Arrived
at Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville Beach on May 16 after a week of perfect
boating weather. We will stay here for
5-7 days visiting Debby’s Mom and sister.
Navigating
the intracoastal in Florida is like driving on I-95, boring. The stops along the way however are
interesting. We overnighted at
Titusville Municipal Marina and at Halifax River Yacht Club in Daytona. We haven’t been to either place in 5 years
and the transformation in the historic downtown areas in both is
impressive. The streets and sidewalks
have been “greenscaped” the buildings
painted, and new shops, bars, and restaurants opened. The dockmaster at Halifax is worth the trip
giving us a good history of the club that started in 1896.
St.
Augustine also proved to be a treat. We
have been there several times before,
but never enjoyed it as much as this visit.
Temperatures in the low 80s and fewer tourists have allowed us to enjoy
our walks around this very historic city first settled in 1565. We docked at the Municipal Marina at the base
of the Bridge of Lions directly in front of the city square. For added measure we were docked near the 17th
century Spanish reproduction “El Galeon” pictured below. We can highly recommend Harry’s restaurant on
St. George street as a place for lunch or dinner. Great New Orleans style food.
We walked all over town both days. Many interesting historical sites and great art galleries. Of course there are good bars as well. On Thursday night we had cocktails at the “Tini Maritni” bar in the Casablanca Inn where we met several local people. They enticed us to move on to the Hilton several doors down where one of them knew of a “secret” room. Ordered drinks at the bar then walked across their plaza, up an elevator and out onto a terrace overlooking the harbor. We suspect this area is normally reserved for private functions. But it was unlocked and we enjoyed the view and company.
We walked all over town both days. Many interesting historical sites and great art galleries. Of course there are good bars as well. On Thursday night we had cocktails at the “Tini Maritni” bar in the Casablanca Inn where we met several local people. They enticed us to move on to the Hilton several doors down where one of them knew of a “secret” room. Ordered drinks at the bar then walked across their plaza, up an elevator and out onto a terrace overlooking the harbor. We suspect this area is normally reserved for private functions. But it was unlocked and we enjoyed the view and company.
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| New found friends |
On Friday we explored more of the city. Debby, being a huge fan of Gone With The Wind, was happy that we were able to find “Scarlett O’Hara’s” tavern, a place we have visited in the past. (I think we will have to invest in a “selfie stick”).
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| At Scarlett O'Hara's |
