A Day Out of the Town

In the midst of studying and working hard, it is sometimes beneficial to spend a day out on the town. But perhaps it is even better to spend a day out of the town – as in, somewhere just far enough away to be like a mini-vacation, but just close enough to make it a day trip. Just enough to experience a change of pace.

After coming back from London I have felt, shall we say, a little trapped by good old Tallahassee. The truth is, I’m not a big Urban person. I love London and Berlin and Boston. I really enjoy nice, clean cities that are also walk-able and full of down-town areas and beautiful parks like, say, Central Park or Hyde Park. Perhaps it is the “real” side of the city, where the everyday man lives and works, that just really isn’t my speed. Please don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for those who live in and love city life. But Tallahassee just doesn’t encapsulate the immense historical, cultural, and structural integrity that is found in a city like London. And so I find myself pining for something more intimate. Somewhere that I can go outside and walk around downtown. As much as I do value my education here and have found shops and cafes that are much to my liking, I really miss the freedom of just walking. Tallahassee (at least as I know it) is not walker friendly.

Now, I’m sure there are people that could argue that point with me, and I would very much enjoy learning the secrets to walking in Tallahassee, but that is not what this post is about. In short, I was ready for some small-town atmosphere, and today I found it in Apalachicola. If that is a foreign word to you, Apalachicola is a wonderful sea-side town in the panhandle of Florida, right on the Gulf Coast. Feeling the need to get out for a day, my friend, Rachel, and I hopped in the car this morning and headed for the Apalachicola Art Walk and Wine Festival.

Talking to the locals and seeing the event in action, I realized that pairing a wine festival with an art walk is an ingenious way to promote local business and community. For those who want to drink wine, you can buy a wine glass for $20, and then circulate around to a list of local businesses offering varying types of wine to taste. As you get your glass filled at each location, the proprietors check off their spot on your list. Businesses (both on and off the list) also offer hors d’oeuvres. What better way is there to draw the community to local business than to offer them wine and free food? Meanwhile, local artists are both selling and creating original works on street corners and in studios. All kinds of people were out roaming the streets of down-town Apalachicola – families, couples, children, dogs – everyone coming together to celebrate the talents and business endeavors of their community.

And for Rachel and me it was a wonderful day spent somewhere else. We breathed deeply of the sea breeze, wondered at the works of local artists, browsed everything from clothes to antique flour-sifters, and walking among the crowd (delightfully free of other college students). It is so refreshing to watch people partake in normal life off the college campus, real people doing real things.

Now for some pictures…

Local artwork outside a little garden shop.

A tradition of seaside business.

Collection of buoys.

Taking in the sea breezes.

Some seaside friends.

Shrimp and oysters for dinner at Boss Oyster – a true legend.

Rachel eating her first oysters – and only half baked!

Finally, for those who have been my ever loyal, faithful readers, I apologize for not writing for the past few months. What with being back in the USA and going to class and studying, it has been hard to find time to do something exciting enough to post about, let alone actually sit down to write. But thank you for being patient, and I hope you enjoyed this post!