Myrtle Beach seems super chill and the anti NYC. It seems like a fantasy to me even though it might be depressing to you. The prospect of people just allowing themselves to become losers without some sort of junkie crisis is literally the opposite of what folks come here for.
Here in NY we are deep in history and cease to be Protestant. We lose our optimism and American dream. Perhaps Myrtle Beach is the optimal balm for the old and jaded New Yorker.
As always I appreciate your observations and perspectives. To my mind, Myrtle Beach has always been an inexpensive place to play golf either in retirement of as part of an outing. I do have two points I would like to embellish on.
Having grown up and lived in the mid-Atlantic most of my life I moved to Charleston/Kiawah about five years ago (and now live outside of San Antonio TX). I had always assumed the school calendar was pretty much standardized in the country with a labor day start only to learn that schools in the south go back in early to mid-August (my hypothesis is the ubiquity of air conditioning in schools compared to the Northeast). Kiawah's tourist season pretty much ended the second week in August.
My take on Georgetown is different than yours. It is a very nice small town. The steel mill is never coming back and likely to be an eyesore forever but the paper industry should survive nicely. Its atmosphere I would posit is due to just inland being a winter home for the horse set. It keeps the nice boutiques and restaurants with more of a year round clientele. The more interesting contrast for Myrtle Beach in my view is to go north to Wilmington, NC. That town, which has its vacation beaches to the north of downtown, remains a fascinating blend of still being a very gritty port town, a college town, being the northern edge of the retirement zone.
This hit home with me, having spent a week there in June (me, my wife, our 3-yo son, my mom, and mom's best friend). You're spot on regarding the trinket stores; the stuff they sell is low quality and for the most part isn't going to be touched again by the buyer once they've gone back home.
As far as the rest of the trip, I don't think it was so bad (but of course, there were plenty of kids and families there in June). It's probably possible to have a wholesome trip there, if you fill your schedule so tightly with activities that you can easily avoid the impulse shopping.
One other thought: for someone who lives inland in the Greater South, wants to own an oceanfront vacation home within a reasonable (say 6-7 hours) drive, and isn't rich, Myrtle Beach is pretty much the only choice. The rest of the coast is either inaccessible barrier islands, or places like Hilton Head and St. Simons Island that are forbiddingly expensive.
I love walking through the world with you. As a Sandlapper (South Carolinian), we vacationed annually at Myrtle Beach and later at quieter Ocean Drive. In the sixties, I recall my mother taking me to the small downtown you mentioned. Tap water then had a bit of a saline taste, and I got a welcome cold Coke at the drugstore fountain.
I’m thinking you would find Tennessee’s Pigeon Forge similar but even worse. Nearby Gatlinburg might be a bit better with interesting people-watching, but you would have a hard time of getting ten miles in.
Your walk here reminds me of why I dislike malls in general, even affluent ones that are supposed to be all a human could ever dream of buying. You'll have a great time in Istanbul, I'm sure, given the contrast. Seeing the Blue Mosque 25 years ago moved me very much, much more than did Hagia Sophia. Probably because it was a living, breathing place of worship still.
Yeah. I prefer the smaller, "still used" mosques to the Hagia Sophia. There are so many of them in Istanbul, which is partly why it's such a magical place.
Myrtle Beach proper is a depressing place, but the South Strand; Surfside Beach & Garden City Beach and especially Murrell’s Inlet are wonderful. An evening on The Murrell’s Inlet Marshwalk is as pleasant as it gets. The suburbs, Carolina Forest and the neighborhoods around Hwy’s 707 & 31 are great. True Ocean Blvd Myrtle Beach has been abandoned but the rest of the area is only getting better. 544 and the area around Coastal Carolina University has transformed in the last 20 years and now has a real college town feel. Aside from Top Golf and Broadway at The Beach the best way to enjoy the Grand Strand is to go to all the parts that don’t have Myrtle Beach in the name.
Myrtle Beach seems super chill and the anti NYC. It seems like a fantasy to me even though it might be depressing to you. The prospect of people just allowing themselves to become losers without some sort of junkie crisis is literally the opposite of what folks come here for.
Here in NY we are deep in history and cease to be Protestant. We lose our optimism and American dream. Perhaps Myrtle Beach is the optimal balm for the old and jaded New Yorker.
Shout out to Hull. I lived there for 5 years. I cannot compare it to Myrtle Beach but it has a history and a presence.
Hull remains a vibrant place because it is a port town, home of Amy Johnson the famous female aviator, and it has a university.
"Like a former beauty queen who can no longer hide their decline with makeup, botox, and the right light." Ouch!
As always I appreciate your observations and perspectives. To my mind, Myrtle Beach has always been an inexpensive place to play golf either in retirement of as part of an outing. I do have two points I would like to embellish on.
Having grown up and lived in the mid-Atlantic most of my life I moved to Charleston/Kiawah about five years ago (and now live outside of San Antonio TX). I had always assumed the school calendar was pretty much standardized in the country with a labor day start only to learn that schools in the south go back in early to mid-August (my hypothesis is the ubiquity of air conditioning in schools compared to the Northeast). Kiawah's tourist season pretty much ended the second week in August.
My take on Georgetown is different than yours. It is a very nice small town. The steel mill is never coming back and likely to be an eyesore forever but the paper industry should survive nicely. Its atmosphere I would posit is due to just inland being a winter home for the horse set. It keeps the nice boutiques and restaurants with more of a year round clientele. The more interesting contrast for Myrtle Beach in my view is to go north to Wilmington, NC. That town, which has its vacation beaches to the north of downtown, remains a fascinating blend of still being a very gritty port town, a college town, being the northern edge of the retirement zone.
This hit home with me, having spent a week there in June (me, my wife, our 3-yo son, my mom, and mom's best friend). You're spot on regarding the trinket stores; the stuff they sell is low quality and for the most part isn't going to be touched again by the buyer once they've gone back home.
As far as the rest of the trip, I don't think it was so bad (but of course, there were plenty of kids and families there in June). It's probably possible to have a wholesome trip there, if you fill your schedule so tightly with activities that you can easily avoid the impulse shopping.
One other thought: for someone who lives inland in the Greater South, wants to own an oceanfront vacation home within a reasonable (say 6-7 hours) drive, and isn't rich, Myrtle Beach is pretty much the only choice. The rest of the coast is either inaccessible barrier islands, or places like Hilton Head and St. Simons Island that are forbiddingly expensive.
I love walking through the world with you. As a Sandlapper (South Carolinian), we vacationed annually at Myrtle Beach and later at quieter Ocean Drive. In the sixties, I recall my mother taking me to the small downtown you mentioned. Tap water then had a bit of a saline taste, and I got a welcome cold Coke at the drugstore fountain.
I’m thinking you would find Tennessee’s Pigeon Forge similar but even worse. Nearby Gatlinburg might be a bit better with interesting people-watching, but you would have a hard time of getting ten miles in.
Did you go jet skiing with Kenny Powers from Eastbound and Down?
Your walk here reminds me of why I dislike malls in general, even affluent ones that are supposed to be all a human could ever dream of buying. You'll have a great time in Istanbul, I'm sure, given the contrast. Seeing the Blue Mosque 25 years ago moved me very much, much more than did Hagia Sophia. Probably because it was a living, breathing place of worship still.
Yeah. I prefer the smaller, "still used" mosques to the Hagia Sophia. There are so many of them in Istanbul, which is partly why it's such a magical place.
Myrtle Beach proper is a depressing place, but the South Strand; Surfside Beach & Garden City Beach and especially Murrell’s Inlet are wonderful. An evening on The Murrell’s Inlet Marshwalk is as pleasant as it gets. The suburbs, Carolina Forest and the neighborhoods around Hwy’s 707 & 31 are great. True Ocean Blvd Myrtle Beach has been abandoned but the rest of the area is only getting better. 544 and the area around Coastal Carolina University has transformed in the last 20 years and now has a real college town feel. Aside from Top Golf and Broadway at The Beach the best way to enjoy the Grand Strand is to go to all the parts that don’t have Myrtle Beach in the name.