It begins...

Our little historic seaside village is idyllic and quiet 9 months out of the year.  We enjoy a really great quality of life here. 

But Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer tourist season here where the population doubles or triples for 3 months.  We're just over 100 miles from Washington DC so we get a lot of beach vacationers from the metro DC area as well as from MD, PA, NJ, and NY.

Lots of locals dread this weekend and the traffic congestion and restaurant lines that come along with it.  Its true that we have to double the amount of time it takes to get places, especially on the weekends, due to the traffic.  But if you've ever lived in the metro DC area you'll hardly bat an eye at the traffic congestion here.  As I've said many times "Even the worst traffic here is better than an average day in DC".

But I don't dread this weekend at all!  I understand that the tourist dollars from these 3 months are the reason we have the variety and quantity of restaurants and stores we get to enjoy year round.  I also like the energy that the tourists bring.  They're on vacation, they're happy!

So today I say "Welcome!" to the start of the summer tourist season, and "Welcome!" to the tourists too.  I hope they enjoy themselves and come back again and again.