What's Your Next Surf Trip Going to Be?

Yah. Truth.

Probably Eddie Rothman's crew lol

 

North shore is great place but drugs are a huge issue. Where there are drugs there is crime. You cannot leave a GD thing in your car. Flip flops (aka slippas), shoes, shirts, change - all will be gone. The parking lot for Pearl Harbor is Disney for thieves. So many tourists go there either to or from the airport with all their luggage only to come back to empty car!

With that being said I love the place. Just gotta be smart.

Eatswell - you can find semi affordable housing in the country on Oahu. couple of local hoods are affordable as well. You will be tested but once you pass all is well. Even though it's no secret spot I find the waves in and around the south shore to be fantastic. Not huge but fun as chit. Good luck

 

I actually wouldn't mind a condo near Waikiki. If he's gonna buy, the budget is probably $500k-$750k and maybe $800k in the high range. I actually wouldn't mind somewhere around Waikiki or Diamond Head. I don't really wanna get a place on the North Shore, although I'm sure we'd be open to it if the right place came along. Somewhere in decent driving distance to the North Shore would be great. Most of Oahu is pretty much just a couple hour drive from one side of the island to the other.

As far as cars once we get there, I'll probably leave all my stuff back in Jersey, where I'll need it during working months. I have a bike that I could have shipped over and get around on that, but I like to ride my bike in the Fall in Jersey sometimes. And I can't exactly transport surfborts on a street bike haha. I'd probably buy some POS beater, like a little Isuzu mini truck or something. It's definitely an idea that's been intriguing to me for years. With no wife or kids keeping me in Jersey for the months I don't work and no real commitment to having to be there during my offseason (except the two weeks in July), I don't know why the hell I haven't already done something like that. Mostly because I don't have the money for a place out there, without selling off my sh!t in Jersey. I'm pretty optimistic that it will happen one day!

I figure if worst comes to worse, in 8 years from now my house will be paid off and in 9 years from now I'll be 55. I always joke about moving to Leisure Village or one of the 55+ communities. Where the houses right now are anywhere from $100k-$150k. Then I can use the profit for a place out there for when I have my months off!

 

Ah yes, the dreams of young men!! Hawaii!! Panama!! Azores!! PR!! CR!!! DR!!
Face it boys - the vast majority of youz will remain right where you are for a variety of reasons (family, money, sickness) by the time you retire. And maybe, just maybe, some of you will develop "common sense" (aint too common, you know) and realize that even if you are healthy, the reasons you now want to move to those isles you romanticize, will have vanished. When I retired, I too thought of returning to my first home, PR. Money was there, wife was willing, daughter loved the idea to come there to visit, etc. But why go there--been there, done that. Waves get very big in PR (Tres Palmas , etc) and I really love large wave surfing,......but...........how often does the place break at that size?? At what age will it be forbidding?
Decided to travel there (if I feel up to it) when it breaks big--view on computer, catch flight, surf, return home. I live 2 hrs away from granddaughter and daughter, wives family, etc. Bought a nice home near beach here in NH, surf is here also, with the additional challenge of cold water surfing (which I personally like).
And I don't have to move BACK to the USA when I get tired of it. Which all humans do. Those that remain away as expats, simply cannot afford the trip back--they bought a "one-way" ticket. Unknowingly, for the most part......
Advise--be more realistic in your dreams--living in a vacation spot, and going on vacation to that same spot, are horses of a different color. Been there, done that. Caveat Emptor.

 

Interesting insights, Barry. Very. Curious as to why you chose NH....?

I owned a place in Nica. Before it was even a hole in the ground. One of the units at Hacienda Iguana, that condo bldg directly behind Playa Colorado. Spent 4+ yrs watching the Dutch developer di!ck around building my lovely 3 br, 3 ba 2nd floor condo. Nutbag Dale Dagger was my neighbor two doors down, btw.

Sold it less than a year after receiving the keys. One of the better days was when I was finally rid of that gig.

I will never own a place afar again, in the sense of a second home, whether it is in the USA or abroad.

 

Number one reason, Yankee = family.
Number 2 reasons = no income tax (financial)
Number 3 reason = surf can be real nice when we get a good swell. Surf crowds aint too bad other than summer, but even then, this ain't no surfing mecca (although Massholes think it is).
Other reasons -friends are mostly here; most NH people are assholes like myself, and last but not least, NH is my adopted home--I came here to go to College, met my bride and settled here. Quality of life here is excellent, even during the depths of winter.
I cannot complain; I have had a great life, from the start to present. I have been very lucky, very very lucky.
Why change it? ( Idid look into moving to Florida (Melbourne, Port St Lucie etc), but decide it is not for me.

 

Yes to all of that, if you are young and have funds to do so. Always leaving a door open to get home, a "return ticket" to home on the shelf ready to be grabbed and gone.
As you age, following dreams of grandeur are a fools game, especially if you leave too much behind (family, friends, wealth, etc). Were I single and no family, I would be living in a tree house, on the island I know where surf breaks and to date, is unknown. Just me and the bong, and my bimbo, of course.....

 

Hell I'm young and agree with Barry. The idea of living someplace like that seems great. But realistically I'd never do it. Maybe if my life took a turn for the worse and i had nothing to live for here at home. One of my best friends scored his dream job working for the UFC. Moved to Las Vegas about a year ago. Now he isnt a surfer so he wasn't losing surfing by moving. But he hates it. No family out there, some friends but not like the friends he has here. On paper it sounded great, dream job working in the same building as dana white and meeting all these fighters he grew up watching. But in reality, there's no place like home.

Iv played with the idea of living in the OBX ever since i first went as a 15 year old. I still think about it. And i do love it down there, but it's not NY. It's just diffrent. I don't think ill ever move off this long and beautiful island.

 

I'm originally from NY state, not 'lawn guyland.' I've always felt that it's kinda tough to live elsewhere if you grew up in NY. Reason being, there's just so much of everything that you're exposed to & you get used to, good & bad but mostly good stuff. You go elsewhere & it's a step down in nearly everything: food aspects, choices, diversity, cultural exposure, IQ.....

Not being arrogant. Have lived in London, Malibu, Connecticut, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Rochester & other places. Once a NYer always so in your soul. I don't miss it, but it is indelible.

 

This is like a mirror image of why I decided to retire in the PNW. Every single reason.

 

That's very well said! Unless I could find the PERFECT setup, living abroad is a very exotic dream but generally a passing one. What keeps me up at night, and a dream that's very realistic (for us) is RV living . I'm not talking about a rinky dink RV but the real deal. Living wherever we want, for as long as we want, during which season we want. Setting up camp in British Columbia for a month, then on to Baja, Nova Scotia, OBX, Wyoming, Alaska and so on. I don't think it would ever get old but if it did it would take a l...o...n...g time. There's so many places I want to visit and really experience for more than just a 10 day vacation. Pairing down would probably be tough but a positive change I think. My wife and I don't have a huge extended family or any kids to keep us from doing it. Hopefully it becomes a reality for us sooner than later.

 

My friend, she "retired", bought an RV, and since she was a photographer by trade, she is now travelling around, shooting lighthouses and making lighthouse calendars and paying her expenses off that, and living her dream. Sounds like fun.

 

Yeah, that would not work for me, but if you can handle the enormous amount of work in doing so, then have at it and have fun. Two things: you are correct-children change that, and dramatically so; so do grandchildren! Secondly, doing trips for 10 days, as you mentioned, and permanently are two way different experiences. Especially in retirement age group-it all gets harder. And I share that with you from the position of my being healthy and in "good shape" according to all my surfing friends.
Right now, we settled for NH. We bought a new seacoast home 2 years ago, and it is as if we are on vacation every day. My wife is extremely happy (how could she not be?? She married me!!), so life is good in the Cuda home. In need of a big surf session?? Call JetBlue when the computer tells me it is time to go. But that is getting sketchy now as my age related lung function decreases. I have to call in limits at 12-14 foot faces, I think. After all, I do want to see my 10 month old granddaughter graduate from High School and go on to college. Once that happens, I will pull the plug.

 

Posting good stuff >> Barry.

(btw, buoys, I posted a WSJ article in the wrong treade....it's how folks make money as they move around the country in t heir RVs, pretty neat stuff.....meant to post it here, it's in the 'Where Have You Lived' treade...)

 

WSJ hahahahahhhahaha, awww damn dog u rich too? Got a fountain and sheet? Some ancient statues of peeing children? Daaaaaaym no doubt cuz. A little weird but ay how else you rich folk can show the world how successful u is if not by giving out free advise and peeing naked children statues