After an awesome night's sleep, I awoke to... wait for it.. pick your jaw up from the floor after reading this... Fog. No shit. Couldn't see much out the window, and had really hoped to go for one last walk on the beach. However, it might be gone by the time I'm dressed and ready to go, so a quick shower and pack up (have to leave today :( ), yup, the fog has lifted. It's still very hazy out, although it has been since I've arrived. After a couple of miles, a few more pretty blue jellyfish, some sand and surf between the toes, and feeling enough warm sun and breeze and water to hopefully last a few months, I head back to the hotel and check out.
First stop is... Starbucks. Since I "lost" (ahem) my Miami Beach Starbucks mug, hopefully I can get a Daytona Beach one. But no luck. They are even sold out of the Florida ones, and never made a Daytona one. That's ok, I can at least get a good cup of coffee, then it's off to find the Daytona International Speedway. Ever since taking the course to become a race marshall (the people that wave the flags at races), I've thought it would be cool to see what a "real" world-class racetrack is like. I was completely unprepared. The sheer size of the place is something that you can't imagine until you see it.
It takes almost 20 minutes to drive on the ring road that runs around the perimeter. You can hear the cars whining as drivers practise (I guess), and although it's very difficult to find a place to stop and get a photo, I manage to get a couple that at least (although not very photographically interesting) show sort of how big it is. Unfortunately, due to a very slow connection here this evening, I will have to upload the pics later. Although I missed the morning tour by about an hour, I find the gift shop, and need to find a few trinkets for my daughter, husband and grandkids. Val and Chad are huge race fans, so this will be great.
Next, off to Savannah, GA. On the way south, I had skipped this in the hopes of getting to the Beach early enough to have dinner. This time, I'll stay for a while and hopefully catch a bit of the historic area. The traffic isn't nearly as crazy coming north along I-95 as it was (and is) southbound. Nice, makes for a much easier drive.
Hitting Savannah before 4 p.m. means I can chill out a bit, figure out where I'm at, and book my next two nights hotel, which could be just as tricky as Christmas even and Christmas Day/night. Check the weather, which so far is holding at no more snow and ice for a couple of days at least. Check the driving times and hotel availability, and it looks like tomorrow will be Winston-Salem, NC, about a five hour drive. New Year's Day is probably a good day to just drive, so my next stop after that will be Grove City, PA so I can do a bit of shopping at the outlet mall on Saturday morning before heading home (a four-hour drive).
Anyway, now it's time for dinner. My friend Myra has recommended two places that she and her husband love when they come to Savannah, the Olde Pink House, and Pirate House Restaurant. However, neither have any reservations available. So I check the hotel lobby for flyers, and find a couple that seem like they have good food, reasonably priced, take walk-ins, and are casual. Perfect. My trusty GPS gets me to the riverfront, and I'm already excited to come back tomorrow for a trolley tour.
The restaurant I pick is Savannah River House, which seemed to have a fairly extensive menu and lots of southern food (when in Rome...) I'm really getting to like this southern food, maybe a bit too much. The drink of the area is the Chatham Artillery Punch. Which is pretty much what it sounds like. And I get to take the glass home - like I needed another brandy snifter? Appetizer is Fried Green Tomatoes, which I've never had before because frankly, it sounds kinda yucky. But here they are not super greasy, and are served with a paella onion relish and goat cheese - and I'm hooked. Entree is Pecan Bourbon Salmon, served on a bed of sweet potato mash over sauteed collard greens. Sooooo yummy!
After that it's time for a walk. The streets are full of happy people, and live music drifts from a couple of restaurants and bars. The streets themselves are cobblestone or brick, and you can see the old buildings that are now the eating establishments and stores are very old. The streets come down to the riverfront down very steep hills, and there are long steep stairs for those brave enough to walk back up. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures tomorrow.
First stop is... Starbucks. Since I "lost" (ahem) my Miami Beach Starbucks mug, hopefully I can get a Daytona Beach one. But no luck. They are even sold out of the Florida ones, and never made a Daytona one. That's ok, I can at least get a good cup of coffee, then it's off to find the Daytona International Speedway. Ever since taking the course to become a race marshall (the people that wave the flags at races), I've thought it would be cool to see what a "real" world-class racetrack is like. I was completely unprepared. The sheer size of the place is something that you can't imagine until you see it.
It takes almost 20 minutes to drive on the ring road that runs around the perimeter. You can hear the cars whining as drivers practise (I guess), and although it's very difficult to find a place to stop and get a photo, I manage to get a couple that at least (although not very photographically interesting) show sort of how big it is. Unfortunately, due to a very slow connection here this evening, I will have to upload the pics later. Although I missed the morning tour by about an hour, I find the gift shop, and need to find a few trinkets for my daughter, husband and grandkids. Val and Chad are huge race fans, so this will be great.
Next, off to Savannah, GA. On the way south, I had skipped this in the hopes of getting to the Beach early enough to have dinner. This time, I'll stay for a while and hopefully catch a bit of the historic area. The traffic isn't nearly as crazy coming north along I-95 as it was (and is) southbound. Nice, makes for a much easier drive.
Hitting Savannah before 4 p.m. means I can chill out a bit, figure out where I'm at, and book my next two nights hotel, which could be just as tricky as Christmas even and Christmas Day/night. Check the weather, which so far is holding at no more snow and ice for a couple of days at least. Check the driving times and hotel availability, and it looks like tomorrow will be Winston-Salem, NC, about a five hour drive. New Year's Day is probably a good day to just drive, so my next stop after that will be Grove City, PA so I can do a bit of shopping at the outlet mall on Saturday morning before heading home (a four-hour drive).
Anyway, now it's time for dinner. My friend Myra has recommended two places that she and her husband love when they come to Savannah, the Olde Pink House, and Pirate House Restaurant. However, neither have any reservations available. So I check the hotel lobby for flyers, and find a couple that seem like they have good food, reasonably priced, take walk-ins, and are casual. Perfect. My trusty GPS gets me to the riverfront, and I'm already excited to come back tomorrow for a trolley tour.
The restaurant I pick is Savannah River House, which seemed to have a fairly extensive menu and lots of southern food (when in Rome...) I'm really getting to like this southern food, maybe a bit too much. The drink of the area is the Chatham Artillery Punch. Which is pretty much what it sounds like. And I get to take the glass home - like I needed another brandy snifter? Appetizer is Fried Green Tomatoes, which I've never had before because frankly, it sounds kinda yucky. But here they are not super greasy, and are served with a paella onion relish and goat cheese - and I'm hooked. Entree is Pecan Bourbon Salmon, served on a bed of sweet potato mash over sauteed collard greens. Sooooo yummy!
After that it's time for a walk. The streets are full of happy people, and live music drifts from a couple of restaurants and bars. The streets themselves are cobblestone or brick, and you can see the old buildings that are now the eating establishments and stores are very old. The streets come down to the riverfront down very steep hills, and there are long steep stairs for those brave enough to walk back up. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures tomorrow.
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