February 26, 2020 Hilton Head Island SC.
I started this piece at Cool Cats Lounge over a year ago and kept putting it aside, Well I decided to complete it except now with a year and a half under my belt here on Hilton Head. This is my comparison of my former home on Staten Island and my new home of Hilton Head Island. The only things in common between these two places is the fact that they are both islands. both shaped like shoes and are close in size and shape.
Climate
Obviously being in the South, the weather will be different. Right now at 8:30 PM it is 61 degrees on HHI for February 24th. This winter I can honestly say with my warm Sicilian blood, I needed my jacket liner 2 day and last year only once. It is funny to be in a t-shirt at 60 degrees and see people bundled up like the frozen tundra. I do not miss the snow, ice or the shoveling of it.
People
Staten Island has a cross section of people from all over the world and all ages. Recent immigrants from the Middle East and Western African nations have settled, Hilton Head has its senior retirees on the north end, tourists on the south end and a few its families. As for minorities, we have Latino and southern blacks but really little Asian and virtually no middle easterners. with the seniors, I do not know how these 70+ seniors made it. They just cross in front and behind cars like they do not exist. In NYC, three crossing against the light is called “making the 7,9,10 pin split. Another observation I have noticed is they walk like the walking dead if they are in front of you but if a check out lane opens, they become Carl Lewis and Florence Johnson.
Another thing New Yorkers have to get use to is saying “good morning and hello at least 100x a day. People don’t understand that sometimes we from NY just like quiet and not asked too many invasive questions by strangers. One night in Cool Cats a guy started talking to me and the first thing out of his mouth was “what do you do?” I promptly replied, “mind my own business”. He was dumbfounded until a smiled at him. Sometimes I tell people I am in the witness protection program and now I have to move again.
With it being 2020 and so many northerners here, no one call me Yankee. Well SD and Watts refer to me as NY John to their friends and family.
Food
Both places have amazing food but HHI has a gross lack of decent Chinese take out that delivers. Adding insult to injury is the food is more expensive and they tack on delivered charges and you have to tip. I just don’t do it anymore. Savannah had good Chinese and HHI has a Japanese hibachi place which very good but is a treat more than a regular routine. On Staten Island, I was getting Chinese 2x a week. My 12 year old daughter loves the way they cook in front you at the hibachi restaurant . No good bagels (the water sucks in SC) and I miss good pizza delivery. Pizza is expensive because it comes from regular restaurants so you pay sit down prices, then delivery and tip adds another $8.
Now I get cheap oysters here during happy hour compared to $3 a piece at South Beach SI. The seafood is awesome as expected and BBQ and great wings can be found. In Savannah it is hard to get a bad meal and there are many different and eclectic restaurants. I want to do a piece down the road on my favorite Savannah places. The bars are different here as well. In NY, a regular customer gets buy backs after 2 or 3. Here it does not happen as if the space-time continuum would rip open in a paradox if a freebie is given. I couple of my friends sometimes “forget” to charge me or make my drinks 2x as strong but having White Claw makes it difficult. I have given up beer and high carb drinks for vodka and club soda. I do miss Nurenburger and my West Brighton haunts and will visit in June when I have to go back on family business.
Traffic
The traffic in NY is horrendous all the time. Here on HHI it is more predictable. Avoid the bridge coming onto the Island on Saturdays during tourist season. Traffic to get off get a bit heavy after 3 pm. At night, it is totally dead. I can come home late and see one car. The risk of deer and raccoons are worse. I don’t speed here. The cops here are not like the NYPD where they need to write tickets and play “gotcha”. I have met several officers and the county Sheriff who has better things to do to wait for a seat belt or stupid violation. Bluffton is strict with DWI’s so I don’t got there much and I behave when I am driving and don’t overindulge. With only 50 officers in the county, they concentrate on more important issues. The people here do drive like morons and most accidents are caused by people assuming the other guy will stop.
Politics
I left NY and its liberal agenda for a red state. Of course the kiss of death that I am, as soon as I move here, the 40 year streak of a republican congressman from the 1st distinct in SC flips blue. The gal running was over confident and the Democrats did a better job of getting people to the polls. It will change this time I think. I am not going to comment on the local government at this time but they seem self serving as are most politicians. This is true of both parties.
I will update more later as I will be starting my job as a substitute teacher tomorrow at the middle school here. 7th grade science and second period I will have my daughter in the class. God help me!!!!
John Scarso HHI
Yankee in Dixie 