5 Nights in St. Augustine... Where to start.

Thoughts on the City: St. Augustine is a small city. It is said to be the oldest city, continually inhabited, in America. You can kind of see that from the architecture, not from the culture. The city has a tourist feel with a laid back, chill, "live local music" heartbeat. It is pretty easy to pick out the locals and the tourists in the town. The historic area of the city is busy from 10 AM until about 7-8 and then winds down to a murmur after that. The main drag is St. George's Street and it is full of all sorts of shops/eateries. It is a pedestrian street, no cars are allowed. There are quite a few small bars around the town, and on most night (maybe every) you can find live local music somewhere. As far as beaches go, there were two beaces that I went to, Vilano and St. Augustine. Vilano is a natural beach with many sea shells completely covering it. St. Augustine beach is a white sand beach. Most people would go to St. Augustine Beach. St. Augustine's appeal is the soft white sand, the many public access points, and the many restaraunts. I would consider Vilano's appeal to be the more natural feel, with many sea shells, and the more secluded feel, as most of this beachfront is private residents with limited public access. So, thats a not so brief overview of the city. Now on to the good stuff, the things I did and the people I met.

Day 1: Arrived at 4:30 on 4/20. I got a rather cold welcome (I later was told this may have been due event occuring just prior to my arrival time/date... just think about it for a little bit) from the manager. When I walked up to the counter he asked me "So, what can I do for you?"I had a reservation and so replied "I'm Brady Davis." His reply, "So." Not such a great start, but I got my room key, linens, and a towel; however, it was with limited conversation. So, without much guidance I found myself in a private room by myself (the dorm rooms were filled) on my first ever night in a hostel. Nice... real nice. So, needless to say, that night was a bit lonely, I'm pretty sure a little self doubt about this whole trip crept in for the first time, but that would soon be extinguished. In the meantime though, I was doubting whether I was going to stay another night.

Day 2: I woke up with slightly renewed confidence and decided that I'd extend my stay one more night. Let myself get one full day before drawing any conclusions. After extending my stay I enjoyed pancakes that were made by the manager who seemed in better spirits and alas, I was given his name... Conrad. I was finishing up breakfast when some of the other hostellers joined. I was joined by Cristobelle (Cece), Jennifer, and Emily. We broke into conversation and continued for the better part of an hour. Towards the end Brandon came in and we also chatted for a bit. Cece was a married woman in town looking for a place in St. Augustine so she could mover there. Jennifer was her mother. Emily was a nurse taking some time off to travel as she had become a little burnt out working in the hospital environment. Brandon works at the hostel for a place to stay during the night and is a street musician to earn some food money. After breakfast we all went our separate ways. I visited both beaches and found I preferred Vilano. Upon returning to the hostel, I was greated by Cece and Jennifer and introduced to Mike. Mike is the assistant manager at the hostel. Mike invited us to an open stage night that he was putting on. I obliged and was afforded the opportunity to hang out with him as well as Cece, Brandon, and Emily that evening. We all gelled together really well and really had a great night. We stayed up way to late talking/singing/playing music back at the hostel. What a great day!

Day 3: I got a little sunburned and so was going to take it easy for the day. Emily, Brandon, and I exchanged some music over the course of the day and really just enjoyed one another's company. Emily worked out a deal with Mike in order to get a free stay. She would cook dinner for him and his girl, Amy (She also made enough for herself, Brandon and I to partake as well). So, part of the afternoon was spent at the grocery store. She cooked for us that evening, a Thai Peanut chicken with a coconut milk vegetable nood dish. Sooo Tasty. We then went out to listen to some more live music. A new girl, Diana, had checked into the hostel earlier that day and she met up with us that evening. Diana is from Portugal and is town for a couple days for a conference on Marine mammals. She brought another guy, Terrie, with her that evening. Terrie and I talked a bit that evening, he is from Hong Kong and we shared conversation for a bit. We soon headed back to the hostel and Diana and I chatted a bit about travel. She loved the idea of long term travel and had done some travelling of her own. She was really stoked about what I was doing.

Day 4: Today was a beach day but before we headed out I walked around St. George street and the town for a bit. Brandon and I headed out to the beach only to find out that there was a 30-40 mph constant wind. We had brought a frisbee to throw around and actually had fun laying the frisbee up into the wind and having it change direction on us... crazy. We vegetable chili, cooked by Emily, that evening and added a couple more guests. One was Dan, a bicyclist about to ride from St. Augustine to San Diego. The other was Ronald, a British fellow over in the states to complete his aviation training, i believe to get his pilot's license. The whole group (see pictures), except Ronald, went out that evening. Another good day.

Day 5: I helped Dan take his bike to and from the bike shop and then headed out to the World Golf Hall of fame. It was pretty cool, worth visiting if you love golf and are in the area. It was in a beautiful setting. That evening Brandon, Mike, and Emily performed in an open mike night and when we got back we found that Ronald had made enough food for all of us. It was great. That evening we all just kind of chilled out at the hostel. The next morning I helped Dan get his Bike trip started. I'm really excited for him and plan on keeping tabs on him throughout his trip. Then I said my goodbyes to all the lovely people I met. I love all you guys: Brandon, Emily, Mike, Diana, Dan, and Ronald. You guys are great. Keep in touch.

Next stop Florida City for: the everglades NP, biscayne NP, and key largo. More to come as that adventure unfolds.