Food, glorious food...

In St. Augustine there are numerous restaurants I suggest you try. Old City House Inn & Restaurant at 115 Cordova Street is owned by a young South African-English couple whose chef, Brannon Hicks, has prepared a menu both classic and contemporary that matches well with the exclusive wines they bring from South Africa. That could be your more elegant night out. Old City Inn and Restaurant was the 2002 Grand Prize Winner -- Toast of St. Augustine - Best Upscale Restaurant. Further info: 904.826.0113, website: www.oldcityhouse.com.

More casual is A1A Microbrewery on the waterfront at the Bridge of Lions. The beer selection is fresh and fun and upstairs the contemporary American restaurant is packed with people chowing down on hearty and creative meals. Columbia Restaurant on Historic St. Georges Street in the pedestrian zone serves up Cuban-Spanish cuisine that will fuel your continued walks through the city. That's if you can get up from the table.

Always something to do...

There are nightly themed walking tours featuring tales of ghosts, romance and delicious scandals (info: 904.829.1711 or toll free: 800-OLD-CITY). On the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, The Film Society of St. Augustine offers $7.00 screenings of select International films (http://www.augfilm.com), there's a free art walk on the 1st Friday of every month (info: 904.825.0065 ) and a fun Farmers Market held every Wednesday, (info: 904.471.8267).

Other girl-friendly attractions around St. Augustine include the nearby outlet malls where Escada, Donna Karan, Le Creuset, Gap and more offer steep, steep discounts, the San Sebastian Winery, The Fountain of Youth and Castillo San Cristobal Fort. Still one of my favourite activities in St. Augustine is an early-am run along the waterfront and the Bridge. The morning mist is magical.

Special note: An important thing to consider when visiting St. Augustine is accessibility for disabled visitors. The streets are cobbled and the old houses are not always wheelchair accessible. Please be sure to call and ask about those factors wherever you stay.

St. Augustine's official web site is: www.visitoldcity.com or call The St. Johns County Visitors and Convention Bureau 800.418.7529

Enjoy, everybody!

Women's words on sunglasses...

Sunglasses are the twentieth-century equivalent of fans and veils. People use sunglasses to hide themselves. There is a particular art to taking off sunglasses, of choosing exactly the right moment to reveal yourself.
(Jane Seymour, Guide to Romantic Living, 1986)

Source: The New Beacon Book of Quotations by Women

Citrus, citrus, citrus...

Did you know that...
	Florida produces more grapefruit than the rest of the world combined.
	Some mature grapefruit trees can yield up to 1500 pounds of fruit in a season. The average yield is 350 pounds.
	World production of grapefruit is almost 6 million tons, the United States produces over 60% of this total.
	All citrus fruits originated in the Old World, except grapefruit. Grapefruit originated sometime in the late 18th Century in the Caribbean. No one knows for sure, but it is probably a natural mutation of the pomelo and another citrus fruit.
	Orange juice is the official beverage of Florida. Almost 40% of the orange crop in the U.S. goes to make frozen concentrate.
	In Queen Victoria's day, oranges were given as Christmas gifts in England.
Source: Food reference.com