Leisureville Intro

Q. Tell me something good about The Villages.

A. Well, one of the funniest things is the Villagers’ obsession with being in the Guinness Book of World Records. They did the largest simultaneous electric slide; they did the world’s largest golf-cart parade; and they just missed having the world’s largest simultaneous kazoo band.

I really enjoyed the people down there. They were a lot of fun. And I can understand why they want to live this way—they’ve found community. A lot of children can breathe a sigh of relief because their parents are there and they know they’re in good hands.

Q. What would you say if your parents moved down there?

A. Well, it’d certainly be nice to be able to visit someone in a warm climate! No, it wouldn’t happen; my parents are more into culture than into golf.

Look, the people in The Villages—they’re good people, and it’s not against the law. But we need to have a debate. This shouldn’t just happen. There’s nothing in the media about it, nothing; all you see is a few real estate puff pieces. All I want to do is raise the debate.

Check out an excerpt from Leisureville about Blechman’s first day in The Villages. Then visit our Sound Off page to share your thoughts on age-segregated housing.