Travel Blog

Writing about Larry David yesterday I realized of course that he is not alone. Many writers who live outside Florida make fun of Florida. Some, like David, find ways to trash Florida in pieces that have nothing to do with Florida. Our license plates should read "The Punching Bag State."

It was not always like this. Florida used to attract writers - Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop - who captured its particular beauty in their writing. But they were drawn to nature, not the man-made. Florida is that rare place that has become more ridiculed as it's become more civilized.