My Secchi Disk

So heading east out of New Orleans towards Montgomery, Alabama, everything is fine through St. Louis Bay, Mississippi...

Until Laila happens to glance at the map...

... and notices how close we are to Florida, a state neither of us had ever been to. Not just Florida, but Seaside Florida. For those unfamiliar, Seaside is the Mecca of the urban design movement called New Urbanism, which I'm slightly obssessed with. (It is also the setting of the movie The Truman Show, which can be read as a critique of New Urbanism.)

So after a nice lunch in Freeport....

... we finally see ocean.

We arrive in Seaside about an hour before sunset.

New Urbanism attempts to sell folks "community" in the layout of their streets and front porches. The idea is good. The attempt at suburban reform is good. But I have yet to see a place where it has worked. People do talk to their neighbors more, they do get around by bicycles and walking, but the claims to reduced commutes/dependence on automobiles and increased diversity are unfounded. Much of the "community" created is due to advertising which brings in people who are looking for exactly that and open to it. Not a bad thing, but it can't all be attributed to design. Reliance on autos is not reduced because the people who can afford to live in these trendy towns have high-level jobs in real cities, and the people who work the few service jobs in the town can't afford to live there, so must commute in. Hence, no diversity.

It was actually quite freaky to be there. You really got that Truman Show feel from the town. Everyone was perfect. They all had 2 children, aged about 5 and 8, who all looked exactly the same, blond, tan, freckled, same haircut, mothers wearing sandals and brand-new pastel summerwear. Ghislaine was so freaked out and uncomfortable that she refused to spend a penny there, so we didn't.

People were actually using the "commons" in the center of town, kids playing together and such...

But when we attempted to hit the beach...

....a sign informed us that due to the "fragile beach ecosystem" and risk of erosion, beach access was restricted to "Seaside residents and their guests". Being ever law-abiding, we left immediately:

At least we were allowed to shop!

After a convenience-store salvaged dinner on the beach, consisting mostly of Everything But The... ice cream, we headed to our first and last camping experience of the trip, in Grayson Beach.

Settling in for the night, we discovered that algae is actually good for the hair:

But the environment wasn't ammenable to sleeping. Unbearably hot, and mosquito-ridden, Ghislaine's first camping experience was less than enticing.

(Stay tuned for the final road trip installment coming when I have the time!)