AchillesDev t1_itlj8oa wrote on October 24, 2022 at 3:16 PM

Reply to comment by link0612 in This past Saturday, Salem was full by 11 a.m. Here's what it's like to live there in October. by zsreport

Never lived in a tourist town I take it. Locals can’t stand tourists because, even if many work in service and benefit from tourism, they make day to day life hell during the tourist season, decrease quality of life, increase pollution, etc. Local governments don’t build up infrastructure to accommodate tourists, the only people enriched by it (since local service workers tend to make peanuts and can barely make ends meet) are a few shitty business owners, and tourism is a poor, sporadic source of tax income anyways, the benefits rarely outweigh the costs for the average person.

Source: lived in a Florida beach resort town from middle school until college.

TheFlabbs t1_itlmme2 wrote on October 24, 2022 at 3:39 PM

Spot on. I lived in St. Augustine for a while and that place’s tourism is hell. I, a local resident, felt like a tourist attraction as they’d stare at me from the stupid tour trollies. There was just… so much of them… all littering, using up the place like an amusement park, having no regard for anything but themselves. It was honestly horrible. So glad I got out of there

AchillesDev t1_itmgpqq wrote on October 24, 2022 at 6:53 PM

Yep, I lived just a little north from there, just off Amelia Island. It has a similar problem to Salem too where there aren't many ways to and from the island itself (just 2 roads, and only one is really used that much).

TheFlabbs t1_itmjg4a wrote on October 24, 2022 at 7:11 PM

I think I have legitimate PTSD from being forced to work a retail job in downtown St. Aug during tourist season so that I could afford the obscene rent in the area. It has actually affected my ability to work retail jobs since. It never ends in that city either - you finish the summer weather, they disappear for two months then everyone would come flooding back in for Nights of Lights and shit up the place. Even in those two months, nobody shuts up about it being around the corner so there is never a true break. Even just typing this causes my body to stiffen up with how unbelievably difficult that time was on me, I wouldn’t wish those tourists upon anybody

Obligatory fuck Janice Brown Realty

saintdanakscully t1_itlr9nr wrote on October 24, 2022 at 4:09 PM

Yup, I used to work in this Salem tourist crush when I lived there and it was hell ever year with each one only getting worse. My pay didn’t increase for all that work but we served hundreds a day at a small cafe when usually we wouldn’t see half of that.

For those wondering October is not the only time it gets busy like this. I’d wager Halloween Time is from August to beginning of November and then the second warm weather hits, it starts up again.

seenameangreenbean t1_itmxo16 wrote on October 24, 2022 at 8:42 PM

Salem is not a nice place to live at all. I think you explained it better than I ever could. I tried in another comment but you did a much better job.