Mar
1
Things to do in St. Augustine, FL
Filed Under St. Augustine | 4 Comments
Living in the area, we sometimes forget that St. Augustine is a destination for visitors from the area and vacationers. But, sometimes I like to take a step back and give readers some actual value for stopping by. That’s right, I do it all for you!
Here’s 5 cool things to do in St. Augustine:
Castillo de San Marcos
The Castillo de San Marcos was built by the Spanish to protect the city of St. Augustine, and was never defeated in battle. Today, it serves as a national historical monument and is open to tours year-round. We’ve been there a number of times, and I even proposed to my wife in one of the lookout towers. Very interesting, and the time goes by faster than you expect. You can wander the fort or take an interpretive tour with a Ranger.
Take a ride on Ripley’s Sightseeing Trains
This is a great way to see the city, and an even better way to get around the city. Parking can be difficult in the old section, so Ripley’s Sightseeing Trains allow you unlimited on/off privileges at stops all over town. Better yet, a ticket is good for 3 days, so you can keep the car parked while in St. Augustine and use the sightseeing train to get around. We did this as part of a mystery shopping assignment, and enjoyed every minute.
Carriage Rides
As you walk along Avenida Menendez and the Matanzas Bay, you will see a number of horse-drawn carriages available for hire. Another nice way to get around town, albeit a bit more expensive (and shorter!) than a sightseeing train. But, infinitely more classy and romantic. My wife hired one for our wedding, and was picked up with her mother and sister and carried to the venue wearing her wedding dress. Afterward, we were carried away and had a leisurely ride around town until dropped at our B&B for the wedding night.
First Friday Artwalk
I’ve written about the First Friday Artwalk previously; On the first Friday and Saturday every month, participating galleries offer tours that start at 5 p.m. There are complementary shuttles from St. Augustine Sightseeing Trains and Old Town Trolley Tours if you’d like to ride between stops on the Artwalk. Galleries have exhibits that include local artists, including painting, photography, and music. Dates for the remainder of 2008 are:
March 7th | April 4th | May 2nd | June 6th | July 4th | Aug. 1st | Sept. 5th | Oct. 3rd | Nov. 7th | Dec. 5th
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is a favorite attraction for the kids. My family has been there many times, and the kids are always fascinated by the feeding show. In true Pavlovian fashion, the alligators congregate just below the feeding platform when they see a park worker step into view. The worker throws chunks of meat down to the gators, who jump, scoot, and swim to get their share. There’s plenty more to see besides alligators, though, and most people find something of interest.
Dec
7
Florida Memorabilia
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Florida memorabilia and collectibles are hot right now.
Nov
25
First Friday Artwalk in St. Augustine
Filed Under Interesting | 1 Comment
This is the best time of year in St. Augustine. The weather is beautiful and the city does a great job of decorating with Night of Lights. There are also activities every single weekend, and one of the cool things to do is the St. Augustine Artwalk.
On the first Friday and Saturday every month, over 20 participating galleries offer tours that start at 5 p.m. There are complementary shuttles in the form of St. Augustine Sightseeing Trains and Old Town Trolley Tours if you’d like to ride between stops on the Artwalk. Galleries have exhibits that include local artists, including painting, photography, and music.
The schedule for the next few months is as follows:
- Dec. 7th and 8th
Jan. 4th and 5th
Feb. 1st and 2nd
March 7th and 8th
The First Friday Weekend Art Walk is another great reason to visit the city of St. Augustine. The weather this time of year is fantastic, the shops are stocked, the bed-and-breakfast inns are decorated for the holidays, and the romance levels are high. It’s no surprise that it was the weekend before Christmas that I proposed to my wife in St. Augustine.
Ok, maybe you unmarried guys might want to keep your girlfriends away…
Nov
1
Uptown Saturday Night in St. Augustine
Filed Under Family, Interesting, St. Augustine | Leave a Comment
You know I love writing about St. Augustine events almost as much as I love going to them. I think I’m going to have to do some “optimizing” to make it easier to find those kind of posts, because my category system is a mess.
Anyway, the last Saturday night in each month is now Uptown Saturday Night, an event put on in St. Augustine that features street music, antiques shopping, book signing, art galleries, and exhibits in a party-like atmosphere along San Marco Avenue. Each of the participating shops features an open house with refreshments. Free parking is provided at the Mission of Nombre de Dios, one of my favorite spots for peaceful relaxing (don’t worry, the parking lot is away from the peaceful relaxing!).
According to their schedule, Uptown Saturday Night is scheduled out through 2008, so mark the last Saturday of each month on your calendar and plan to attend from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The next event is November 24th, and you know you’ll be looking to get out of the house in the middle of the long Thanksgiving weekend (with or without those pesky visitors from up north… or maybe you’re one of those pesky visitors - sorry!). St. Augustine has tons of interesting and unique restaurants and places to get adult beverages, so this will make a for a great night out.
Technorati Tags: st. augustine, uptown saturday night
Oct
29
Florida Nature Photographer
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Wow.
I like to Stumble through photos. I hit a Florida Nature Photographer Sunday night that just blew me away. His images were so vivid and so unique. I’m not posting any here out of respect for his copyright (there are a couple I’d dearly love to post, though), because these photos are truly works of art. My favorite is in his “Recent Work” category, and is titled “What Lurks Beneath”. Be sure to check out his Journal of Light slideshow, too.
Oct
29
The coolest place to go trick-or-treating around Jacksonville
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We’re making our Halloween plans, figuring out where the best candy will be. There’s a nice neighborhood up the road that has a killer feature: The house of one of the guys that run the Robot Costume company. Last year’s display was awesome, scared the bejeebers out of the kids!
Here’s a link to an article in last year’s paper about their home.
Yeah, we’re those people - the ones that don’t live in your neighborhood but bring their kids around at Halloween. Busted. In our defense, though, we live back in the woods, no streetlights, houses set way back and far apart. Just not safe for the kids, and it kind of creeps me out at night, too.
Oct
17
Greek Festival, St. Augustine, FL
Filed Under St. Augustine | 4 Comments
I first heard about the Greek Festival last year, from a young coworker who was performing as a dancer. I wasn’t able to make it then, but when I saw the notice about it this year, I made special plans to attend. It was held this past weekend, October 12-14.
We arrived around 6:30 pm on Saturday night and had the benefit of chamber-of-commerce weather - gorgeous, breezy, no humidity, still shorts-weather, but not hot at all. There was a $2 charge for adults, kids were free. There was an area for the kids to play, just a couple arm-breakers (inflatable jump rooms), and some table games. This was the only part of the place that was a bit overpriced - $5 for 6 tickets, and it cost 3 tickets to go into an arm-breaker. $2.50 per is a bit pricey, in my opinion.
There were a number of tents with artwork and crafts of the quality you would normally see at art festivals in these parts, with most being fairly reasonably priced. The vendors were definitely exhausted by the evening, with most content to sit in chairs in the back of their tent and let us window-shop.
The food was definitely the highlight, though! I enjoyed a great gyro, and immediately regretted not springing $12 for the platter of entree foods. Yum! While we ate, a band played greek music and the people attending danced traditional greek dances. The atmosphere was great, everyone was having a good time, and we even ran into people we knew so we had company to enjoy while we ate.
We missed the performances late in the evening due to a tired child, but stopped at the dessert booth on the way out to grab some baklava, my wife’s favorite greek dessert. She tells me it was wonderful.
Oct
11
Only in FLA: St. Johns County Commissioner Threatens Old Man With Forcible Sodomy
Filed Under Florida Government, Only in FLA, St. Augustine | 4 Comments
Wow. I don’t have a clue what drove St. John’s County Commissioner Ben Rich to jump on this guy. For all I know, Bud Markel could be the biggest jerk on the planet. What isn’t in doubt is that it’s pretty inappropriate to threaten a citizen with anal rape.
Let’s go to the tape: Ben Rich vs. Bud Markel
Really? Let’s say everything Ben Rich is saying about Bud Markel is true. Let’s say Bud Markel really is a liar. I don’t know that, but for the sake of argument, let’s say Ben Rich is 100% accurate in his opinion.
Is it still ok for an elected official to threaten a citizen, a SENIOR CITIZEN with assault? Is it ok for an elected official to threaten a citizen with forcible sodomy? Is it ok for anyone at least 20 years younger than the Bud Markel to threaten him with assault?
I suppose with Larry “Bud” Melman in the grave, Commissioner School Bully Ben Rich had to move on to the next oldest guy he could find.
Oct
5
I remember when St. Augustine was cool
Filed Under St. Augustine | 7 Comments
It was a while ago. A lifetime, really. Back when it was unique and had flavor. I even proposed to my wife in a lookout tower on top of the Castillo de San Marcos.
A while back the local government passed an ordinance to get rid of sidewalk vendors and performance artists. Local businesses hated them, because they competed for tourist dollars and tourist eyeballs, and created clogs of people on St. George Street, a foot-traffic only stretch of shops in historic buildings.
I can understand their point: They’re paying big bucks to own or lease space for their store selling paintings and pictures, while some guy can sit down on the sidewalk outside of their door and set up an easel and start whipping out paintings for the locals. Hardly seems fair, except that it IS a public thoroughfare.
I always enjoyed that stuff. I never spent any money because I never saw anything I had to have, but I did drop a buck in a guitar case from time to time. I was also approached by panhandlers, but I just say “no” and they walk away, no hassle. No big deal.
But, it feels like the place is changing. The sidewalk artists are gone, the musicians are gone, and all we’re left with is shopping and restaurants. Hardly unique. The city pays people to dress in period costume and provide information to tourists, but issued a citation to a one-legged man dressed as a pirate that was charging $2 for a picture.
Really? Was he holding them down, forcing them to take pictures of him, then grabbing $2 from their wallets? Why can’t the tourists decide if they want to pay $2 for a picture?
Oct
4
What I learned from The Tequila Guy
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I thought I knew tequila, It comes in a bottle, has a distinct odor, burns on the way down, and I have to watch out for the worm. What else is there?
I learned from The Tequila Guy that the Mexican governemnt actually certifies tequila to ensure it is made from at least 51% blue agave sugars and needs to come from one of these five Mexican states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas, and the most important part (to me!), has no less than 38 percent alcohol by volume.
To say this guy knows his tequila is a massive understatement. At his site, you can look up descriptions of over 700 tequilas - I thought tequila was tequila was tequila - who knew there were so many varieties? There is also a directory of restaurants notable for their tequila offerings, as well as tequila recipes. Finally, if you’re hooked on tequila, there is a forum where you can chat with other tequila aficianados.
Check it out.
