Another Great Week in Destin Florida

Okay, every week you are above ground no matter where you are is a great week. But living and playing in Destin is like being on vacation every day. As some of our friends like to say, “Our life is better than your vacation.” LOL  This past weekend is a perfect example of that philosophy.

Saturday had Sunshine Cindy and I heading to the harbor to hang out for a while. I pulled BadAss3 into the parking garage figuring we would not have a problem finding a place to park in the early afternoon during tourist change-over time. I was wrong. The garage was packed. I got out and ended up finding a shady spot to park by Brotula’s. We walked down to the boardwalk and made our way to Johnny O’Quigleys oyster bar to get a cold drink.

For being the middle of the afternoon the boardwalk was busy and the bar was about half full too. We enjoyed our beverages and headed to Crab Island Cantina. We were able to get our usual spot at the bar looking out at the Destin bridge and Crab Island. The Cantina was staying busy with a couple of large (about 20 folks each) parties coming in. Sunshine Cindy and I shared a taco salad that was great. Judy stopped by and gave us a hug. She was just starting her day. While there we had a nice rain shower blow through. It helped cool things down a little.

Our next stop was back down the harbor. We looked in the Boathouse but there was no air moving so we went to Harbor Shack instead. While I was at the bar getting us some drinks I recognized the guy sitting next to me. Turns out it was James. We had not seen him and his wife Vickie in about a year. Vickie was working and James had just got off work. We chatted with James for a long while. While there another big thunderstorm blew through. We stayed dry but it poured for a while.

Off we went again. We decided to stop in at Brutula’s. They have a great bar that overlooks the harbor. I was impressed with the management of Brutula’s. They were making sure everything ran smoothly. They are a new place but gaining a good reputation for great food and service. From there we walked down to The Crust Pizzeria to see if Charley was there. Walking along Hwy 98 was like taking your life in your hands. Vehicles were coming from all directions. The sidewalk is right next to the street so cars are buzzing by only a few feet from you. This whole situation is an accident waiting to happen. Well, Charley was not there so we retraced our steps back to the car.

I got BadAss3 into the traffic and onto a side street. The Rotten Apple was our next stop. The place is a locals spot and was not busy yet. Sunshine Cindy and I enjoyed relaxing and solving some of the world’s problems. Sheri came in after a while. She is part owner of the place. It was nice seeing and talking to her. She also has a water sports rental business and is busy this time of the year but she was able to relax for a few minutes that evening.

Now it was getting late and we were getting hungry again. Off to Landshark Pizza to get a pizza to take home. Austin, Ryan, Sue were all working. The place had been crazy busy but now was just normal busy! We got home and sat on the back porch. Next thing we know our neighbor Rhett walked over. We invited him and his wife Becky to join us. We ended up on the porch till after 11. It was a long day but a fun one. Typical Destin!

Sunday was slower. We went to McGuire’s in the afternoon for some lunch. We timed it just right as most of the church people were done and the early dinner folks were not there yet. You never leave McGuire’s hunger and Sunday was no exception. We saw Melisa (from Fishheads) there. We had a good time. At one point the Unicorn Song played on the house system. Of course we had to act out some of the song but we really needed Russ who does the animals perfectly!

After we ate we called Julie to see if she was home and wanted a couple of guest for an hour or so. She did so we stopped and hung out by her pool. It was a nice way to end the weekend.

It was not all fun and games though. It took me about an hour and a half to get home from work on Friday. A thunderstorm hit about the time I got off. It was raining so hard on the island you could only go about 35 or so. There were power lines down in Destin. It was a mess. We stayed in once I got home. We were supposed to go to KC’s in Ft. Walton but I was not going to fight the traffic to get back over there. Oh well, next time!

For those of you who might want some Crab Island Mambo tee’s, tank tops or long sleeve shirts you are in luck. We are having a special sale. Any size or style is now just $15 each plus shipping. All details are here on our web page. http://crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html  Don’t delay and miss out on this fantastic opportunity to bring some “Destin” home with you as we are selling out of some of the most popular shirts!

Have a great week. We will be back to “Embrace the Chaos!” next Monday! See ya then!!!

Destin….Paradise Found or Lost?

Today’s blog is going to be longer than usual. The first couple of paragraphs are some of the usual day-to-day life observations about living in Destin. Then I will follow up with an essay I wrote on whether Destin is really a paradise or not.

Sunshine Cindy and I went to the harbor on Sunday. We stopped in at Crab Island Cantina to hang out for a while. Carlos was there and we got to catch up with him on the changes taking place at the Cantina. The burger bar will be opening in a few days. It’s going to be a sports bar with burgers, pizza, wings and such. It’s in the old Pat O’Brian’s spot. That will be cool as it’s a neat bar.

Their new deli is open. Carlito’s Deli is tucked behind the stage area. Carlos had a “Carlito Sub” made for us. Oh man it was awesome. Carlito’s is open daily from 11 am. They will even deliver to the beach. Anyone staying at the Emerald Grande or just visiting Harborwalk Village needs to check out Carlito’s Deli. We gave the sub 5 stars. It was that good and they were very generous with the amount of meat you get. We will be back for more!!!

I have been reporting it looked like something was going into the old Twisted Palms building next to Joe’s Crab Shack that has sat vacant for a few years. I rode my bike by the place on Sunday and it was a pile of rubble. The entire two story building has been demolished. A small strip mall will be built there. Nothing has been announced yet as to what will be going in.

When I rode my bike on Sunday I went to the beach by the Back Porch restaurant. I was disgusted to see so much trash and garbage left in the parking lot. What motivates people to just dump their trash on the ground and drive off??? Pigs….

PBR and wings at Landshark Pizza

Sunshine Cindy and I spent Friday evening at Landshark Pizza. We had a good time as Julie joined us. Steve and Ida came in as did Ken. The pizza and wings were great as always. They should be announcing a grand opening soon as they will be moving to the harbor next to the Red Door Saloon. The grand opening will be a big party as Rusty will be playing.

Speaking of Rusty we ran into him at LuLu’s on Wednesday evening. Sunshine Cindy and I were there to listen to Sunny Jim play. Rusty had his daughter with him. Rusty was impressed with Sunny Jim. Being Australian Rusty has an accent. Pointing to Sunny Jim he asked me “What’s your mates name?” You don’t usually hear that in Destin. LOL We love Rusty and his daughter was adorable. BTW…Rusty is one of the house musicians at The Boathouse Oyster Bar on the harbor.

Rusty at the Boathouse

Okay….Enough of that. Now on to:

“Destin…Paradise Found or Lost?”

About this time every year you hear people in Destin complaining. Okay, it seems like there are many people in Destin that complain about something year round but in the summer it’s about the traffic, the tourist and the fact the town is not a sleepy little fishing village anymore.

I have lived in Destin for over sixteen years now. Has it changed? Of course it has. Nothing ever stays the same…unless you live in Cleveland…nothing ever changes up there. But in Florida, if you’re not growing you’re dying. Destin is definitely not dying.

Does Destin have problems? Sure it does. Let’s start with the summer traffic. It can be a nightmare trying to get down Hwy 98 during dinner time. And don’t even think of getting on the road if it’s raining as every tourist in town leaves the beach and heads to the Commons or the Outlet Mall.

But the locals seem to forget there has always been traffic problems. I remember sitting in traffic on Hwy 98 sixteen years ago cursing the tourist then remembering I was a tourist just a few months before. I also remember seeing traffic backed up across the island from Brooks Bridge all the way to the Coast Guard Station as people were heading into Fort Walton Beach back then. That was an almost nightly event in the summer. Someone did something right to get traffic moving without adding any lanes or another bridge.

Just the other day I was talking to someone saying how surprised I was that tourist keep coming back to Destin knowing they will have to fight the traffic. He reminded me that most of the tourist who come to Destin live in big cities like Atlanta, Birmingham, New Orleans and Houston. For them this is nothing compared to what they fight on a daily basis back home. They are here on vacation and enjoying life.

What are some of the other problems taking place in Destin? Remember this is just my opinion from having lived here as long as I have. And no, I don’t have an answer for any of these issues or if they are things that just bug me! LOL 

The commercialization of Crab Island and the harbor has turned both those areas into a carnival atmosphere. There are so many vendors and buildings on Crab Island in the summer there is not much room for boats anymore. Crab Island always had a little wild-west feel to it but with all the SPORE’s (stupid people on rental equipment) out there it is now a safety hazard. Unfortunately we have had several people drown out there this year as they don’t know the dangers.

Destin has a small but aggressive group of bum’s, or as I like to call them, “Residentially Challenged Individuals.” In reality Red Dog and the others don’t bother anyone too much. My beef with them was the day one of the RCI guys rode his bike right into my parked car. Yeah, some bleeding heart group in the city thought it would be a good idea to give the bums bikes. Nothing like drunks on bikes. I guess this group thought it would help them get to a job or something.

The beaches of Destin are some of the most beautiful in the world. The only problem is locals have very little access points to get to the beaches. Then when we do find a parking spot and a place to sit in the sand there are beach vendors who think they own the beach. Some of the guys who put the chairs and umbrella’s out think they can keep anyone out of “their” beach area. Same goes for homeowners who don’t want common folk on their beach. But there is about a 20 foot area from the high water line that is open to the public where anyone can sit. I know of several times where the cops had to come out and restore the peace.

Those are a few negatives but there are so many more reasons why Destin really is a paradise.

For one thing it is still a small town and has that small town feel. Sunshine Cindy and I can’t go anywhere without running into friends we know and we love that.

Destin has the Gulf of Mexico and the bay as our backyard and our playground. With the largest charter fishing fleet in the state of Florida anyone can be catching fish in just minutes. Then we have some of the best local restaurants to cook that seafood up into delicious meals. There is nothing better than having fresh seafood served up with the Gulf as your backdrop.

One of the great things about living on the water is the number of waterfront bars and restaurants we can hang out at. Our area has some of the finest establishments as well as some great dive bars. There is someplace for everyone from high end Marina Café to the Boathouse Oyster Bar. Sunshine Cindy and I love spending time at our various bars on the water.

Back when I moved to Destin the winter season meant almost every place in town closed for the season. There were maybe one or two places that stayed open to serve the snowbirds. I remember visiting Destin one Thanksgiving and we could not find a place to eat. We finally found a Shoney’s open. Thankfully those days are long gone. Now we have places like Landshark Pizza where we can watch football games in the winter with snowbird friends.

Our area has many fine festivals and events all year long. The Emerald Grande and Harborwalk Village is an example of the growth and over commercialization of Destin but it is here and they put on many excellent events. The Mattie Kelly center in Destin is a great open air venue for concerts and shows. Each fall almost 100,000 people descend on Destin for the annual Seafood Festival. The area known as 30A is always having different types of festivals and music shows. Wine and art festivals, chili and gumbo cook-offs, songwriters showcases, poker runs…There is something for everyone to enjoy in our area.

Destin is definitely Paradise Found…We have just been found by more folks. The publicity from the oil spill and the resulting BP dollars spent on promoting the area has been a big catalyst to the boom we have seen but in reality it was Hurricane Opel that wiped out a lot of old ramshackle houses that lead to a building spike that carried on for years. So if the old geezers want to blame someone, blame Opel!

Is the current Destin for everyone? Of course not. Many old timers can’t accept the traffic and the crowds. I can’t help but think that once they got here they didn’t want anyone else to find out about this slice of paradise. Personally I embrace the changes and love my hometown…warts and all.

Destin Summer

This won’t be a major revelation but it’s hot in Destin in the summer. Our temps are usually in the low 90’s but the humidity is always high making it feel much hotter. In fact, I have lived in Destin for over 16 years and we have not had the temp break 100 in that time. We can thank the Gulf of Mexico for that. The last week was a hot one as the sun was out and we only had some pop-up thunderstorms. I am not complaining as I like the heat but it can drain you if you are not careful.

Sunshine Cindy and I went to our pool on Saturday. We thought we would go and cool off but the water was like bath water. It had to be at least 90 degrees. It was not refreshing but it was still fun. We got to meet some neighbors we didn’t know and later our neighbors from a few doors down came to the pool too. We ended up talking to them till almost 10 pm.

Friday night our friends the Southern Drawl Band played at KC’s Sandbar in Fort Walton Beach. The guys put on a great show as usual. They won’t be back in our area till October. We will be in SDB Withdrawals for sure!

Southern Drawl Band

It is official…KC’s is taking over the old Fokkers building. They are putting in a wine and tappas bar. It should be open around the first of September. That entire area will now be known as KC’s Quarter. They have the snow cone stand, the Sandbar, Tapworks craft beer bar, the sports bar and now the wine bar. They are also expanding their kitchen. It’s a fun place that will just get better and better.

Sunshine Cindy and I spent some time at LuLu’s again. We had a parrot head meeting there on Friday. Over 100 parrot heads showed up. We partied at the outside Bay Bar. The bartenders were kept busy that afternoon. I also got introduced to the assistant GM, Mike. I laid some ground work on possibly getting some trop rockers in to play. Sunny Jim is playing there this week but it would be great to have some others play there too. We shall see.

Roland and Jackie were in town staying with Mark and Stephanie. We meet them all at LuLu’s for a fun afternoon. Steve boated over and joined us too. LuLu’s continues to be packed out all the time. Boaters are finding the place as the bay is real shallow there. They drop anchor and wade in. We might work on having a parrot head “float up” one day. That would be fun.

Sunshine Cindy, Roland and Jackie

I stopped in at Landshark Pizza on Saturday for a quick PBR. Brian and Sue were working and the place was almost full. One table of three tourist ordered a large and two medium pizza’s. I guess they wanted enough pizza for the entire week. The final paperwork to make their move to the harbor is almost official. It’s an exciting time for Landshark Pizza.

Down on the island Joe and Eddie’s has opened on the north side by the bay in the building where Pranzo’s used to be. They have a breakfast that has been a Fort Walton Beach staple for years. We will have to go check it out. In Destin Chili’s has closed down. It’s a tough market and some of the older chains will either have to update our they will die out.

Enjoy the week. See ya next Monday!

Destin Holiday

Sunshine Cindy and I had a busy week in and around Destin with a lot to talk about. It all started out Wednesday evening. I was off on Thursday and Friday so we went out Wednesday and headed to the harbor. Our first stop was at the new O’Quigleys’ place called Tailfins and the Ale House Oyster bar. It is a three story building with a bar on each level. We first sat at the downstairs bar. Old friend Chad is the bar manager. He was busy as they have only been open a few days but he was excited about the potential of the place.

We also got to talk to Hailey. She is now a server here and is also excited about working there. It’s different from Landshark Pizza where she was at but she seems to be doing fine and likes being on the harbor. Sunshine Cindy and I then walked up the stairs to the third level. There are great views from up there. We ran into more folks we know. Stephanie is a bartender who used to work at Harry T’s. She remembered us  too. This place looks like it will do fine and is a good addition to the harbor.

View from the Oyster Bar

We left Tailfins and walked down to Crab Island Cantina. But on the way down we stopped at Fishheads and talked to Melissa. She is having a good summer and staying busy. The crowds in Harborwalk Village were huge as we headed to the Cantina. In front of Margaritaville big crowds were milling around waiting to get in. The Cantina was pretty busy too. Mike was behind the bar and told us about a few new wrinkles taking place at the Cantina. They are going to open a burger bar/sports bar inside. That used to be a sports bar and it will be good to have it back to that. They are also working on opening a deli. That will be great for folks that want something quick and easy.

We had a good time at the Cantina but decided to head back down the harbor. We looked at stopping in at the Boathouse but it was packed and no air was moving so we grabbed a beer at Harbor Shack where a good breeze was blowing. By now we wanted to get a bite to eat so we took off and stopped at Landshark. It was almost closing time but a small rush followed us in so they kept busy. We had a pizza and enjoyed talking to Brian and the staff. It is almost a done deal that they will be moving to the harbor in the old La Familia location in a few months. Good luck to them!

View from Tailfins

Thursday we headed back down to the harbor. We wanted to drop off some tee shirts to people that gave us some swag for Phlocking of the Phaithful. Our first stop was the Boathouse. Trying to find Bill the manager we had one server tell another one (that didn’t know us) that we are only there like 6 times a week. LOL We found Bill and gave him the shirt. Sunshine Cindy and I then stopped at Harbor Shack for a quick beer. Down the harbor we went…we had a shirt for Melissa at Fishheads but she was not there. We left it with the guy that was working.

Our last “delivery” was for Carlos at the Cantina. Carlos had just got back into town the night before and was busy so we never saw him. We gave Judy the bag and she got it to him. Sunshine Cindy and I split a burger…it was really good. We will be looking forward to the burger bar opening. We also got to talking to Doug from New Mexico. Doug is a retired marine and an interesting fellow. His hand shake was like being held by a vise. Hopefully he will come back to Destin sometime and we can spend more time with him.

We were going to head home before the crowds hit the harbor. Thursday nights is fireworks and the harbor district gets packed. Well, sometimes the best laid plans…We went back to Tailfins on the upper floor. Tiffany joined us. Missy and Chris came in also checking out the new place. We had a few drinks and decided to stop at Harbor Shack again for a quick beer.

Rusty at The Boathouse

Next thing we know Dave walks by and joins us. We have not seen Dave in about a year. Then “B” came walking by and also joined us. This became the party spot. We saw Sami and Barry. Some Landshark regulars stopped in. Tourist were everywhere. We watched the Destin Air Force do their show and we stayed for the fireworks. They were underwhelming only lasting about 5 minutes. We finally headed home as the crowds started to thin out.

Friday was a laid back day for us. I washed BadAss3 and put a coat of wax on her. I did some Crab Island Mambo work but mostly relaxed. We did watch the fireworks at the Destin Commons from our back porch. That was a good show they put on. At one point during the day I was channel surfing and saw on Beach TV the Boathouse was being shown. The host ended up talking to our friends Jack, David and Kelly. They are now TV stars!!!

For the 4th of July we went to our friends Steve and Dottie’s house. They do a yearly 4th party and do it up big time. They live across the bay. Driving to their house we saw the traffic was lined up from Hwy 98 all the way across the Mid-Bay bridge and backed up to Hwy 20. Wow, it was probably an hour or more for them to get into Destin. The party was fun with Jeff and the Camaro’s supplying the music. Thank You Steve and Dottie!

Sunday was another relaxing day. It rained buckets in the morning but cleared out later. The only place I went was to Landshark for some wings in the afternoon. I did get home and watch the US women soccer team win the World Cup. Congrats Ladies!!!

Over in Fort Walton Beach…It’s official that Fokkers is moving across Hwy 98 to the old Bistro location and KC’s is taking over the old Fokkers spot. They plan to put in a wine bar as they add to their offerings in downtown Fort Walton Beach. A few years ago downtown Fort Walton Beach was dying. But because of Mike and Bev with KC’s and a few others downtown Fort Walton Beach is now a thriving entertainment district. Mike and Bev have put a lot of effort into growing their businesses. Be sure to stop in when you are in Fort Walton Beach!!!

The next few weeks will be our worse traffic time of the year. With so many tourist not knowing where they are going it is important to be alert all the time. But we will get through this! LOL

I also want to mention that Sunshine Cindy and I have reduced the price on our American Made Crab Island Mambo t-shirts, tank tops and long sleeve shirts. They are just $15 each now. Check them out and get you some while supplies last as we are selling them out before we introduce our latest design. http://www.crabislandmambo.com/Crab-Island-Mambo-Merchandise.html

Sunshine Cindy with a Mambo tank top

Have a great week. We have our friends the Southern Drawl Band coming to town this weekend. They are at Juana’s on Thursday and at KC’s on Friday. Come out and enjoy the Southern Drawl Band!

See ya next Monday!