Since my lease ran out I’ve been crashing with my parents in Vero Beach. For those unfamiliar with it, Vero is a small city in Central Florida mostly known for having a ton of retirees. For a 24-year-old who just got out of college, it’s not really an it place to be. However, it’s very pretty and full of old buildings.
Yesterday the rain came pouring down, leaving water patches and flooding some streets. It was fun to drive in, just worrisome when my fender was dragging through the water. But that’s neither here nor there. I had gone down by Ocean Drive just to peek around, and decided I wanted to come back with one of my cameras for a few pictures and whatnot when it wasn’t raining.
Try Two
Today the rain ceased, no water blocked the streets, and I didn’t have to worry about registering my car as a boat. Just exploring a town I never really gave a chance proved rather enjoyable. While it isn’t busy like Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, the beach was calm, and quiet. The point of my trip wasn’t swimming or getting sand in my feet, but rather to just enjoy myself. Like most people who grew up in Florida, I enjoy the calming sound of waves slowly coming in and the smell of the ocean. After spending six years in Virginia, I grew to miss Florida’s sights and sounds.
Seeing a few birds here and there was nice. Seeing one ignore people and just walk around the shoreline as the waves came in was rather entertaining. Since turtles nest throughout Vero Beach, seeing areas taped off came as no surprise.
Around Town
Heading the opposite way down Ocean Drive leads you to the Ocean Side shopping area, a place full of the touristy stuff Florida is known for and where I almost killed my Civic yesterday. Truthfully I don’t know much about the area, but it has the comfy old-city vibe about it, much like a lot of Florida’s smaller towns. Heck, I even ran into a small farmers’ market and got some nice food.
Driving through the shopping areas and richer neighborhoods (a quick price check showed me some $500,000+ 1 bedroom apartments in the area) is rather fun, and is something I see myself doing more while I continue to look for work. All-in-all, I’d say its a fun place for a day trip. Next time I may even go into the water.
