Spring Break '13, Part 3 of 3: Pensacola Beach (Wings of Gold)

So, Heather wanted a place with a beach as our third and final destination.  However, she  was skeptical over how warm the water would be.  So, we wanted other stuff to do, as well, in case the water was too cold.  Well, Pensacola Beach (Wings of Gold) won!



Where to Stay

The Holiday Inn Express at Pensacola Beach was highly rated.  So, we thought we would give it a try.  It turned out to be an excellent choice!  Here's some reasons why:

Every room is an ocean-view room.

They all come with balconies...

The balconies have patio furniture!

The hotel had its own
walkway to the beach...

Any kids that are present with you
at check-in score a pail and shovel!

Lily was also able to score a foam shark, which she promptly bit off one of the tips of the tail.  (We'd take a picture of it, but it looks kind of sad without the full tail intact...and we're supposed to be a happy blog!)

So, definitely stay here if you are going to Pensacola Beach!

Publix

Once we got to Florida, we decided to be a little lazy.  Instead of going out for dinner, we opted for the Publix store-made Cuban sandwiches, some chips, and drinks.  Thankfully, we have Publix back at home.  So, I picked up another sandwich for lunch for my first day back at work.

Anyway, if you don't live near a Publix, be sure to stop at one the next time you are in Florida.  They have a world class deli and bakery!

Fort Pickens

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel and drove to the western end of the island to Fort Pickens.  It cost us $8 for the three of us to get in (they charge by the car load).

Anyway, if Civil War history interests you, this is a place to go see.  Now, I'm not really a history buff, but seeing the fort and the various cannons was good enough for me.

"I think I'll go for a walk, Daddy!"

Also on the grounds of the Fort Pickens National Park were some beaches.  So, we got one last Lily picture before heading back home...

Cue the musical theme to
"Chariots of Fire" here...

Spring Break '13, Part 2 of 3: New Orleans

So, I'm trying to lose weight this year.  I started the year off at 172 and have managed to lose 14 pounds.  About a month ago, Heather was trying to figure out where to go for Spring Break as our primary destination.  Well, New Orleans happened to be one of the few places in a one-day driving range that we haven't been to together.

Known partially for its food, I thought I was going to have a struggle.  After all, here's a short list of what I had to eat in our two days there:  beignets (twice), Gulf shrimp, a giant shrimp Po' Boy, and gelato!  Great.

But enough on that for now.  Let's hit some of the other fun stuff we did!


Storyland

City Park in New Orleans has a little playground area that is themed after various nursery rhymes.  It costs $3 per person to get in (and kids under 2 are free).  I had forgotten to go to an ATM that day, so I had no cash and I did not see an ATM nearby.  However, no problem there as they accept credit cards, too!

The Four Little Pigs and Mommy!

Mommy and Lily with a statue of the A-Team's
George Peppard (AKA:  Hannibal)!
(Watch the pilot episode to understand the reference)

The Best Place for Beignets?

Afterward, we went to a place in City Park for beignets.  Even though they were good, they were hollow and at 3 for $2 vs. Cafe du Monde's much fuller ones at 3 for $2.42, that place isn't getting any free advertising from us.  (Sorry.)  So, here's a couple of shameless plugs for Cafe du Monde!

Cafe du Monde's beignets.
ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE!

Bonus points scored for Cafe du Monde for the fish.

Downtown

Due to us traveling with a 16 month old, we did not partake in any of the drunken debauchery that New Orleans is well known for.  However, there were still some fun things to go do along the Mississippi River.

One night, we had dinner at a place called the Crazy Lobster.  They had a Groupon deal for $25 where you could purchase up to $50 worth of food.  So, here's what we got!

A CRAZY LOBSTER for Mommy!

Nothing for Daddy.  He's on a diet.

Just kidding!  Gulf shrimp for Daddy!

As someone that grew up on breaded shrimp, I did not realize that there was some work involved to getting to the non-breaded shrimp that was on my plate.  So, I was spitting out shells on my first couple before Heather told me I had to remove them.  After that, it was smooth sailing.

This isn't from the Crazy Lobster, but
I felt the need to share it anyway...

Another place we went to, which was not too far from the Crazy Lobster, was the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas...and no, we didn't go there immediately before or after dinner!  (Although, it would have been somewhat amusing!)

RIBBIT!!!

Lily enjoyed it until we got to the bird exhibit.  Then, she got terrified from the hundreds of live birds chirping--mostly parakeets and lorikeets.  So, we got out as quickly as we possibly could, which was subject to when these evil little birds would get off of us!

One of Lily's calmer pictures with the birds...

This place is for the birds...

So, when mortal terror sunk in with our daughter, we got her out of there very quickly.


Hotel Fun!

In case you haven't been able to tell, we love to travel with our daughter.  The only restriction that comes with traveling with a toddler has everything to do with getting her naps timed accordingly.  In some cases, that may mean we didn't get to do as much as we originally set out to do.  However, that can be made up with some of these hotel moments from New Orleans...

Our first story was about trying to get Lily to walk with us from the elevator to our hotel room.  We would walk about 20-30 feet down the hallway and put her down on her feet.  She would instantly turn around and walk past the elevator to THIS!

They have Mommy's
Diet Coke...

...which I like
because it's SHINY!!!

The other really wasn't much of a story, just a moment of us looking outside from our hotel room one morning.  That morning, New Orleans apparently had hurricane force winds, which topped at 84 mph.  We looked down at the outdoor pool, which was a few stories down.  We counted six chairs that had been blown into the pool, three patio tables overturned by the wind, and one torn patio umbrella.  At one moment, Lily decided to point outward, which just looked cute...

TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART 3!!!

Spring Break '13, Part 1 of 3: Hattiesburg

By Lily's first birthday in December, she had visited twelve states.  For me, however, to reach that same amount of states, it took me 12 years, 8 months.  So, why let up at that point?  Well, real easy...  "Mommy and Daddy have these things called jobs that help cover the normal cost of living!"  So, we waited a few months and decided to set out on another adventure...the Gulf Coast!

Along our way on I-59, we stopped here.  One of my cousins (Paul is his name) lives not too far from here and it happened to be a day off for him, his wife, and two-year-old daughter.  So, we thought it was time for them to meet Lily!

We met up with them at Suvin of Thailand, a Thai restaurant not too far from our hotel.  Paul and his family have become regulars there--to the point they know his regular (order):  Chicken Massaman!

As someone who has had a troubled history with Thai food, I was a little skeptical, but I decided to give it another try.  Besides, my cousin wouldn't subject me to that kind of torture, right?  After all, he is a minister...

So, I followed suit and ordered the Massaman.

Heather:  "Did you know that has curry in it?"

Me:  "I'll take a chance tonight, but if it's a complete disaster, Thai will be permanently scratched from the list of acceptable cuisines."

Lily (center) acted a little out of character and sat on a
lap that wasn't Mommy's nor Daddy's without fussing!

Flash forward about an hour...  The food was so good, I took my leftovers with me for the first time!  This time around, the food was semi-sweet, which was great for a change.  Authentic?  Probably not, but it appeals to me, so I don't care.

So, if you're heading up I-59 to Birmingham or down I-59 to New Orleans, stop by here.  You won't regret it!  Get off at the U.S. 49 exit and head south a few miles.  It'll be on the right just after the University of Southern Mississippi campus and just before Forrest General Hospital...or just look it up on Yelp!