time for the Motel Tax and Sales Tax data to be tabulated. Some speculated that Spring Break has just gotten too expensive.

Being “Spring Break virgins” in our first year here, it really wasn’t all that bad. We stocked up for a virtual hurricane but it only blew about 32 knots.

2 comments:

Sam said...

Oops, add one drowning today, somebody lost in the surf and they did have to call the Coast Guard. Few details are available as yet. Weird, there were only 2-foot waves and almost no riptides today ...

MLeahy said...

Sad to hear about the drowning. This just goes to show the importance of proper water safety (Buddy System). I hope it wasn't alcohol related. This tragic incident reinforces the need for lifeguards on the beach, even if only for spring break. As far as Spring Break being too expensive, I agree. It has been many years since college days, but I remember being on a tight budget. You can book a trip to Cancun including flight and lodging for less than the price of a condo in SPI. What's wrong with this picture? Many foreigners flock to Cancun and other parts of Mexico to vacation and buy real estate, so it can't be the explosive growth alone. I feel that many of the older hotels/motels charge too much considering that they not updated. As an example: My wife and I flew to La Paz, Baja California on Continental Airlines, stayed in a nice condo with daily maid service across the street from WHITE SAND beaches with crystal clear waters, stayed a week and spent about $1500. We still visit SPI as we love it, but we usually spend almost that much just for our condo. SPI is no longer a value family destination. This, is a sad day when many families choose other options due to being priced out. The current trend...however, should alleviate some of the current traffic congestion. My two cents worth. MLeahy