Anniston Star - March 2008 - Fresh Look at Oldest City
Fresh look at oldest city: The old is always new again in St. Augustine - By Mary Eloise H. Leake
Like many other inns in the area, Casa de la Paz Bed & Breakfast in St. Augustine, Fla., has its own ghost story. Snag a ride on the Red Train when you arrive in St. Augustine and hop on and off when something appeals to you. Though this sounds hokey, it gives you a fun, visual history of one of "Florida's Seven Wonders of the World (2007)," according to Miami Herald readers.
When Dan Carignan moved from Massachusetts to St. Augustine, he says he "fell in love with the city's history." A train "conductor," he enthusiastically dishes the city's hits — and misses — as he rides the Red Train on a daily basis. When Ponce de Leon sailed into the area in 1513, the explorer was so impressed by the 6-foot-7 natives, he thought he'd found the "Fountain of Youth," Carignan says.
Why? In that era, Spaniards averaged only between 4 feet 5 and 4 feet 8.
At the entrance to the old central city market, de Leon's "life-size," 4-foot-11 statue reigns. A smile tugs when Carignan says, "At that time, important men were measured from the bottom of their boots to the top of their hat plumes." Of course.
The oldest permanent settlement in North America was established in 1565 by Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Locals will note — ahem — that this was 55 years before the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth Rock and 42 years before Jamestown in Virginia.
Jackhammered by Indian uprisings, pirates, disease, French, British and U. S. armies, fires and hurricanes, St. Augustine survived. It was 265 years old when the United States bought the Province of East Florida in 1821 for about $5 million. When the Civil War ended in 1865, St. Augustine was celebrating its 300th birthday. Mind boggling.
How did the now 433-year-old city last? One reason is the Castillo de San Marcos, a fort located just outside the historic Spanish Quarter's still-standing gates. When danger was imminent, townspeople rushed inside the fort's walls, taking their cows, chickens and food. Cannonballs only dented the quarried coquina (crushed shells, compressed into rock) structure.
Back on the Red Train, exit it to access St. George Street. With only foot traffic allowed, the street is for shopaholics craving lots of quirky little boutiques and shops. Savor a great St. Augustine take on seafood gumbo, loaded with scallops, shrimp, fish, crab, sausage and Cajun spices, or a smooth New England clam chowder at the Crab Grabbers Grill just off St. George on Hypolita Street.
Walking on Hypolita toward the bay, do NOT miss Claude's Chocolate. Trained in France, Claude Franques moved here with his wife after 30 years as a culinary artist in New York City restaurants. Two years ago they began making — by hand — luscious chocolates with no additives or preservatives.
The rich aroma draws you in. The chocolatier's decadent choices include such delicacies as Golden Colombian, rich Colombian coffee infused in a dark chocolate center; and Cinnamon Praline, cinnamon infused in milk-chocolate ganache with hazelnut paste; or JD #7, a square of dark chocolate ganache laced with Jack Daniel's whiskey. Claude's Chocolate offers the best Friday-night deal in St. Augustine: a glass of wine and four chocolates for $5.
Back on the train, Carignan points out the Tropical Tradewinds lounge — where Jimmy Buffett got his start — as well as oodles of art galleries and antique shops and the original Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. Kiss someone special under the "love tree," a huge live oak with a sego palm growing out of its trunk.
Magnolia Avenue — surprisingly comprised of moss-draped live oaks whose branches arch gracefully over the street — is among the city's numerous wedding sites. Carignan riffs on the swagged branches but warns that those pretty gray "Spanish beards" are full of chiggers.
Henry Flagler, who with John D. Rockefeller, founded Standard Oil Co., is often credited with bringing tourism to Florida. After honeymooning in St. Augustine, he built the Spanish Renaissance Revival Ponce de Leon Hotel in 1887 for $250,000 to lure wealthy Northerners eager to escape the chill and snow. After the newfangled electric lights were installed, Carignan says, peoplewere too scared to flip the switches. So Flagler hired people to control the lights.
When the Ponce de Leon Hotel, the country's first major, poured-concrete building, opened in 1888, it boasted 540 rooms. Befitting the Gilded Age, its ballroom, surrounded by 79 Tiffany windows, has a majestic dome. Tour this striking complex, led by students since the hotel is now Flagler College, and tongue-studded students chow down in the magnificent ballroom.
Across the street is Flagler's Hotel Alcazar — which, in its heyday, had a retractable roof over the grand ballroom, a Turkish bath, a bowling alley, tennis courts, rifle ranges and a huge indoor swimming pool. Today it is the Lightner Museum, known for its extensive collection of Victoriana.
Punctuate your evenings with casual or chic restaurants. Last June, the Palm Beach Post listed the Kingfish Grill among the "22 Classic Restaurants on the East Coast — Making Classic Florida Memories." The Kingfish, at Camachee Cove Marina, is laid-back, friendly and you can't beat the scenery. Its signature crab cake, with piquant Datil pepper jelly, is light and delicious, and the Homemade Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee's creamy depth of flavor lingers pleasingly.
Kicking flavor sensations up a notch, Collage, a new understated 49-seat bistro, lets its global cuisine and excellent service take the spotlight. Try the sushi, or the Mushroom Crepes with Roasted Poblano Sauce, paired with Meuller Aulsese Riesling. Petite Chef Melody Stewart adds zest to the palate-pleasing Sweet Chili Guava Barbecue-Glazed Pork Tenderloin topped with Mango Coulis and Candied Pecans, recommending an '01 Truchard Carneros Merlot. Who knew that Fried Banana Ravioli with Warm Vanilla Custard could knock your socks off?
"St. Augustine is a great place to visit for all types of people" says Jenna Goudreau, a 22-year-old New York University student, "because there's a little bit for everyone: boating, youthful night life, museums and galleries and beautiful scenery. The cobblestone streets and picturesque city design offer a subtle romance that sneaks up on you."
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