First of all, I'd like to provide a link to that pottery class I was talking about in my last post:
Dixie Pottery Gallery
The woman, as I said, was really nice and her husband was slappin' out the pottery with jaw-dropping dexterity. I was fascinated and really impressed. Check them out!
Moving on, however, I'd like to talk a little bit about some of my favorite subjects: Crafts and Sangria. Why both, you ask? In what possible world would crafts and sangria come not only in the same blog post, but even in the same sentence? In my blog post. That's where.
A couple of nights ago, my friend and Alaina and I were comparing our love for doing crafts. She was sitting on her floor, surrounded by top of the line scrap-booking swag and I was itching to bead some jewelry, so I jokingly suggested that we have a girls' night with crafts and wine. Because if doing crafts is fun and drinking wine is fun, how could they possibly not be fun together? The plan morphed into a project of Sangria making, which neither of us had ever done on our own, and so we set out to Publix for the necessary ingredients.
While looking around for wines (which I choose based on creativity of name and cuteness of label - apparently not too sophisticated), we decided to keep things local. Finding the end-cap with the San Sebastian Winery wine, we picked out a Vintner's Red and a Rosa, both of which we sampled during Alaina's birthday wine tasting, and either of which we decided would make a delicious base for Sangria.
The ingredients for our concoction are as follows:
1 Orange - sliced
1 Fuji apple - quartered and sliced
6 Large strawberries - sliced
1 bottle Vintner's Red Wine
1 bottle Sprite - 16 oz, chilled
2 Black Cherry tea bags
2 splashes Sailor Jerry Rum - delicious
We soaked the fruit first in the wine and the rum, then added the tea bags (just to steep in the wine), then the sprite on top of that and ice in our glasses. Let me just tell you...that first night...delicious beyond imagination. It smelled funky, but who smells Sangria?
The only issue arose the next night when we tried to refresh it over at a friends house for an evening of True Blood (Alaina wants to watch the 3rd season before the 4th comes out. I'm simply fascinated by this comedy hour that people call True Blood...no hate). The fruit had done its job beautifully, maybe too well, because the whole mess tasted like mushed and fermented strawberries. So, although they were wonderful on day one, we realized that strawberries would be a poor choice if we made Sangria again.
What was not a poor choice, however, was the choice of wine. I'm not usually partial to all of the Winery's wine selection, but it made a mean base for Sangria. In fact, if you're out during a hot summer evening in town, and you find yourself on the roof of the San Sebastian Winery, drinking and listening to live music (is that enough incentive for ya?) I would recommend the Sangria at the bar. The white is my favorite and I'm assuming they make it with the Vintner's White, since it seems to be their most basic wine. It's crisp and refreshing, with granny-smith apples as a biting garnish. Try it.
Not to mention, the San Sebastian Wine in Publix was well priced. When I'm not judging wine on creativity of name or cuteness of label, I'm judging my affordability. C'mon...I'm a college student. ;)
Until next time! <3
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Free is a Magic Number
As I drove down to the Wednesday morning Farmer's Market at the St. Augustine Beach Pier, windows down, blaring 88.5, the Flagler College independent radio station, decked in my over-sized cropped t-shirt and moccasins, toting my wicker purse, I realized that sometimes I'm just too much of a hippie for even me to handle. Not necessarily a hippie in the general terms, but definitely a townie in the terms of that guy who you see riding his fixed gear bike downtown with his dread-locks and bandanna. This is a townie, he is a staple of St. Augustine. Sometimes I enjoy joining their ranks.
The Farmer's Market is a favorite stop of mine, even when I'm not channeling my internal tree-hugger. Every Wednesday morning, local artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs fill the St. Augustine Beach Pier. These mornings are busy and lively, you're lucky if you find parking in the pier parking lot. There're loads of locals which flood in every Wednesday morning for fresh breads, hand made jewelry, and hand squeezed lemonade. Every Saturday morning, these same vendors can be found at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Even more vendors come out to this market but, inexplicably, parking is even more difficult to come by, so if you're headed to the Saturday market, get there early.
It's really worth heading over, though, to the Wednesday or Saturday market. The music floods the lot, people are talking and wandering every which way and putting money back into the local economy instead of at yet more commercial dealers. Today I met a very nice woman named Patty who was there with her husband selling hand made pottery. Her husband was sitting at a potter's wheel, forming piece after piece with his bare hands and slack-jawed kids looked on in amazement. It was truly awesome. I even chilled out for a little while just to watch. He made a slab of rough clay into a vase in less than five minutes. Too cool.
They also do pottery classes, a five week session with two classes a week. I'm going to be looking into it more and hopefully putting a link to their website up here. What could be cooler than to get to work with your hands and actually producing something beautiful? Or at least finished...beauty is in the eye of the beholder...and can only be accomplished by those with hand-eye coordination, of which I have little.
That's all for this post. Just a good tip on a free, fun way to spend a morning. There will be more of those to come, for sure.
Until next time! <3
The Farmer's Market is a favorite stop of mine, even when I'm not channeling my internal tree-hugger. Every Wednesday morning, local artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs fill the St. Augustine Beach Pier. These mornings are busy and lively, you're lucky if you find parking in the pier parking lot. There're loads of locals which flood in every Wednesday morning for fresh breads, hand made jewelry, and hand squeezed lemonade. Every Saturday morning, these same vendors can be found at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Even more vendors come out to this market but, inexplicably, parking is even more difficult to come by, so if you're headed to the Saturday market, get there early.
It's really worth heading over, though, to the Wednesday or Saturday market. The music floods the lot, people are talking and wandering every which way and putting money back into the local economy instead of at yet more commercial dealers. Today I met a very nice woman named Patty who was there with her husband selling hand made pottery. Her husband was sitting at a potter's wheel, forming piece after piece with his bare hands and slack-jawed kids looked on in amazement. It was truly awesome. I even chilled out for a little while just to watch. He made a slab of rough clay into a vase in less than five minutes. Too cool.
They also do pottery classes, a five week session with two classes a week. I'm going to be looking into it more and hopefully putting a link to their website up here. What could be cooler than to get to work with your hands and actually producing something beautiful? Or at least finished...beauty is in the eye of the beholder...and can only be accomplished by those with hand-eye coordination, of which I have little.
That's all for this post. Just a good tip on a free, fun way to spend a morning. There will be more of those to come, for sure.
Until next time! <3
Monday, June 6, 2011
I Love the Nightlife, I've Got to Boogy
Every night in every town in the world, people of every age, race, and creed venture out into the streets to haunt their local watering holes. That's true across the board, which makes St. Augustine no different than any town in America. Why, then, is St. Augustine special? Not because our beer is better or our bars more hoppin', but because of one simple difference: the people.
St. Augustine is an interesting melting pot of individuals. There are tourists who come down from the colder states, up from the busier cities, and across the ocean from the places of our history's origins. There are also the locals who are in and around the region because Florida's vast and thriving agricultural industry. Then, those locals and visitors here for our clean and beautiful beaches. Yet more are young artists here to go to school or to practice photography or music in one of the most beautiul places on the coast. Even more are transplants from other climates, once visitors, but now ready to call St. Augustine home. There are others (many, many different varieties of others), but already there is an indefinable mixture of people who not only enjoy the warm, sunny shores of St. Augustine, but also enjoy its muggy and vibrant nightlife.
This past Friday night, I was out with some friends from Flagler College to celebrate TJ's 21st birthday. St. Augustine is a marvelous place to celebrate any birthday, but especially a 21st. Though there are plenty of places which are still 18 and up and host trivia nights and music, the local government cracked down a few years ago on underage drinking and so most bars want to do anything to keep themselves safe from losing their liquor liscence. So, though there are places where a person under 21 can go out and have a nice time, it's just simply easier to move about in the city if you're of-age.
And move about you do. Never have I bar-hopped anywhere else quite the way I've bar-hopped in St. Augustine. There's something unique and special about being able to walk the length of the downtown district in less than half an hour and have access to more than 20 (believe me, I'm leaving some out just because there's too many to count) local hot spots with good drinks and great people watching. We landed at a couple of my favorites on Friday night, one being No Name Bar.
No Name Bar is an interesting place because it truly...has no name. When it first opened up, we dubbed it "New Bar" since it was new and the sign stayed inexplicably blank for months after it opened. They had a contest on their facebook page to name it, but the resounding vote stayed that it should remain nameless. And so it did.
Don't let their identity crisis fool you, though, this bar is a fantastic stop during a St. Augustine jaunt. Right across from the Castillo de San Marcos (lay name: the Fort), the bar is mostly outside with a large deck and ample seating. They have fans in the summer and heat lamps in the winter, but the outdoor seating is not for the weak on days with rough weather. They always have some sort of live music going on, whether it be a full-piece band inside by the bar, or just some dude with a guitar and a bandana chilling on the deck. The music pours into the streets, battling for ear-space with White Lion and the Mill Top, which flank the bar on either side (in the Mill Top's case, just on the other side of the Pirate Museum). But if the music doesn't draw you in, the drink specials should. They have, hands down, the best drink specials and regular drink prices in town. They have, among other things, a Service-Industry night, a Whiskey special night, Two-Dollar Tuesdays, and daily specials which remain just as good no matter what day of the week it is. The only problem is that, for some reason, when you run a credit card, it will double charge at first and then take the extra charge off once it's cleared. This isn't too much of an issue, I've never had a problem, but if you're someone like me who has to watch every dime in your account, then you just have to know what you have before you charge here.
As far as people watching goes, this place is primo. Everyone from down-home country boys to local kids to college hipsters like to check-in here. It's right on the road, serving lunch in the afternoons along with a liquor store attached, so there is never want for tourists pouring in and out of the place. Locals and tourists can find common ground here, though, and I've never seen the types of issues I have in other watering holes with the battle for square footage between townies and visitors. Everyone just seems to bond in here over good music, a well-priced drink, and the muggy breezes flowing in from over the intracoastal.
Speaking of the people watching, there is one story I'd love to share from Friday night's 21st birthday jaunt. As I said in a past post, the 21st birthday list is not only a jumping off point for debauchery, it also draws a lot of people into the party who nobody (especially not the birthday boy) knows. Everyone wants to talk to the dude wearing a sign. TJ got loads of free drinks, kisses from strangers, hugs from party-goers, and even the lead singer's phone number. But one thing he got, that really made the night, was no where (I promise) on the list. A woman, probably in her forties, who will go nameless if simply because no one knew her name, came up to him and started chatting. A few of us looked on, me with my camera, others with drinks, all of us tracking what else TJ had to do to complete his list. This woman looks the list over, asking if there's anything she can help him with, then looks up, straight faced and bleary eyed and asks, "Do you want my underwear?" I almost swallowed my tongue and all any of us could do was nod confusedly, wondering what was going to happen next.
Well, the woman dissapeared for a few minutes and came back to bestow upon TJ her gift.
St. Augustine. A little drinking village with a fishing problem. If you come in expecting to have a good time, I promise that you will. There are people who just show up in this crazy place who will make sure of that.
Until next time <3
St. Augustine is an interesting melting pot of individuals. There are tourists who come down from the colder states, up from the busier cities, and across the ocean from the places of our history's origins. There are also the locals who are in and around the region because Florida's vast and thriving agricultural industry. Then, those locals and visitors here for our clean and beautiful beaches. Yet more are young artists here to go to school or to practice photography or music in one of the most beautiul places on the coast. Even more are transplants from other climates, once visitors, but now ready to call St. Augustine home. There are others (many, many different varieties of others), but already there is an indefinable mixture of people who not only enjoy the warm, sunny shores of St. Augustine, but also enjoy its muggy and vibrant nightlife.
This past Friday night, I was out with some friends from Flagler College to celebrate TJ's 21st birthday. St. Augustine is a marvelous place to celebrate any birthday, but especially a 21st. Though there are plenty of places which are still 18 and up and host trivia nights and music, the local government cracked down a few years ago on underage drinking and so most bars want to do anything to keep themselves safe from losing their liquor liscence. So, though there are places where a person under 21 can go out and have a nice time, it's just simply easier to move about in the city if you're of-age.
And move about you do. Never have I bar-hopped anywhere else quite the way I've bar-hopped in St. Augustine. There's something unique and special about being able to walk the length of the downtown district in less than half an hour and have access to more than 20 (believe me, I'm leaving some out just because there's too many to count) local hot spots with good drinks and great people watching. We landed at a couple of my favorites on Friday night, one being No Name Bar.
No Name Bar is an interesting place because it truly...has no name. When it first opened up, we dubbed it "New Bar" since it was new and the sign stayed inexplicably blank for months after it opened. They had a contest on their facebook page to name it, but the resounding vote stayed that it should remain nameless. And so it did.
Don't let their identity crisis fool you, though, this bar is a fantastic stop during a St. Augustine jaunt. Right across from the Castillo de San Marcos (lay name: the Fort), the bar is mostly outside with a large deck and ample seating. They have fans in the summer and heat lamps in the winter, but the outdoor seating is not for the weak on days with rough weather. They always have some sort of live music going on, whether it be a full-piece band inside by the bar, or just some dude with a guitar and a bandana chilling on the deck. The music pours into the streets, battling for ear-space with White Lion and the Mill Top, which flank the bar on either side (in the Mill Top's case, just on the other side of the Pirate Museum). But if the music doesn't draw you in, the drink specials should. They have, hands down, the best drink specials and regular drink prices in town. They have, among other things, a Service-Industry night, a Whiskey special night, Two-Dollar Tuesdays, and daily specials which remain just as good no matter what day of the week it is. The only problem is that, for some reason, when you run a credit card, it will double charge at first and then take the extra charge off once it's cleared. This isn't too much of an issue, I've never had a problem, but if you're someone like me who has to watch every dime in your account, then you just have to know what you have before you charge here.
As far as people watching goes, this place is primo. Everyone from down-home country boys to local kids to college hipsters like to check-in here. It's right on the road, serving lunch in the afternoons along with a liquor store attached, so there is never want for tourists pouring in and out of the place. Locals and tourists can find common ground here, though, and I've never seen the types of issues I have in other watering holes with the battle for square footage between townies and visitors. Everyone just seems to bond in here over good music, a well-priced drink, and the muggy breezes flowing in from over the intracoastal.
Speaking of the people watching, there is one story I'd love to share from Friday night's 21st birthday jaunt. As I said in a past post, the 21st birthday list is not only a jumping off point for debauchery, it also draws a lot of people into the party who nobody (especially not the birthday boy) knows. Everyone wants to talk to the dude wearing a sign. TJ got loads of free drinks, kisses from strangers, hugs from party-goers, and even the lead singer's phone number. But one thing he got, that really made the night, was no where (I promise) on the list. A woman, probably in her forties, who will go nameless if simply because no one knew her name, came up to him and started chatting. A few of us looked on, me with my camera, others with drinks, all of us tracking what else TJ had to do to complete his list. This woman looks the list over, asking if there's anything she can help him with, then looks up, straight faced and bleary eyed and asks, "Do you want my underwear?" I almost swallowed my tongue and all any of us could do was nod confusedly, wondering what was going to happen next.
Well, the woman dissapeared for a few minutes and came back to bestow upon TJ her gift.
Until next time <3
Friday, June 3, 2011
Tools of the Trade
I've been searching around for the past few days for info on things to do in town. I've come across some really informative websites that are full of attraction news, tour ideas, and links to different companies such as those that host kayaking tours or parasailing. There will be a lot more of these coming, but I figured I'd post some of the better ones that I've found so far on here!
Florida's Historic Coast - St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra
Old City - Connecting St. Augustine to the World
Trusted Tours - St. Augustine Division
Augustine - The St. Augustine Vacation Guide
There's also a lot of great organizations on twitter which I've started following. Any good leads, I assure you, will be posted on here forthwith!
Get ready tomorrow for Drake's Raid, too! That will be on the blog for Sunday, but I want to warn you of the pirate invansion now ;)
Until next time! <3
Florida's Historic Coast - St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra
Old City - Connecting St. Augustine to the World
Trusted Tours - St. Augustine Division
Augustine - The St. Augustine Vacation Guide
There's also a lot of great organizations on twitter which I've started following. Any good leads, I assure you, will be posted on here forthwith!
Get ready tomorrow for Drake's Raid, too! That will be on the blog for Sunday, but I want to warn you of the pirate invansion now ;)
Until next time! <3
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia, also known as spectrophobia, is the irrational fear of ghosts. I have a tendency towards this phobia, which is completely unhelpful in a town like St. Augustine which is, like Savannah or Charleston, one of the most haunted cities in North America. Not only do we have a whole stinkin' lot of history (we were founded and named officially in 1565, making us the OLDEST city, since we are the oldest continuously run settlement in the New World), but the history we have is also gruesomely bloody or otherwise unpleasant. Even our more recent history is on the more ghastly side than not. This is an anxiety filled nightmare for a phasmophobe like me, but it has done wonders for our ghost tour industry which, in the past decade or so, has blossomed (see: exploded) and overtaken the town.
Now, I'm not necessarily complaining. I'm a tour guide for the City of St. Augustine and I have given my share of ghost tours. Yes, even I have dressed up in all black, lantern in tow and scared the willies out of friends and visitors. Even a phasmophobe like me has swallowed my pride now and again and partaken in the city's most prosperous and growing industry. Hell, I even live in Ponce Hall! But I won't talk about that...the college doesn't like to associate itself with ghost stories (they're sitting on a gold-mine).
I've also been on a handful of ghost tours in town and I've seen or overheard the ones I haven't actually paid for, and there are definitely ones which stand out above the others. They depend greatly on which tour guides you get, what kind of night it is, and how drunk the rest of the people on the tour are, of course, but you'll have a better chance of getting a better show with some tours over others.
One of my favorites, when we have the right tour guide and the moon is positioned right in the seventh house (kidding), is the one my parents currently work for: Ripley's Ghost Train Adventure. Now, do I like this tour because I can get on for free? Probably. But it's also darn good. All of the tours are bloody expensive, but for this one I truly feel that you get what you pay for.
The tour goes through changes once every few months, but the constant is that you jump on the train, armed with your free disposable camera and ghost meter, ride around the city listening to stories. You stop at at least two known "hot-spots" in town and then round out the tour in Castle Warden, which now houses the first Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in North America. So, not only is the castle haunted and creepy, but there's also loads of horrible things in there like tattoos with skin still attached and medieval torture devices. Cool.
The stories are true. I will put that out there. I say that a lot and it usually makes people cock their eye brows at me and shake their heads, but I tell you, most everything you hear on most of these tours you can find in a history book on the city. Will you find tales of spirits walking parapets and floating lanterns? No. But you will find story after story of bloody deaths, families torn apart, wars, lovers lost, and other brilliant and scary fodder for ghost tales. There's also lots and lots of dead people in town. Every where. It was a small city, they ran out of places to bury people. Often.
So come on a tour, any of them. They're great good fun. Take pictures even if you're a cynic. I've seen some terrifying photos which even I, while trying to make up excuses and reasons for things, have yet to be able to explain. Dust particles or not, there's some stuff caught on film that's darned scary.
The only picture I'm sharing with you today, however, is one that will relate to the post for tomorrow. Today is my friend TJ's 21st birthday and myself and a couple of friends are in charge of his "list." If you've not heard of this tradition, it involves friends who love you very much giving you a giant piece of poster paper to wear around your neck for an entire night of bar-hopping with a hilarious and embarassing list of things that must be completed during the evening. Lists can include anything from "make a wish in a fountain" to "get a lap dance from a stranger" to any number of sordid things. Last time we went out for someone's 21st, a friend got a lap dance from a drunk bride while her happy groom cheered from the sidelines. That was not on the list...
So this is what will soon be TJ's list. Oh...and a polar bear.
Until next time! <3
Now, I'm not necessarily complaining. I'm a tour guide for the City of St. Augustine and I have given my share of ghost tours. Yes, even I have dressed up in all black, lantern in tow and scared the willies out of friends and visitors. Even a phasmophobe like me has swallowed my pride now and again and partaken in the city's most prosperous and growing industry. Hell, I even live in Ponce Hall! But I won't talk about that...the college doesn't like to associate itself with ghost stories (they're sitting on a gold-mine).
I've also been on a handful of ghost tours in town and I've seen or overheard the ones I haven't actually paid for, and there are definitely ones which stand out above the others. They depend greatly on which tour guides you get, what kind of night it is, and how drunk the rest of the people on the tour are, of course, but you'll have a better chance of getting a better show with some tours over others.
One of my favorites, when we have the right tour guide and the moon is positioned right in the seventh house (kidding), is the one my parents currently work for: Ripley's Ghost Train Adventure. Now, do I like this tour because I can get on for free? Probably. But it's also darn good. All of the tours are bloody expensive, but for this one I truly feel that you get what you pay for.
The tour goes through changes once every few months, but the constant is that you jump on the train, armed with your free disposable camera and ghost meter, ride around the city listening to stories. You stop at at least two known "hot-spots" in town and then round out the tour in Castle Warden, which now houses the first Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in North America. So, not only is the castle haunted and creepy, but there's also loads of horrible things in there like tattoos with skin still attached and medieval torture devices. Cool.
The stories are true. I will put that out there. I say that a lot and it usually makes people cock their eye brows at me and shake their heads, but I tell you, most everything you hear on most of these tours you can find in a history book on the city. Will you find tales of spirits walking parapets and floating lanterns? No. But you will find story after story of bloody deaths, families torn apart, wars, lovers lost, and other brilliant and scary fodder for ghost tales. There's also lots and lots of dead people in town. Every where. It was a small city, they ran out of places to bury people. Often.
So come on a tour, any of them. They're great good fun. Take pictures even if you're a cynic. I've seen some terrifying photos which even I, while trying to make up excuses and reasons for things, have yet to be able to explain. Dust particles or not, there's some stuff caught on film that's darned scary.
The only picture I'm sharing with you today, however, is one that will relate to the post for tomorrow. Today is my friend TJ's 21st birthday and myself and a couple of friends are in charge of his "list." If you've not heard of this tradition, it involves friends who love you very much giving you a giant piece of poster paper to wear around your neck for an entire night of bar-hopping with a hilarious and embarassing list of things that must be completed during the evening. Lists can include anything from "make a wish in a fountain" to "get a lap dance from a stranger" to any number of sordid things. Last time we went out for someone's 21st, a friend got a lap dance from a drunk bride while her happy groom cheered from the sidelines. That was not on the list...
Until next time! <3
Thursday, June 2, 2011
It's a Dance-Dance-Revolution
As a precursor to this post, I'd like to say that I love to dance. I enjoy ballet, contemporary, and jazz, but mostly I like to get out on a dance floor and flail to whatever the DJ puts on, whether I know the words or not. There are not many places in St. Augustine in which to do that sort of thing, but I assure you I'll point out some of them on here in due time. For now, though, I focus on dance itself. Dancing is elating. Dancing is freeing and fun and...another "f" word that would round this sentence out marvelously. Fantastical is too much...
In any case, dance is perfect for a person like me who loves to work out but hates to sweat. A person, also, who likes going to the gym, but never knows what to do once I get there. A person, finally, who wants to move and lose some weight, but wants to do so in the comfort of the airconditioning. I also hate running.
This brings me to Zumba. Zumba is a revolution. Do you remember when your mom used to go to Jazzercize every Saturday morning and you'd watch her and all of her friends through the partition glass as they would "sweat to the oldies" in their leotards and hair bands? Zumba is just like that...except much, much (much) cooler.
Zumba combines latin dance, hip hop, jazz, and aerobics into a conglomerate of heart-pumping, non-stop, dance-party-like exercise. It's a freakin' BLAST! I went to my first class this morning at Anastasia Athletic Club on Anastasia Island.
I'd been to the club before a few years ago for a yoga class here and there. Back then, the guest rate was $5 if you came with a club member. Now it's $10 (eek!). Now, ten bucks is not a whole lot of money for an exercise class, but I'm a college student. An exceptionally poor college student. I'm keeping this blog this summer instead of getting a real job (don't tell anyone). But! Wonder of wonders: they have a 7 day trial membership special! The guy behind the counter asked if I was from "here," which I'm assuming can mean either St. Augustine or St. Johns County, and gave me a little slip of paper on which to fill out my trial membership information. So, between now and seven days from now I can visit up to 3 times, which is perfect since my friends go to Zumba every Tuesday and Thursday.
What will I do after my trial membership is over? I might fork out the ten dollars a couple of times around, but more likely I will bounce around to other gyms in town to see if they also have free trial memberships, because HOW COOL IS THAT?! That's a great way to help out college students, let alone a great way for people to see how great your gym is.
And Anastasia Athletic Club really is a great gym...it's just a great gym for people with jobs and money. If you have both of those things, you should check it out! If not, at least find a Zumba class somewhere, I feel like I could kick BUTT right now! Woo!
Until next time <3
In any case, dance is perfect for a person like me who loves to work out but hates to sweat. A person, also, who likes going to the gym, but never knows what to do once I get there. A person, finally, who wants to move and lose some weight, but wants to do so in the comfort of the airconditioning. I also hate running.
This brings me to Zumba. Zumba is a revolution. Do you remember when your mom used to go to Jazzercize every Saturday morning and you'd watch her and all of her friends through the partition glass as they would "sweat to the oldies" in their leotards and hair bands? Zumba is just like that...except much, much (much) cooler.
Zumba combines latin dance, hip hop, jazz, and aerobics into a conglomerate of heart-pumping, non-stop, dance-party-like exercise. It's a freakin' BLAST! I went to my first class this morning at Anastasia Athletic Club on Anastasia Island.
I'd been to the club before a few years ago for a yoga class here and there. Back then, the guest rate was $5 if you came with a club member. Now it's $10 (eek!). Now, ten bucks is not a whole lot of money for an exercise class, but I'm a college student. An exceptionally poor college student. I'm keeping this blog this summer instead of getting a real job (don't tell anyone). But! Wonder of wonders: they have a 7 day trial membership special! The guy behind the counter asked if I was from "here," which I'm assuming can mean either St. Augustine or St. Johns County, and gave me a little slip of paper on which to fill out my trial membership information. So, between now and seven days from now I can visit up to 3 times, which is perfect since my friends go to Zumba every Tuesday and Thursday.
What will I do after my trial membership is over? I might fork out the ten dollars a couple of times around, but more likely I will bounce around to other gyms in town to see if they also have free trial memberships, because HOW COOL IS THAT?! That's a great way to help out college students, let alone a great way for people to see how great your gym is.
And Anastasia Athletic Club really is a great gym...it's just a great gym for people with jobs and money. If you have both of those things, you should check it out! If not, at least find a Zumba class somewhere, I feel like I could kick BUTT right now! Woo!
Until next time <3
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
EVOLve
There's nothing better than a night out with the girls. Especially if the girls are ones who you haven't had a night out with in about as long as you can remember. It's an interesting and unique thing as a local living in my hometown that I haven't been in the same room with my closest high school friends since a little bit after graduation. But neither this blog nor this post is about what I haven't done in the past four years or so, it's about what I'm doing this summer. Summer 2011.
The idea of this blog began as less than a nugget when I first started going to school at Flagler College in my hometown of St. Augustine, FL. Like every proper born and bred St. Augustinian, I had been harboring a gnawing dislike for the sleepy drinking village in which I was convinced I would become trapped. Nothing means much at the age of 17 other than leaving the only place you've known for the past seventeen (obviously very well versed and worldly...) years of your life. Contrary to this feeling, however, I chose to stay in town for college, despite the fact that I kept willing Flagler, the only school to which I applied, to up and move to another place. I stayed in St. Augustine at that point as an 18 year old and soon became a resident of what is known as Downtown St. Augustine, living in the female dorms at Ponce Hall.
That's when my perspective on my life as a St. Augustinian shifted irreversibly. Suddenly, I was not a local shmuck still haunting the streets of my childhood. Now I was a Flagler student, wearing new paths in this place which was, inexplicably, new to me. At the time, I attributed this fresh sight to the fact that I was seeing St. Augustine through the eyes of friends who had never been to this richly historical and beautiful place I called home. Over my past four years at Flagler, however, I have come to realize that I was not seeing St. Augustine with new eyes. I was in fact seeing St. Augustine with eyes that were slowly, ever so slowly, falling in love. This love became clear to me in and around my junior year at Flagler, when I finally turned 21. Not only was I able to experience the more family friendly delights which St. Augustine had to offer, but now little is barred to me. I relish in St. Augustine's marvelously abysmal nightlife (it's there, I promise. You only need to know where to look) and even the more "grown-up" tourist traps (a term which will henceforth be banned from this blog) such as the San Sebastian Winery wine tasting tours.
This blog is simply one of the many fruits which has been born of this love. When my sister and I took a road trip to Savannah, Tybee Island, and Hilton Head, there were countless people (seriously. bunches.) who kept saying things to us like, "Wow, you're from St. Augustine? Well, this place is just like St. Augustine except --insert some inane and unimportant difference here--." That's when I knew. That's when I knew that I was living in my own vacation and had yet to recognize it.
What is the point of this blog? I suppose it forces me to explore the parts and sections of St. Augustine that not even I have ventured into yet. But it is also here for the purpose of disproving other 17 year olds who were born and bred here with their natural disdain. Trust me when I say, this place is cool. This place is fun. This place is vibrant and active. This is my hometown and I love it.
And if you love it enough, I promise St. Augustine will love you right back.
About that girls night out? We'll get back to that. That story got away from me a bit, but it will be re-explored. For now, I'm off to make more stories. Please stick around so that I can share them with you.
The idea of this blog began as less than a nugget when I first started going to school at Flagler College in my hometown of St. Augustine, FL. Like every proper born and bred St. Augustinian, I had been harboring a gnawing dislike for the sleepy drinking village in which I was convinced I would become trapped. Nothing means much at the age of 17 other than leaving the only place you've known for the past seventeen (obviously very well versed and worldly...) years of your life. Contrary to this feeling, however, I chose to stay in town for college, despite the fact that I kept willing Flagler, the only school to which I applied, to up and move to another place. I stayed in St. Augustine at that point as an 18 year old and soon became a resident of what is known as Downtown St. Augustine, living in the female dorms at Ponce Hall.
That's when my perspective on my life as a St. Augustinian shifted irreversibly. Suddenly, I was not a local shmuck still haunting the streets of my childhood. Now I was a Flagler student, wearing new paths in this place which was, inexplicably, new to me. At the time, I attributed this fresh sight to the fact that I was seeing St. Augustine through the eyes of friends who had never been to this richly historical and beautiful place I called home. Over my past four years at Flagler, however, I have come to realize that I was not seeing St. Augustine with new eyes. I was in fact seeing St. Augustine with eyes that were slowly, ever so slowly, falling in love. This love became clear to me in and around my junior year at Flagler, when I finally turned 21. Not only was I able to experience the more family friendly delights which St. Augustine had to offer, but now little is barred to me. I relish in St. Augustine's marvelously abysmal nightlife (it's there, I promise. You only need to know where to look) and even the more "grown-up" tourist traps (a term which will henceforth be banned from this blog) such as the San Sebastian Winery wine tasting tours.
This blog is simply one of the many fruits which has been born of this love. When my sister and I took a road trip to Savannah, Tybee Island, and Hilton Head, there were countless people (seriously. bunches.) who kept saying things to us like, "Wow, you're from St. Augustine? Well, this place is just like St. Augustine except --insert some inane and unimportant difference here--." That's when I knew. That's when I knew that I was living in my own vacation and had yet to recognize it.
What is the point of this blog? I suppose it forces me to explore the parts and sections of St. Augustine that not even I have ventured into yet. But it is also here for the purpose of disproving other 17 year olds who were born and bred here with their natural disdain. Trust me when I say, this place is cool. This place is fun. This place is vibrant and active. This is my hometown and I love it.
And if you love it enough, I promise St. Augustine will love you right back.
About that girls night out? We'll get back to that. That story got away from me a bit, but it will be re-explored. For now, I'm off to make more stories. Please stick around so that I can share them with you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)