midnight snark: place i love: st. augustine, florida

Saturday, March 9, 2013

place i love: st. augustine, florida

if it's a place that's quaint, old, and can be described as "magical" or "whimsical," i'll probably love it. such was the case with st. augustine, florida, a little city just under two hours from me in orlando and the oldest continuously-occupied city in the country. the spanish influence in the historic district almost felt california-esque and other parts also reminded me of the old town in nice, france, with its narrow alleyways and small boutiques & cafes. i spent a few days there, but already can't wait to go back!

highlights (shocker: almost all of these things are food-related):

staying at my first b&b! i think. it was a really quaint little place, the st. george inn, that was spread out throughout the old town area. super cute.
realizing that i probably should have gone to school at the most gorgeous campus i've ever seen, flagler college (check out the pictures below and you'll see what i mean)
enjoying dinner & happy hour not once, but twice at pizzalley's. it appears from the main street to be just a quick service, mom-and-pop pizza joint, but you walk back past the counter and through two sets of doors and find yourself in a bustling, full-service italian restaurant. their happy hour includes A FREE SLICE OF PIZZA. are you serious, pizzalley's? all. over. it. the best was that the second night when my mom & i returned, we had the same waitress and she's all "hi ladies, welcome back! chardonnay & a riesling?" bahaha. we chowed down on our slices and sipped wine to the sounds of a snowbird covering "i am the walrus." so pleased.
trying for like an hour to get a good picture at the fountain of youth and failing miserably...though the water was actually deece and i feel a good month younger already
having lunch at cafe alcazar, which is housed in the former swimming pool of an old hotel. no joke! it was definitely the most unique place i've ever eaten and the food was top-notch gourmet grub for a surprisingly reasonable price.
GILMORE GIRLS MOMENT! i went on a mission to find this cafe called crucial coffee (mainly because of its badass name) and it was so legit. first of all, it's in a complete sea shanty shack-type place - pics below. they had all sorts of tempting potables on the menu, which seems to change daily, and i went with the snickers cappuccino. "you're in for a treat!" the charming barista told me in a southern accent as he placed a chocolate-dipped-pretzel (no idea how that was snickers-related but omg) on top of my drink. i then wandered outside to the little courtyard seating area and was serenaded by a folky busker in a big hat. i swear to god i had been transported to stars hollow. and then he started singing...yep, TOM PETTY. i couldn't handle it.
a bearded and dreadlocked homeless hottie smiled and nodded at me as i was leaving another awesomely-named bakery, the bunnery. my mom: ::rolls eyes::"he's right up your alley." me: "well, he's homeless, but yes. he's definitely one of the most attractive homeless men i've ever seen."