2010 Florida 1
February 24-26: Left St. Louis about 7:15 on Wednesday. Glad to get out of the really cold weather even though it’s not warm down here … but it’s warmer. I drove all the way through Nashville. We stopped south of town for lunch at an IHOP. Had mediocre senior omelets. We headed south with Marian at the wheel. Somewhere north of Monteagle, traffic came to a standstill. We crept along for two hours. Finally, at the base of the mountain leading to Monteagle, there was a sign saying “accident ahead.” It was an 18-wheeler that had flipped and dumped its load. After that, it was smooth sailing.
We wanted to dine at JL BBQ in Macon and had already made motel reservations at a Hampton Inn there. We also knew (and checked to make sure) that the restaurant closes at 9:00. Onward and southward through Chattanooga and Atlanta we drove. We kept asking ourselves if we wanted to try to make it to JL or just have something before them along the highway. Ribs and smoked chicken won out at we made it in the front door of the restaurant at 8:50 EST, some 650 miles from St. Louis, and about 12.5 hours altogether. Good dinner, per usual. We eat here every time we head to Florida, I think. Nice room at Hampton Inn and good breakfast the next AM.
Thursday we headed out about 8:00, had lunch at a Denny’s in Wildwood, FL (we’ve been there before, too). Then got into Sarasota and my sister’s house around 4:00, after a stop at a CVS along the way (and we always do that, too). Dinner at Columbia. See the pictures for the food. I won’t describe here. Howard and I walked while the women drove. It was chilly, but good to get outside. Came home and watched women’s figure skating at the Olympics. Cried when the Canadian woman who had just lost her mother won a bronze. To bed about midnight.
Friday we slept until about 9:00. It was about 38 this AM, so no need to get outside right away! Had breakfast in the dining room, watched a replay of the skating (since Carolyn had fallen asleep before the final bunch skated). Marian headed into St. Armands Circle to shop. I took my normal walk and picture-taking route all the way out Lido to the South Lido Park and back along Lido Beach past my parents’ house and into the circle. Stiff wind, still chilly, but finally got up to about 60, I think.
Marian continued to shop and I got picked up by Howard and Carolyn. We drove onto Longboat Key and had a lovely lunch at the Dry Dock Grill. Nice grouper sandwich – see the picture. Back to the house for fooling around with the computer the rest of the afternoon. Dinner tonight at Patty George’s on Longboat, one of our favorites. Saw end of sunset as we went out there. Great food and wine. Back for some TV, computing, a brief time when the electricity went out, and to bed.
We wanted to dine at JL BBQ in Macon and had already made motel reservations at a Hampton Inn there. We also knew (and checked to make sure) that the restaurant closes at 9:00. Onward and southward through Chattanooga and Atlanta we drove. We kept asking ourselves if we wanted to try to make it to JL or just have something before them along the highway. Ribs and smoked chicken won out at we made it in the front door of the restaurant at 8:50 EST, some 650 miles from St. Louis, and about 12.5 hours altogether. Good dinner, per usual. We eat here every time we head to Florida, I think. Nice room at Hampton Inn and good breakfast the next AM.
Thursday we headed out about 8:00, had lunch at a Denny’s in Wildwood, FL (we’ve been there before, too). Then got into Sarasota and my sister’s house around 4:00, after a stop at a CVS along the way (and we always do that, too). Dinner at Columbia. See the pictures for the food. I won’t describe here. Howard and I walked while the women drove. It was chilly, but good to get outside. Came home and watched women’s figure skating at the Olympics. Cried when the Canadian woman who had just lost her mother won a bronze. To bed about midnight.
Friday we slept until about 9:00. It was about 38 this AM, so no need to get outside right away! Had breakfast in the dining room, watched a replay of the skating (since Carolyn had fallen asleep before the final bunch skated). Marian headed into St. Armands Circle to shop. I took my normal walk and picture-taking route all the way out Lido to the South Lido Park and back along Lido Beach past my parents’ house and into the circle. Stiff wind, still chilly, but finally got up to about 60, I think.
Marian continued to shop and I got picked up by Howard and Carolyn. We drove onto Longboat Key and had a lovely lunch at the Dry Dock Grill. Nice grouper sandwich – see the picture. Back to the house for fooling around with the computer the rest of the afternoon. Dinner tonight at Patty George’s on Longboat, one of our favorites. Saw end of sunset as we went out there. Great food and wine. Back for some TV, computing, a brief time when the electricity went out, and to bed.
posted by Bud Hirsch at 10:18 PM
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