Erik & Smisty's Florida Oddventures

[ElecterikPermanent Tourist]

About two hours north of Orlando lies St. Augustine, which bills itself as "America's oldest city." (It's an appropriate slogan: If Orlando is for young families, then surely St. Augustine is for seniors.) The Spanish settled here 1565, and in 1695, they finished construction of a stone fort they named Castillo de San Marcos.

[triggernelBonafide Donkey Expert]

I love the anticipation of waiting to find out where the next update will take place. You never know whats gonna happen next.

[Crazy_Behemoth_Lady_JessThe woman with a million questions]

That fort kinda reminds me of Fort Point in San Francisco. Were they built for the same war? (I don't know much about American history).

[disneyfan1313I love donkeys more than me.]

The fort is fun! It's been a few years since we have been to St. Augustine but it was kinda fun. I was surprised how "down-market" so many of the tourist attractions were. Did a lot of it still feel kinda run down?

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

Isn't there some "pirate festival" in St. Augustine each year? The old town is like walking on the set of a pirate movie.

[spaceace12Cubs/Colts Fan]

Erik, I request a Gatorland TR.

BTW, great thread so far. Enjoyed the other thread as well. Shared it with a friend who was down there last year.

[whorabunnyI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

Yeah theres one in November called Saint Arrrgustine Pirate Gathering. Actually every single month theres some sort of pirate festival going on somewhere in Florida.

That fort kinda reminds me of Fort Point in San Francisco. Were they built for the same war? (I don't know much about American history).

Forts generally weren't built in times of war, they were built to protect in area in case war was to break out in the future. Since the Spanish colonized Florida earlier than California, San Marcos is older. Since both areas were colonized by the Spanish (probably within 100 years of each other)the style of the forts should be similar.

[ElecterikPermanent Tourist]

I love the anticipation of waiting to find out where the next update will take place. You never know whats gonna happen next.

Cool. At one point, I was toying with the idea of announcing what the next update would be at the end of each one. Sort of a cheesy 'James Bond will return in: Live And Let Die' kind of thing. But then I thought, maybe it's better to not know. Which is one of the reasons I'm now taking an even more random approach, as compared to the Smoky Mountains thread.

It's been a few years since we have been to St. Augustine but it was kinda fun. I was surprised how "down-market" so many of the tourist attractions were. Did a lot of it still feel kinda run down?

No. I mean, we had not been previously, but that's not the way it struck me at all. I will say that it seemed like there was almost nothing but couples there, which I thought was interesting. But it didn't seem run down.

Isn't there some "pirate festival" in St. Augustine each year? The old town is like walking on the set of a pirate movie.

Actually, I was hoping for more pirate stuff! There was a pirate ship you can sail on, but it was closed when we there. And the local Ripley's Museum did have a special pirate exhibit. (The same one that used to be at Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, perhaps?) But other than that, I didn't see much.

Erik, I request a Gatorland TR.

And you shall have one! I just don't know when yet.

[ElecterikPermanent Tourist]

Today's update is somewhat unique, and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is a McDonald’s. And just why, exactly, are we at McDonald’s? For the answer to that, we must first look to Twitter, where two connected conversations recently took place, between myself and Theme Park Review's official Twitter Monkeys.

ThemeParkReview What. RT @TacoBell: New Pacific Shrimp Tacos: Succulent shrimp marinated in spices, lettuce, salsa & avocado ranch sauce

Electerik @ThemeParkReview Cod would be better. Fish tacos rule. Hopefully, this is nation-wide?

ThemeParkReview @Electerik I'm not going to tell you. Nobody should eat this and you should be ashamed.

Electerik @ThemeParkReview And here I thought TPR Headquarters was in California.... Wuss.

Electerik Hey, @ThemeParkReview: Check out what I had for dinner. http://twitpic.com/16nv9y



Electerik Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over. Erik & Smisty's Florida Oddventures: http://tinyurl.com/y9evumo

ThemeParkReview I don't support this. RT @Electerik: Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over. Erik & Smisty's Florida Oddventures: http://tinyurl.com/y9evumo

Electerik @ThemeParkReview Is it because of the shrimp tacos? I can do a McDonalds TR, if that'll make it up to you.

ThemeParkReview This is acceptable RT @Electerik: @ThemeParkReview Is it because of the shrimp tacos? I can do a McDonalds TR, if that'll make it up to you.

And I am true to my word. But we’re not going to do an update about just any old McDonald’s. No, this is one of only five "Bistro Gourmet" McDonald’s, all of which are in Orlando. And while the "World’s Largest Entertainment McDonald’s & PlayPlace" is perhaps the one the most people have seen or heard of, Misty & I actually prefer this one:

Bistro Gourmet at McDonald’s, European Café