Why to visit St. Augustine

I have visited St. Augustine, Florida many times with my friends for a nice day trip, but last year I went for the first time overnight. One thing that makes staying in St. Augustine is that there are very few chain hotels. There are many inns and bed and breakfast accommodations. This was the first time I had ever stayed in one and I was very nervous about it. I finally chose the Cedar House Inn. It is a B&B run by a wonderful lady named Cindy. Because I was so nervous about staying at my first B&B, I made several calls to ask many questions. Not once did Cindy make me feel like I was an inconvenience to her and she was happy to answer all my questions. Once we arrived, she gave us a warm welcome and let us know what her inn had to offer us while staying with her. The best part about this inn is the breakfast Cindy makes each morning. You will not get your normal eggs, bacon, and toast here. She does breakfast reimagined and it is the best food I have ever had for breakfast. Cindy and her breakfast are why we will be going back to the Cedar House Inn.

The Inn is located just steps away from the Lightner Museum. This is a unique museum with many wonderful items from the American Gilded Age. We were there for the demonstration of the many different items in the music room. This was the highlight of the museum for us. Also, the Lightner used to be the Alcazar Hotel built by Henry Flagler and the area that was the pool in now a restaurant. We didn’t get a chance to eat there this time, but it is on the list for our future trip.

The Cedar House Inn is just a few blocks away from St. George Street where all the shops and restaurants are. If you walk all the way to the end of St. George Street, you will see the Castillo de San Marco also known and the St. Augustine Fort. This is now a National Parks landmark. If you have never been to the Castillo, it is a great experience. It shows how the soldiers lived at the time that the fort was built and the difference of the years from Spanish reign to British Reign. Make sure you don’t miss the cannon demonstration they do each day.

We ate at some great places while visiting St. Augustine. After visiting the Castillo, we had lunch at Al's Pizza. This is one of the closest places to the Castillo to have lunch. We didn't get the pizza but what we did get was excellent. The meatball appetizer was wonderful. They were handmade meatballs like the ones my friend makes for me. The pasta was great and the sauce was wonderful. I will go back for sure. We also went to Casa Maya for dinner and the food was like nothing I have ever tried. It is traditional Mexican and really worth a visit if you like traditional Mexican or like to try new things. They have an outside patio out back and the atmosphere was like you were in a Mexican back porch. Ask to sit out there you will love it.

If you are looking for a good snack, I have two places to recommend. The first is French Fry Heaven and they serve just that. French Fries! They have many different flavors so there is something for everyone. The portions are a good size for a snack between meals. The second place is The Hyppo. The Hyppo is a gourmet popsicle place. They have many amazing flavors. The first day, I tried the cucumber jalapeno. I was not too sure about it at first since I am not a fan of spicy food but the cool of the cucumber and the kick of the jalapeno was delicious and I am happy I tried it. The second day, I tried the grapefruit. It was just what I was looking for. It was very tart and refreshing. On a hot day in St. Augustine, The Hyppo is just the place to visit. They have two locations: one on St. George Street and one just off. Make sure to cool off with a cool popsicle.

One of the many things that is popular to do when staying in St. Augustine is a ghost tour. I am not big on made up stories so through some research, I found a tour called the History Mystery Murder and Mayhem tour. This was a wonderful tour that walks you through the Historic area and tells you the true stories of St. Augustine and some are really crazy. I recently took a class at Rollins College and we learned about the early days of the city and many of the stories from the tour were part of the things I learned in class, so these stories are legit.

One of the traditions I had with my friends when we would go on day trips was to go to the San Sebastian Winery. This is a great place to learn about wine making in Florida and what makes Florida wine different from the many other wines you may have tried in the past. The tour is free and there is a free tasting at the end of the tour. They also have a lovely roof top bar that I always enjoy visiting. Even if you are not into drinking wine, you will enjoy the tour. My boyfriend isn’t a drinker and he enjoyed our time at the winery.

These are just a few of the many wonderful things we did on our stay to St. Augustine and there are many things we didn’t get to see while there. This is a place that I would gladly go back to visit and when I do you know where I will be staying. That’s right I will be staying at the Cedar House Inn but I will not tell you what room I like — that way I know it will be available when I want it.

Every Little Girls Dream - Disney's Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique

Every little girl dreams of being a princess and most dream of being a Disney princess. With Disney’s Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, now that dream can become a reality. Disney has had the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique for a while but they just recently opened a new location at Disney Springs. This new boutique is beautiful. This is what I expect from Disney. We recently took our little cousin, Lily, to this location for her birthday.

When you first arrive, there is a small waiting area and a couple of check-in stands. This is a cute area but really does nothing in letting you know what is behind the door. You can feel that something “magical” happens in this building, you just can’t see it. The ladies who checked us in were wonderful and asked Lily if she knew what princess she wanted to be and what hair style she would like. Once that happened, we told that two adults could go with her on her journey. We left the check-in area and went behind the door to the changing area. This place was amazing. In the main room were wonderful little couches to sit on; they felt like they should be in a royal castle. Then we were taken to the changing room. This is where the real magic starts. The Merida dress was already hanging in the room along with the tiara and scepter. We were told to watch the mirror when the door closed. As we were left in the changing room looking at the mirror. Real magic happens and that is all I will tell you because I don’t want to spoil it for those who go. But it was true Disney Magic. We left the changing room and then picked out shoes. There were three options to choose. Once getting dressed was finished we were taken to the salon and introduced to our Fairy Godmother in training. The Fairy Godmother in training was very sweet and patient with Lily. She did her hair and makeup and nails. She talked with her the whole time. Lily really felt special and enjoyed the whole experience. Once she was finished she was given a drawstring backpack and a necklace. As we left Lily had her picture taken with Cinderella’s carriage. After this you can continue to the portrait studio and have more pictures taken.

There was also a photographer in the salon taking pictures. The salon is a very busy place and absolutely beautiful. So there is no way a little girl would not think she really is being turned in to a princess. The whole time they refer to the girls as princess which really adds to the experience.

There are several packages to pick from. They very in cost but there is something for every budget and you don’t have to buy the dress from them you can bring your own. There is also a package for the boys to become a knight. We did the Castle Package for Lily.

Here are the different packages.

The Crown Package (starting at $59.95 plus tax)

Hairstyling

Shimmering make-up, face gem

Princess sash and cinch bag

Nail polish

The Courtyard Package (starting at $99.95 plus tax)

Hairstyling

Shimmering make-up, face gem

Princess sash and cinch bag

Nail polish

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique T-shirt

Trendy tutu

The Castle Package (starting at $199.95 plus tax)

Hairstyling

Shimmering make-up and face gem

Princess necklace, sash and cinch bag

Nail polish

Disney Princess gown of your choice (shoes not included)

Wand

Crown

The Knight Package ($19.95 plus tax)

Hairstyling with gel

Mighty sword and shield

Confetti

Dealing with the airlines

When I plan for a trip I normally start with where I want to go and why I want to go there. So this year I decided to go see my favorite baseball team play in their home town for my birthday. Once I decided this then called my cousin and asked him to go with me. Here is where the fun comes in. I live in Orlando and he lives in Atlanta and we want to meet in NYC at the airport around the same time to save money on the cab. So I spent about a month looking at the different airlines to see what airport in NYC we should fly into and what airlines we should fly to get in with in 30 min of each other. Well Delta seemed to be the way for us to go. So I called my cousin and told him what flights to book from Atlanta to NYC LaGuardia . We booked our flights and I was to arrive with in 30 min. of him. About a month after the booking Delta called me and to let me know that my flight had been redirected somewhere other than LaGuardia and now instead of leaving in the early morning I would be leaving at the time I was originally scheduled to arrive. Well that does not work when you are meeting someone and getting in 2.5 hrs late. I let them know this would not work and explained why we choose their airline and how I needed to be in near the original time. The said there was no way to do this. So, while on the phone with them I went online and pulled up flights for that day. Well there was a way. I could fly to Atlanta and get on the same flight as my cousin and then we could go from there together. Yes, if they had just tried they could have figured this one out to begin with since I had told them I was meeting my cousin and let them know what flight he was on out of Atlanta.





Here is my question. Why can I a person at home online see this but the person who works for the airline can not figure this out? This is where customer service comes in. If the person on the phone with me really wanted to give me service she could have seen this. Also why post flights and times for booking if you are going to change them. There is a reason I choose the first flight I had, and NO it is not okay to have me leaving 2.5 hrs later than I had booked.





Airlines are doing less and less for the passengers these days. They now charge you to check your luggage and in return boarding is taking longer because the passengers are now dragging every thing on the plan with them and the over head bins now fill up faster causing some of us to have to have our carry on checked. This is not helping with the reason they are doing. It was started because of the rising fuel cost and they can spend let on fuel if the flight is lighter. Well, how much lighter is it really. I still pack the same amount but now I just carry it onto the flight. My original flight was redirected somewhere else because my flight was not full and so they changed it. This is not service! If I could fly Virgin Atlantic for all my flights I would because they are based on service. I am willing to pay more for a flight if i know the service I am getting is the best possible service the company can give.





After several hours on the phone with Delta the did fix my flights but instead of just doing from the start I wasted half a day with them .





Will I fly Delta again? Most likely not. This is the second trip to NYC I have flown with them and both times they have messed up big time. They would really have to make it worth my while to try them for a third time.





SORRY Delta but your service is very lacking and almost doesn't exist at all.