The Sunshine State Lifestyle Party Vs. The Golden State
Bars on the beach – as in on the beach – drinking beers allowed on the beaches and bars that don’t have to close at 2 a.m.
And a more relaxed attitude.
These are all reasons (but not all of them) why Florida has better bars and nightlife than California.
The Sunshine State is margaritas, boat drinks and Jimmy Buffett. The Golden State is wineries, restaurants with names like Steak + Fish House and Snoop Dogg. It harder to let your hair down when you’re wearing $300 shoes instead of flip flops.
But really, it’s all about the people. In the Sunshine State, there’s more of a casual mindset. There are less rules and regulations. And far less attorneys ready to pounce on businesses when somebody does something stupid.
That’s why you can drink on the beaches in Florida, why there are things such as a floating tiki bar in harbors, why last call is not until after 2:30 in the morning and why beach cities can have dozens of bars without having a city council screaming “we want a family beach atmosphere!”
In the Golden State, things are much more proper. The people are more prudish, more stylish and more conscious of the latest trends.
In Florida, they seem to encourage drinking. Check out the menus in the bars and restaurants; they are always colorful and fun and make you say, “I want that big drink!” In California, things are done to discourage drinking; the menus are comparatively boring and quite often the prices make you say “well I’ll only have one drink here.”
It’s also much harder to find dirt-cheap drinks in California than it is in Florida. I had one bar owner in the Florida Keys tell me that if he charged more than $3 for a beer then his customers would go elsewhere. And in the Keys, the places that serve $3 beers are as common as the humidity.
“People are so cheap here,” he said, “because they are so used to drinking cheap.”
Good luck finding a $3 beer anywhere in California.
And when you have cheap drinks, you have more of a party atmosphere.
California does have the weather, which beats the pants off what they have in Florida. But when it come to the all-out party and nightlife scene, the Sunshine State shines brighter than it does in the Golden State.
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