St. Augustine is Like . . .

Choose the answer that is most nearly correct:

St. Augustine is like:

a) Virginia Beach

b) Main Street, Disneyland

c) Santa Fe

d) None of the above

My first response as we passed through the gates of this formerly walled Spanish colonial city, generally regarded as the longest continuously inhabited European settlement in today’s United States (please note all the qualifiers) is best represented by the acronym of our times, “OMFG, this is a scam, another honky-tonk, tourist trap, beach city masquerading as history” (see a and b above). Hordes of people jostling through a picturebook arcade.

But that was an initial response, and the the first break came when we saw the site of the Grist Mill Café. Now an archeological dig. When they went to remodel, they turned up something significant. “Hmmmm,” says I, “they respect the underlying basis.” Then as we passed along St. George Street and moved toward the plaza and some of the older and less commercial areas I had to revise my first take.

And so I will let the rest of the images speak for themselves.

But then you ask, what is this, this big red topped . . . thing?

And this?

 

Not to mention THIS?? (Hint: Google Flagler, or read the blog tomorrow)