In the DVD player: The Princess Bride
Did you miss me? I’m back home now, after spending a week down in central Florida with family. That typewriter post actually came from down there, since I just couldn’t wait to share it.
The family lives on the Treasure Coast of Florida, which is about halfway down on the Atlantic side of the state, in a relatively small town called Fort Pierce. For those following the Navy SEALs after their recent adventure, there is a museum down there near Pepper Beach, right on the spot where the SEALs were founded. It’s a fascinating look into military history and contemporary training, and I recommend it if you’re down in that area.If you’re looking for some local color, then Archie’s restaurant is a good place to start--they’ve got some great casual fare and are across the street from the beach. I had their lemon pepper shrimp, which was fabulous--I think the best meal I had while we were down there. Their motto is “No shirt, no shoes, no problem,” so they’re a great place to stop before or after hitting the beach, and their menus outline some of the history of the area.
Another great place to stop and eat with a sea side view is the Tiki Bar. When the weather is good they’re all open air, and they have live music in the evenings, at least on the weekends (not sure about weeknights).If you’re looking for something to do down there that isn’t food or beach related, US 1 is your best bet. Slightly to the north is Vero Beach, which boasts an outlet mall and a regular mall, as well as many local and chain shops. Along the route are numerous antique shops, and I almost picked up a couple of typewriters at one of them--alas, the car was already filled to capacity.
Following US 1 to the south is Jenson Beach, home of Gweeds Gangsters and a fun, weekly classic car show. It’s held on Tuesday nights in the parking lot of the Treasure Coast Mall, so it wouldn’t be hard to make a night of it, coming for a movie and staying for the show. Their music is great and while there are a lot of regulars who stop buy, there are always new cars showing up, too. The show is held year round and supported by donations and the sale of concessions and raffle tickets, and it’s only $3 to enter your car in the show (it must be a classic, that is, 25 or more years old).
Overall, this is a great place to go down for a nice, quiet, relaxing stay. While we stayed with family, there are a lot of nice hotels and rentals right on the water (we saw some really nice ones in Vero, and they have a lot of small local shops right near the beach). I know I really needed a break (as evidenced by that last post before I left), and I came back feeling refreshed. The entire drive back up we kept trying to make a u-turn to go back!
------
I know that’s a short and not especially detailed review, but this vacation was about relaxing and taking a break, so we didn’t do much and I was very insistent with myself that I not blog the whole week. I broke that a little with the typewriter, but I just had to share that find.
No comments:
Post a Comment