our two days in St Augustine

The whole Florida neighbor situation was such a drag, we didn't really want to stay in the house and be annoyed!

If you missed my whole neighbor drama you can read it here my crappy neighbor and here my crazy neighbor part ll.

Since St Augustine is just a stones away, we decided to go there to relax. We got a hotel right on the edge of the historic area. The first night however we drove around to get the lay of the land and parked right by the water near the City Marina to have a quick look around. The bridge that's in the back round of this picture below heads over to the local beaches. We didn't visit the beaches this trip, that's for another time but from what I understand they're quite nice.

City marina with The Bridge of Lions which. takes you to the local beaches.

It is pretty hot here in August which was no surprise, so we didn't get far with our sight-seeing before Momma was needing a cold beer. Wouldn't you know it; my husband looked up and there right before our eyes was a brewery sign hanging above our heads! *cue in the angels singing*

So we popped in there for a few cold fresh Ale's on tap. Oh how good that was! A winding copper bar sat in the middle of the main floor of this bright neighborhood establishment; there was a dining room up stairs. We however enjoyed all their delicious food and beer from the comfortable tables that lined the windows with the beautiful views down by the bar.

A1A Ale Works on the corner; great beer!

What I loved about the eating and drinking establishments here in St Augustine is the family/neighborhood  atmosphere, every person even tourist like us were make to feel welcome, as welcome as the regulars. Many of the restaurants have live music of some type, either jazz or a live singer to entertain you while dinning, it really is a treat.

Then we were off to poke around the town. Lovely old buildings on each and every  street, parks and squares dotted throughout the area. I stopped by The Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine built in 1793, but the doors were closed unfortunately so I didn't get to see the inside. I did stand on the opposite side of the square as you can see in the picture below and take a picture of it.I'm afraid the picture isn't very good and the tree's block the view. The square itself was quite green and ripe with summer foliage and beautiful in its own right.

The Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine

There is a lot of shopping in the historic area of St Augustine. We spent long hours on St George St which is a pedestrian mall walking in and out of the shops; that is in between the afternoon showers.  If you aren't familiar; it usually rains every afternoon in Florida. It then gets so humid you can drink while breathing. So we'd grab a cold drink or an ice cream at one of the shops until the rain passes (and it does) and then continue shopping. I snagged some great birthday gifts for my Godson and his sisters, my nieces in a few of the shops, they have some beautiful and unique items there.

My husband found a novel little grill in front of one of the shops, it's certainly original! OINK! We didn't buy it though. Somehow I can't see this in my yard!

How about cooking your ribs on this?
My husband thought it was original!

I would love to go to St Augustine another time maybe plan the trip out a little better now that I'm familiar with the area. There were a few cute little Inn's on A1A right across from the marina that would have been a great choice to stay in, or maybe one of the lovely B&B's that we saw when we were walking about. The hotel was adequate but I would rather not do the hotel thing again.  I think being "in" the historic part proper would be so much better and something we'll do next time.

Have you ever been to St Augustine? What did you think? Like it or not?

We didn't really get to do much this summer with all my doctors appointments; it pretty much sucked being stuck in the house so even a few days was a wonderful break for me.

What did you do this summer; anything good? I'm always looking for ideas for get away's.