Florida Roadtrip

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Chloe and I thought about taking a trip to Florida with the dog for the holiday season in December. We are going to be away for 2 weeks in Europe in summer 2024 so figured it would be a nice road trip. We started the day at a meetup on Christmas Day. It was the same meetup that Chloe and I met 4 years ago. It is for people that don't celebrate on Christmas Day. We went for a dim sum brunch at Taipei 101 in Cary. They have a variety of delicious Szeuchan dishes. We split different dishes among the various people at the table. We left the meetup and stopped at a Starbucks that was open locally in Cary, The workers were very friendly and the road trip started. We drove for 2 hours and stopped at a Buc-ees gas station to fill up in Florence. They had to have over a 100 gas station pumps and there was an ok area for Zephyr to go do his business. The last 40 minutes of the drive was torrential rain that was difficult to drive in. The signage was awful, lanes were flooded and not easy to see. It got worse until we reached our overnight stay in Charleston by the marina area at the La Quinta Hotel. It was a no thrills hotel. The shower wasn't the nicest but sufficed for the evening stay.

We had a reservation at a restaurant called Bedford Falls. Chloe called the restaurant because we heard there was a flood warning and wanted to ensure that the drive would be safe. The guy who answered the phone was so rude and said that we can assess it to see if it is safe and hung up on her. We cancelled the reservation and tried to find a few restaurants to deliver on Door Dash, but was unsuccessful. We found a restaurant called Layla's Fine Lebanese. We decided to try and use Lyft rather than have me drive there, but unfortunately the first driver cancelled on us. We got a 2nd driver who was amazing and got us there perfectly ok. There was some confusion at first with sitting near the front door when it was freezing out so we requested the bar. We got a hummus dish to start off with pita bread. The pita was lukewarm and the hummus wasn't anything special. The restaurant ran out of moussaka which had me bummed so I ordered the salmon. Chloe ordered the lamb kebab. The bar service was good, but there was some weird dance music inside the restaurant. I didn't love my salmon dish which was crispy but slightly under cooked. It came with vegetables which was good. Chloe enjoyed her dish. It was a very pricey meal with a special Christmas menu and we didn't order drinks and still was over $130. I wouldn't recommend the restaurant. We got back to the hotel and got a so-so night of sleep.

Zephyr woke us up at 4AM. Chloe took him out which I appreciated to allow me to sleep since I was doing the bulk of the driving. We slept until 6:45AM and walked the dog/fed him at the Marina. It was a small break from the rain. We had a continental breakfast with a waffle machine, eggs, yogurt, bread and muffins. We checked out and headed to Florida. We stopped at Highfalutin coffee in Charleston. It was a fun coffee shop with a nice outdoor area and had plant based items. I got the drip coffee. We enjoyed this coffee shop and would recommend it. We stopped in Beaufort SC which was a cute town. We walked by the safe harbor and Waterfront Park. There were sea shells in the ground when walking through the park. There were swings and local restaurants. The famous oak sycamore trees could be seen around similar to Savannah. There was steady rain. Chloe drove from Beaufort to Savannah.

We had Anita Deli which we enjoyed our last visit to Savannah. We parked in the neighborhood. I ordered 1/2 Roy Rogers Sandwich and potato/bacon soup. It was an amazing meal and I would recommend it. I walked to Savannah coffee roasters and got us both coffee. I always enjoyed this place. We hit some traffic in Jacksonville and St Augustine. We got to the lobby of the Southern Oaks Inn. There were brownies and flavored water. We got an upgrade to a deluxe room. We weren't sure what the basic room looked like, but the deluxe wasn't that much fancier, but it was still serviceable for our stay. There was a keurig and a nice sized fridge. My friend Scott met up with us from Miami and was staying in the room. We relaxed in the room and got ready for dinner.

We took the complementary shuttle in front of the hotel. There were so many people sitting around and you had to get ahead of them to get onto the shuttle. There was only one shuttle which seemed surprising for a busy hotel. The shuttle comes every 20-30 minutes. It was a tight fitting shuttle. We got dropped off in the downtown area and it was packed with so many people. There were a lot of tourists and beautiful Christmas lights. The Festival of Lights is a popular event to visit at this time of the year. We walked with bars and restaurants packed and huge lines for trolley tours that can be taken around the city. We had made a reservation at the Floridian Restaurant and were able to get in early. I got a shrimp and sausage dish with a biscuit that I would highly recommend. The beer I ordered was only tasty. The service was great as well at the restaurant. We walked around and saw some "macho" guys driving down the street blasting music. It was so rude and obnoxious especially with the streets crowded with people. We went to Ping Island for milkshakes. I got a Cousteau milkshake which had peanut butter in it. It was delicious but super heavy. We walked back to the hotel which was 30 minutes away rather than wait a long time for an Uber/Lyft. We went to bed for sleep.

A train came by early in the morning and woke me up. We took the dog to the dog park. It was a huge dog park with benches, a gazebo and a lot of shade. It was perfect for the dog. You had to bring an amenities card in order to get into breakfast. It was a hot breakfast with grits, eggs, potatoes, cereal and fruit. It was a nice spread though very salty. The food was ok with a guy standing up serving food almost cafeteria style. It was very loud there. Chloe and I walked to the CVS across the street since she needed some stuff for the trip and then we went back to the room to relax. We went to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. You can walk the dog around the fort and it has amazing views all around. I would recommend going early since by the time we left it was super packed. We walked to Kookaburra which is an Australian themed coffee house. It was a delicious coffee spot with great lattes. We walked to the oldest street in America and went into some of the shops. We went back to the car and headed back to the hotel. We stopped at Drake's Bistro to pick up some sandwiches. It was a decent sandwich. We decided to walk around Flagler College. We parked about 0.3 miles from the university and didn't have to pay. It was a stunning colorful campus to check out, though some of the areas to walk in were closed to the public.

We walked into the Casa Monica hotel. It had a Mediterranean/Southwestern modern vibe to it. We walked into Claude's Chocolates and headed back to the hotel. We walked the dog before heading out for Verona Beach. This was not very memorable and I wouldn't recommend it. There wasn't a lot to see there. We went back to the hotel to relax. We went to dinner at Odd Birds. There was a lot of traffic and it took 30 minutes to go 2 miles. The light show in town attracts so many people and it was the area we had to drive into to get to the restaurant. We stopped at St Augustine's Lighthouse to see it from the outside since it was closing. We went to dinner at Odd Birds. It was a quirky place with a lot of unique designs. We got the Chechapa with Mojo pork, Brussels sprouts, Chicharron and Churros. The food was tasty. Chloe 1st drink she didn't love but ordered a smoky drink that came out in a box which was a very cool presentation. The service wasn't great. We hit some traffic downtown but made it back easier. The lights were lovely to see. We went to bed to rest and then the next morning had the same breakfast, though there was bacon (not crispy and breakfast toast). I had to get a battery for my key fob for the car since it didn't work at CVS and got it to work. We left town but before we did we went to Dos Coffee and Wine. It was delicious coffee with a nice atmosphere and outdoor space to hang out if you wanted.

We stopped at Silver Springs State Park. It was only $4 a person to get in with the dog. It was a beautiful walk. It was very dog friendly with people out on the water in rafts, boats, monkey noises you can hear and colorful birds. There are supposedly manatees or alligators but we didn't see any on the walk. I would highly recommend it, but go early as it gets crowded. We stopped at Chelsea Coffee. It was a decent place with a cute atmosphere. I got this Irishman type drink which was nice though sweet. We also got delicious fudge. On the trip to St Pete's we saw white herons on the side of the road. We did hit a little traffic. We saw the Tampa skyline going into St Petersburg. We stayed at this very modern Airbnb. It was a large space with a dining room, living room and bedroom which was nice to have the extra space. We walked the dog in the neighborhood which was very quiet. We met up with my friend Stacy and her husband Sam for dinner at Noble Crust. The parking was a bit difficult so we parked in the neighborhood and walked. We ordered Jam and Brown Butter dram drinks. I got spaghetti and meals and Chloe got the steak frittes. The food was delicious but extremely slow service. In addition, the staff forgot to bring out Chloe's and Sam's 2nd drink. We left dinner and went back to the apartment for sleep.

The next morning we headed to the Gulfport Waterfront area. It was a very charming area to walk the dog with great views and a pier. We went to Sumitra Coffee shop. I ordered a Kyoto Japanese cold brew and lemon curd pastry. It was delightful and had a cute ambiance inside. It is very dog friendly as well! We went to Fort De Soto Park. We went to the dog friendly beach. There were some owners that didn't have great control of their dogs and they jumped constantly on us. One owner had their dogs loose in the parking lot when they were supposed to be leased in that area. The dog park was huge with a lot of shade for the dog with large trees and benches for us to sit. We drove back and saw Tropicana Field stadium where the Tampa Bay Rays play. We dropped off the dog to rest and headed out to meet Chloe's friend Konstantine and his kid.

We tried to get into a crepe place but it was very crowded. We went to the Pacific Bowl. It was a good place with different types of Asian Bowls you can customize to order. I got a Spicy Tofu with a bunch of good fixings. We went to Crislip Coffee. I got a cafe au lait but it wasn't great. The place was very charming and it was a great company. We left for the Dali Museum. I would highly recommend buying tickets ahead of time as there were huge lines to get in. It was a cool place to see with 3 floors though most of the paintings were on the 3rd floor. We were there for 1.5 hours and it was insanely crowded. You can take a picture and turn it into a Dali painting which I enjoyed. It was a decent place to see. We went to Kava tea and coffee. I got a small pour over and Chloe got a coffee drink. I wasn't a fan of either drinks, though it did have a cute area outside for dogs.

We relaxed in the room and then headed out to Vinoy and North Shore Park. On the drive there were beautiful mansions and as you pulled up boats in the harbor. It was all lit up for the Christmas and Chanukah holidays with cascading lights. There was a plentiful amount of Christmas trees. We walked to the St Pete's Pier and it was beautiful with lights all around with a variety of decorations and would recommend to walk to the end where at the top of a restaurant there are stunning views of the city. We went to Pizza Box for dinner. Rather than wait for a reservation we ate outside. We got the seasonal salad mix with greens, green apples, pecans and Gorgonzola. We got a 1/2 pizza with honey boo boo and 1/2 angry goat. The whole meal was delicious and very highly recommended. It had delicious house red wine. We went back to the place to sleep. We woke up the next day and went to Black Crowe coffee shop. We got a spinach and ricotta croissant with a jet fuel and peppermint bark latte. It was a kooky fun setup inside. I liked the food and my drink. Chloe wasn't as much of a fan of her latte. We took the dog on his morning walk to Crescent Lake. It was a beautiful walk with a lot of colorful birds, herons and turtles around the lake. People would stop and talk to us as we walked the dog around the walk. The people in St Petersburg and Gulfport were the friendliest of the bunch on the whole trip especially to Zephyr. We tried to get a nail clipper appointment or clippers for Zephyr at Petsmart which unfortunately was a failure. It was too expensive to buy it and the grooming appointments were backed up.

We made a reservation at Left Bank Bistro. We got a croque monsieur and crepe and home fries. The coffee was lukewarm and very bitter. It was probably one of the worst coffees that I ever had. Our server was very slow and not attentive. The inside was cute and reminded us of a Parisian restaurant. The good was delicious and had huge portions. We ordered ahead of time for an Italian deli Mazzaro's for the road. We did the pick up patio and got a fig and pork, with soppressata and capicola sandwiches. It was insanely crowded and hard to move around to check out the establishment. We did the call ahead which was a very smart idea. There were gargoyle statues on the outside with a very eclectic decor and market next door that you can shop in. We tried to stop at Bak Tower which was recommended by Bring Fido which was a bad idea. It was expensive at $20 a person plus $10 for the dog. We instead went to Lake Wales to walk the dog. It was a very buggy area. We stopped on the side to eat our lunch which was decent sandwiches.

We arrived at Stuart and pulled up to Ryan and Elizabeth's place. It was a cute little area. We walked around the downtown area and had to get a golf cart service to take us home as the dog was tired. We had crackers with caviar and creme fraiche for our wine happy hour. We went to Sailors Return for dinner. I ordered an amazing scallop dish though the prosciutto that came with it wasn't great. We went back to the place to sleep. We hung out in the AM. We went in a car and passed Sewell Point. We went to an amazing beach called Hutchinson's Beach. There was beautiful clear green water with a lot of colorful shells on the beach and clean sand. We went back afterwards and had delicious charcuterie at the house. We took the dog out for a walk but there were a lot of mosquitoes. We got coffee at Coffee & Vinyl. I got a roasted record iced americano and it was not memorable. We walked the dog by the boardwalk area in downtown Stuart which was all lit up for the holidays. We hung out on New Year's Eve where Elizabeth made this delicious cioppino and we relaxed with Elizabeth, Ryan and Ryan's son.

The next morning Chloe and I got coffee at 3 Baristas coffee. The owner was very nice and chatty. I was impressed that there was an altitude listing by some of the coffee beans of how high it was when it was picked. We said goodbye to all and made our journey slowly home. We stopped at Flagler Beach on the way. It was a very cute beach town for a lunch walk along the boardwalk. Aspects of the place reminded me a lot of Galveston. It was definitely busy with people there for New Years's Day. We drove on Sra1a coast South Oceanside Blvd which I would highly recommend as a peaceful drive. We stopped at Malacompra Park which was a somewhat secluded beach. which we enjoyed We saw Fort Matanzas National Park and Crescent Beach. It looked like a great beach area with bodies of water on both sides with houses on the water. It looked nice to potentially stop in the future. Unfortunately the weather in Florida for most of the trip minus one day was cooler than usual, but we didn't let it stop us. We found a Kookaburra not far off the path and got a delightful Hot Aussie and Chloe got Honey Badger drinks.

We got to Savannah and walked the dog. We ate at Etang for dinner. We got Cumin lamb, mapa tofu and dan dan noodles. It was a delicious meal though we ordered shrimp dumplings and they didn't come until the very end. They did take off for the dumplings since it was supposed to come out in the beginning of the order. It was a lot of food and the food service was so so in terms of getting water refills. We stayed at a La Quinta Inn in Poole GA. It was a decent hotel with a very spacious room with not a lot of dog areas outside to walk Zephyr. We relaxed in the room for the night. In the morning we had a decent breakfast spread with biscuits, eggs and mini waffles to name a few. We stopped at Three Tree Coffeehouse in town. I got an arctic ember honey cincin. I enjoyed the drink and it had a cute setup inside. We stopped in Florence to get gas, and went to the Coffee Bean Bar. Chloe got a bagel and coffee drink. I got a cold brew. Chloe liked her bagel and the place remade her drink when she thought it was curled from the milk. Ironically the coffee place uses organic milk which can do that to the coffee. There was a decent space to walk the dog. The trip home was good with minimal traffic.

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