This sign will look familiar to those who joined me at the Third Street South Farmers Market in Old Naples last November. I recently spent a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon walking around Old Naples and this post is my interpretation of what Third Street South is all about.
When I say Old Naples, many of you on the other side of the pond will laugh because old is relative. I remember talking to a farmer in England who said his house was new – it was just a little over a hundred years old. The first residence in Naples was built in 1887 when the area could only be reached by boat. People came because of the warm weather, the beautiful beach, and excellent fishing and hunting. It was built as a resort town for rich northerners but didn’t take off until train service reached the area in 1927 and the Tamiami Trail was finished in 1928. The Tamiami Trail (US 41 or 9th Street or 5th Avenue) allowing travel through the Everglades to Miami and north to Ft. Myers and Tampa.
We have been coming here for about 30 years and remember when it was a sleepy fishing town. Now it has the amenities of a large city (which it is although the city of Naples only has about 21,000 residents) and the soul of a small town. Residents have an ambivalent attitude towards the snowbirds and tourists because we fill the streets but bring money to spend. There are a lot of languages heard while wandering around Old Naples.
Old Naples is that area between the Gulf and the Naples Bay/Gordon River where the city was first established. Third Street South is the more upscale shopping area of the two that are in Old Naples, although both need deep pockets if any serious shopping is to take place. Wandering around is free, though, so please join me on Third Street South.
Strolling together and Intimate moments
Sporty cars; Fun food
Flowers in pots; Galleries of Fine Arts
Fine foods under an umbrella
Architectural detail to delight the eyes
High-end shopping; Conciergerie helping
Keeping the old; Making it new
Sculptures and Fountains
Rest over lunch; Talk over drinks
A New Day: Living Life Almost Gracefully 