{"id":1066,"date":"2022-01-03T10:56:49","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T15:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1066"},"modified":"2022-01-03T11:04:32","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T16:04:32","slug":"st-simons-dispatch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1066","title":{"rendered":"St. Simons Dispatch"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I have mixed feelings about being back on St. Simons for the winter. The weather has been splendid with temperatures in the 70s and 80s and plenty of sun. Who could complain, it\u2019s winter. Still, there\u2019s a nagging sense that all is not well in paradise.<\/p>\n

It was over two years ago at this time that I watched the first news of the coronavirus starting on the west coast and the announcement of its first victim. As Yogi Berra would say, \u201cit\u2019s deja vu all over again,\u201d with the new Omicron virus. Like most, I thought back then, that the virus would make its run and be over in a couple of months. The rest is history, as the saying goes.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the traffic and congestion on the island have gone up significantly as the island has attracted more permanent residents and visitors. People increasingly complain about the difficulty of getting around. The local newspaper frequently has letters and news pointing to traffic snarls and access to the island. The newly built roundabouts are controversial and seem to offer little help.<\/p>\n

Residential construction abounds and real estate prices have skyrocketed. It\u2019s a great time to sell; not so good to buy. A home on Sea Island (joining St. Simons) sold for $27.5 million this past year with home prices going up 17%. On St. Simons, some homes that sold for $300-400,000 are now on the market for over $900,000.<\/p>\n

Restaurants, some recently new, are open and full of people and the bars are shoulder to shoulder. The tourist seasons are less and less discernible as visitors appear to come year around. St. Simons has become increasingly popular for second homes, retirement and a getaway for Atlantans and growing numbers of snowbirds who want to avoid the neon flash of Florida.<\/p>\n

Interestingly perhaps, all of this has played out against the two year pandemic which has shown no signs of abating. \u201cWhat pandemic\u201d is the attitude on the island with crowds jamming businesses and few masks in sight. Local residents have resumed their normal social lives holding parties and going out to civic events.<\/p>\n

For my part, I\u2019m still replaying the first surges of the pandemic in my mind and coming to grips with the recent need to plot strategy to get around the island at the \u201crush hours.\u201d<\/p>\n