There are always different points in your life where you will end up moving. Whether it be because of military, work, college or even just because. Personally, I've moved multiple times due to my famIly, but I've always had one favorite place. My favorite place was an Island.
Right before I started my freshman year of high school, my mom and I moved to Coronado, CA, in order for me to attend the performing arts high school. It was an amazing place to be, but i quickly found out that there were many advantages and disadvantages to living on an island.
Advantage:
Everything was so close that you barely had to walk very far to get what you needed. My house was only five minutes away from the beach. School was just a 10 minute walk. I even got to leave my campus to go get food from the local restaurants for lunch everyday.
Disadvantage:
Parking was horrid. Half of the time you could only parallel park or you had a parking meter. Don't even get me started on holidays. Parking was even worse, there were even time where you could barely find any open spots. Then you would have random people parking in front of your house.
Advantage:
It was small enough you knew everyone. You wouldn't be able to walk down the street or go to the store without running into somebody that you knew. I swear I always saw someone when I was out with friends or running errands.
Disadvantage:
You knew everyone. There were always people around, so you never would be able to be anywhere without running into someone. Even if I was just trying to run a quick errand, I would usually get caught up in conversation with someone.
Advantage:
The sights were always beautiful. You could never go wrong with a beautiful sunset. A fun exploration of the Hotel Del Coronado was always a fun sight to visit every once in a while. My personal favorite was all of the houses. There are so many beautiful houses that are so amazing, especially at Christmas. It was beautiful.
Disadvantage:
There were always tourists. Throughout the whole year tourists would be on the island, but summer was the worst. During the summer the island got overrun by the tourists and it was everyone's least favorite season because the island got so crowded.
Advantage:
As long as you knew someone with a military I.D. you could always get "on base." It was always a fun time when we could get "on base" and go bowling or go see a movie. Even just walking around was interesting, and you never knew what new ship was coming into port.
Disadvantage:
The main, and one of only ways off of the island, is only five lanes and switches between two and three lanes on each side. The traffic was horrid all the time, especially when there was an accident; it could take over two hour to get over the Coronado bridge.
Even though there were many advantages/ disadvantages to living on an island, I have to admit, it was one of my favorite places to live. I love being able to go back and visit whenever I am home and I couldn't have asked for a better place to call home. Even if it was only for a couple of years, Coronado, CA will always have a place in my heart.
