Our Visit to Key West, Gulfport/St. Petersburg and St. Augustine

This winter has been brutal - too much snow, with frigid temperatures and the north wind blowing with no mercy. Seems like it started in early December and has not let up yet. Many are calling it the winter with no end, and we can only hope that things change for the better soon.

So I was thrilled when we made our plans to escape from the northeast and take a week in Florida. We arrived in Miami and the sun was shining and the summer like temperature felt like heaven to my winter weary body. Once we picked up the rental car we bought snacks for the ride, and headed south to the Keys. Our first  couple of nights were spent in Marathon which is about an hour north of Key West. The balcony outside our room looked out over the waterway with palm trees and coconuts lining the shore. Easy to take considering what we had left that morning.

 

The next morning we headed down to Key West and the views along the way were postcard perfect. Sunshine, white sand and beautiful aquamarine water brought peace and comfort to my soul. We spent the day touring Key West and enjoying some great food. We made sure to check out some recommended spots including Sloppy Joes (Hemingway's favorite haunt), the Hogs Breath Saloon, and sunset on the pier. Too much to see and not enough time. It was a great day and we were exhausted as we headed back to Marathon that night.

Next stop the St. Petersburg/Gulfport area on the Gulf Coast. We spent four days with our very dear friends and had so much fun. Nothing is better than good company and good times. The weather was very nice while we were there and I think that this is where I would love to spend my winters as soon as I am fortunate enough to retire. They took us into St. Petersburg to look around and we had a great lunch (outside in the warm sun) at the 400 Beach Seafood & Tap Room http://400beachseafood.com/. Wonderful food looking out towards the ocean makes for a great afternoon. John played softball a couple days with Al and the other fortunate retirees. Took a trip to the beach one day and it was beautiful, but had to leave after a short while as the wind was blowing the white sand over everything. We went to the Horse and Jockey for St. Patrick's Day and the boys decided Jameson's Whiskey was the way to go - although I am not so sure they thought so later on. We had such a good time it truly was hard to leave and head east. I'm sure they are glad that they will not be back in New England until the end of April.

 

Last stop on our trip was St. Augustine - the oldest continuously occupied settlement and port in the continental United States. Unfortunately when we reached the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida it was not quite as sunny or warm. I know that the low 60's may sound good to those of us in the northeast, but when it is overcast with the wind whipping in from the ocean it is quite cool. In spite of this we had a great time taking a tour of St. Augustine and learning about the history and early settlers. Of course with John we have to do the Ghost Tour - what trip would be complete without it? While there we had two amazing meals. Went to A1A Ale Works for lunch http://www.a1aaleworks.com/, and if it had been warmer we could have enjoyed lunch on the balcony overlooking the port. For dinner we went to Pizzalleys Chianti Room http://pizzalleyschiantiroom.com/, and the food was not only amazing, but plentiful. The Veal Marsala was so good it left me wanting more.

 

Our last evening was spent in Jacksonville and the next morning we had a 7 a.m. flight. The 7 a.m. flight did not take off until 9 due to fog. Back to Boston, on the bus and arriving in NH to cold, damp weather. Thank goodness we will have our wonderful memories to take us back to those warm sunny days and good times with great friends.