So long St. Augie

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St. Augustine is behind us now as we head for Fort Myers. We used the “Red” sightseeing trains to get around and to learn more about St. Augustine from the St. Augie savvy driver / narrators during the two days we were in town. The city is also very walkable so we often skipped the “train” and walked. Highlights included Flagler College, a private co-ed college located in the former "super lux" Ponce de Leon Hotel. Our tour guide, a college student, was wonderful. The Tiffany chandeliers, with rare Austrian crystal, have been appraised as “priceless.” The world’s largest collection of glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany is evident throughout, but none so beautifully as in the grand ballroom, which the college uses as a cafeteria. Attention: Parents of pre-college kids - tuition and room and board is only $12,000. Henry Flagler is the man who turned St. Augustine into a winter playground for the New York Social Registry and other VIPs, politicos, and super stars of the late 1890’s and early 1900's up to the "crash." He went on to found rail lines to bring in the fancy guests and to build other resorts throughout Florida, including The Breakers. His influence, including his business relationship with Tiffany, permeates the town. Another top notch place to visit is the Lightner Museum - the Smithsonian of the south. It’s a general museum in the broadest sense; everything from a taxedermied lion given to Sir Winston Churchill (it was alive when the gift was made - later to be stuffed) to an Egyptian mummy; fine art to tramp art, and harkening back to Baltimore’s Visionary Museum, witty folk art. The glass collection - we found some Bennington Pottery and several Corning pieces, tons of cut glass, and scads of Tiffany - is superb. The third floor ballroom looks down through an atrium on what had been the largest swimming pool in the US. It has been drained and is now surrounded by antiques shops, with a restaurant on the “shallow end.” During the holiday season, St. Augustine dresses up with over two million tiny white lights outlining homes, businesses, palm trees and municipal buildings. Called Nights of Lights, it lasts from Thanksgiving through most of January. We took a sunset cruise on the Victory III to enjoy it doubly illuminated in the Matanzas River. We have been eating nothing but seafood. WONDERFUL! We didn’t bother with renting a car. We called the tour company for a free lift into town each morning, and took a cab back (as we stayed in town past when the van would pick us up). St. Augustine has been a wonderful place for us to take a break from the road for a few days. We will try to make it back here in April when we trudge north again. Hopefully that will be on a “First Friday Art Walk.” There are lots of galleries and good art here. One artist in particular, Peter O’Neil, www,oneillgallery.com www.oneillgallery.com has an incredible talent and an incredible story. A gallery of note is Mullet Beach Gallery www.mulletbeach.com where a woman artist who found out long after she had started her career, that she is the great grand niece of Claude Monet.

We did make one funky error - we had a little time at the end of the day of our last day and succumbed to something we had been resisting --- The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. While there were a few awesome items in the "collection," it is well represented gy the first syllable of Robert Ripley's last name. Darn good thing we got the senior discount!

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Photos

Twilight
This is from the Victory III out of St. Augustine on a sunset cruise.

Lightner Museum Atrium
There were signs of Christmas and the Holidays everywhere. These pointsettias in the atrium at the Lightner Museum reminded us of the plantings at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in Bostoon.

Nights of Lights
St. Augustine lights up from November through January. Two million little white lights decorate everything from palm trees to sightseeing trains, businesses, government buildings and more!

Odd Sentiment
Glad we're not related (by marriage) to the person who hooked this sentiment into a rug on display at the Lightner. Funky folk art - like this and cigar band art and tramp art - lives among priceless furniture and glassware including a room full of Louis Comfort Tiffany.