Lots to know and see in St Augustine, Florida. Once you’re there you may suddenly wish you had come sooner. There's Astounding food, lots of shopping, and a history that stretches so far back that I can’t even begin to cut you a slice. So I won’t try, except to note the coming and going of Spanish and French armies. And by the way, St Augustine lays claim to being the oldest city in the United States.
Instead of talking history until your pants are wet, I’ll settle with giving you a way to spend a lovely afternoon. You see, I’m just not the kind of tourist who likes to jump off and back on the tourist bus, thinking, well I saw lots of stuff and the beer was cold and my wife bought some slacks and Spanish perfume for her cousin.
Yes, there is a huge Spanish fort overlooking the harbor, but that’s for another day and no they don’t sell perfume
But, let’s get to the Lightner Museum, which is huge, but not as large as the once magnificent Hotel Alcazar, only a portion of which is the Lightner. The Hotel Alcazar, often noted as a hotel of The Golden Age, commissioned by Standard Oil executive Henry Flagler, opened in 1888 and closed in 1931, then sat for some time, kept from falling apart by St Augustine’s largesse. The museum opened in 1948, founded by Otto C. Lightner, 1887-1950, to house his collections. Yes, he owned the hotel and mansions here and there
I’ll give you a few tidbits and photos of the museum, but not nearly enough for you to hop back on the bus and go shopping for slacks. The museum is several floors, with lovely antique furniture from around the world, never ending exquisite art, and architectural wonders, not to mention giving you outstanding views of the landscape of St. Augustine.
Yes, you cheapskate, it does cost to get in! About the same as two beers at a nice bar.
Ladies this is a woman's body! To hell with skinny! Men's bellies is a different story.
The indoor swimming pool was 12 feet deep in
one end and 3 feet in the other. Now the
swimming pool is gone. Restaurant is here now.
Now that I’ve gotten you though the fabulous Lightner Museum, time to enjoy a lovely lunch at Harry’s Seafood, New Orleans style. Be seated on a lovely patio, surrounded by trees and exotic florals. Grab some beer if you must, although for lunch in the sunshine, my taste buds fancy white wine. A gentleman and lady’s lunch. No damn flip-flops and baseball caps. But Harry’s understands those with a total lack of couth and I understand gotta go in the direction the money flows. They just don't have to sit with me.
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