MammaNette

Life on Tybee

As per your request on my talk page, I'll try to remember life on Tybee. It's been several years since I lived there. My perspective is this: I'm just a regular guy. I'm not wealthy or poor, somewhere in between. I love the environment but am not an activist. I don't like crowds and therefore didn't like holiday weekends or special events on the island but the day to day life was just like a small community that happened to be on an island. People seem to know each other and because the people are so often flummoxed with so many outsiders the locals tend to be a bit more friendly to other locals.

There are opportunities surrounding you from all sides on Tybee. I loved watching the container ships come in on Tybee roads to the north of the island. Such a grand spectacle for me. I was drawn to Cockspur island lighthouse due to it being out in the ocean yet so close to land. Fort Pulaski is far more informative than one would expect and played a very large part in both the Underground Railroad as well as the impetus for the Emancipation Proclamation. There is Little Tybee to the south, a bird sanctuary of sorts. Kayaking to Little Tybee is common and my only regret. I did not kayak there as I had intended. I did rent a boat at Bull River marina and rode around Little Tybee but the kayaking aspect would have been my ideal trip.

I never enjoyed fishing until I got to Tybee. There is fishing available on the main pier, the south beach pier, and at Lazaretto Creek. Lazaretto Creek was my favorite because I didn't want to catch any sharks or puffer fish in the full-on saltwaters of the other two locations. I saw a Manatee swim by once while at Lazaretto Creek and though it surprised me and startled me to a great degree it is one of my fondest memories. I took the dolphin tours offered at Bull river and though "touristy" they were well done and never got up into the dolphins' way.

There is a small grocery store on the island and one fast food place but most of the food is local. The food on Tybee is one of the best things about it. Pizza on Wheels, Cafe Loco, Crab Shack, Dolphin Reef, I could go on and on. I hated fish all my life. I hated shrimp. I hated crab. It is different when it is caught that day. The flavor is so ... what is it? I don't know, fresh, for lack of a better term. Not only could I eat it, I wanted to.

Politics on Tybee takes some getting used to. I often found the local politics to be humorous but I suppose if I had been a homeowner I'd have had a very different view entirely. I try to stay out of political matters for the most part but since they broadcast their city meetings on local tv I would watch them from time to time and just shake my head. I don't envy their jobs though since they have a small-ish community that has to brace for onslaughts of scores of thousands of people.

I'm not sure what else to tell you about it there. It is beautiful. It is hot. It is humid. I love riding my bicycle there more than anywhere on Earth. I love seeing the angry ocean. Your mileage may vary but if I were to become rich enough that cost of living meant nothing I'd be on Tybee.  :)

Hope this helps and would be happy to answer any further questions! JohnCub (talk) 00:25, 6 August 2010 (UTC)