The Great St. Augustine Adventure begins

After three years of spending February in Galveston, it was time for a change. Why not Florida? I'm probably the only person in the whole Northeast, possibly the whole U.S., who had never been here. St. A. sounded warm and interesting, and my kids were willing to come. So here I am! So far, I'd have to say that Texas had more jaw-dropping potential, but I have hope.

So far, the most dazzling thing we've seen was last night. (“We” includes my friend Hope, who is sharing the first week of this vacation.) After lollygagging around the beaches between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, we had to get ourselves into the fabulous condo, lay in some groceries, eat dinner, and still find enough energy to go downtown for #1 on my Must-Do list: the last night of the St. Augustine holiday lighting display, rated one of the best anywhere.

It was pretty spectacular. White lights on every building, bush, and bridge, and the buildings in the Old City are themselves totally grand, being Spanish-style and all. The historic district awaits our further exploration, but we figure we're off to a darned good start.