We took a quick overnight trip to St. Augustine.

[babylonsister]

Our first mistake was thinking right downtown was the place to be. Our car was pretty locked in in the small parking area but we figured we'd be walking everywhere. Later on we wished we had wheels.

Nice place, touristy, but they are really suffering from lack of help. Many places are shuttered, whether from covid or said lack, I don't know. We ventured out for dinner and walked around FOR HOURS trying to find a place to eat. Those that were open and looked decent accepted reservations so we weren't getting in. The few holes in the wall had lines outside the door. Then there were places that charged such exorbitant prices we kept walking. We finally ended up in a taco stand, not the nice place we had envisioned, but the tacos were delish.
One restaurant had a sign outside that said they were closing on Tuesday and Wednesday for lack of staff. We stopped at a 24/7 Denny's en route for a bite; was told they have been closing at 5 due to lack of help.

So if anyone should be traveling, something to think about.

PS One of the views from our window was of a private home with a huge mf45 flag and a sign:

Liberalism is a mental disorder

[Turbineguy]

1. Liberalism is a mental disorder

That means they are intellectuals in their circle.

[Phoenix61]

2. St Augustine is one of my all time favorite places

The Best Western across from the fort is my go to for staying there. It was much cheaper before it went franchise but so easy to walk every where.

[babylonsister]

3. Ha! That's where we stayed.

It was okay.

[Phoenix61]

4. It's definitely nothing fancy but the location is so convenient. nt

[WhiteTara]

5. As a whole, people forget we are in the middle of a

Last edited Sat May 22, 2021, 10:59 AM - Edit history (1)

pandemic. Employers here are whining about no help and our gov is stopping unemployment in June. But my question is this: would YOU risk your life for $7.25 and hour? I would NOT. Would you risk your life for $15? Again, I would not. There are no safety precautions for workers (mask mandates, distancing in the kitchen, etc.) Consumers want life to go on as a benefit to themselves and for the most part are horrible to the ones who serve.

I live in a small town that has absolutely no workforce. The minimum wage is $7.25 and if you want $10 or $12 an hour, it's "under the table." The town's main source of income is tourism so the workforce is seasonal and transient, so there is little service help. Our well pump guy was indignant that no one wants to work and that he had worked all through the pandemic. I had to remind him his hourly was $100 and that he worked in isolated places without much concern for COVID contact.

We were prepping for a refi appraisal and a housekeeper 2 years ago was $15 and now is $20, the handyman was $12 and now $20

I think that really, we should stop pretending that life is normal and continue to work to slow the spread (stay home as much as possible, get vaccinated and still wear your mask when outside your home.)

[lark]

6. You were in the wrong place, downtown is not the best place to be.

St. George St is the place to be or the Historical District. Most of the restaurants there are open as are the B&B's. We were there 3 weeks ago for 4 days and it started getting more crowded on Fri. so we were glad we were leaving the next morning. We had reservations for our anniversary dinner, but otherwise we just walked up and had no problems finding good food.

Funny, there's a place across from where we were staying with a drumpf flag too. We were glad it didn't ruin the view from the front porch.

[No Vested Interest]

7. Was on a 5-day Elderhostel in St. Augustine ca 6 years ago.

Definitely a good place to visit.
Our hotel was closer to the ocean; most meals were taken there, and transport to historic and scenic sites provided.
Recommended.

[Dreampuff]

8. First of all, I hope you had a very happy anniversary!

Thank you for posting this. Saint Augustine was on our short list just before the pandemic hit and now we have been rethinking it since things seem to be going in the right direction. You have refreshed my memory.

We don't hear much news out of St Augustine in my area, but I remember a story several months ago where the people who live there were so concerned about their Rebel statue being removed and they were out in the street with their Rebel rags and their Trump hats. Even though I would still like to briefly visit there because of the history, I will probably feel more comfortable going to a different area. I would rather spend my money where there are more like-minded people.