Autumn in Pensacola: Seafood, Politics, and History

Since moving to Pensacola four months ago, Mom and I have been taking advantage of sticking our toes in the sand of some of the nicest beaches lining the Gulf of Mexico and seeing some of the great history of this almost 450-year-old town. Mom and I have been hoping to get to the historical Fort Pickens for a long time, but weather and other natural disasters have prevented us from doing so, and this most recent adventure was no exception.

Last Wednesday, Mom and I tried to go to Fort Pickens again. The weather is now nice enough where a nice hike would not cause us to get sunstroke or heat exhaustion from hiking in 90+ degree temperatures and high humidity. It was a beautiful 80 degree day with a nice breeze. So Mom and I got into our car and made the 20-mile ride to Pensacola Beach and Santa Rosa Island. We arrived at the beach near Fort Pickens and got out of the car to look at the poorly marked signs near the locked gate of the road to Fort Pickens. Since Hurricanes Arlene, Dennis, and Ivan destroyed a lot of beaches and homes along the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola in 2004 along with the Fort Pickens Road, it has been closed to auto traffic for the last seven miles leading to the fort.

A Park Ranger was locking the gate after doing his routine patrol of the path to Fort Pickens and I managed to talk to him for a few minutes about the road conditions. If we wanted to hike to Fort Pickens, it was 14 miles round-trip, and the 1.5 asphalt road of what is left of the road would be turning into sand for the rest of the trip. People biking into Fort Pickens would find the ride pretty difficult with their tires sinking into the sands. Scratch hiking into Fort Pickens for Mom and me. The Ranger said that there was a shuttle driver who drove people into Fort Pickens on a ATV for a cost, but he hadn't seen him that day and wasn't sure if he was running that day. So Mom and I decided to have lunch at the picnic area on the beach and see if the driver would show up to see what his prices were.

Mom and I dug into our turkey sandwiches, water, and apples while waiting and enjoyed the white sands and choppy turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. "Why did we live in Idaho for so long?", we asked again and again. Finally the shuttle driver showed up at his Pod shed to get his shuttle ready for the day's business. I ran up to the driver to see what the prices were, and he said it would be $20 for each of us round trip. He would drop you off at the fort and allow you to sightsee for a while before coming to pick you up and take you back to the beach. $20? UGH! I little too steep for Mom and me. Hell! It costs me $20 to fill my gas tank when it's half-full. The Ranger told us before that reconstruction of the road to Fort Pickens would begin in November and would be back in business by April 2009. Mom and I decided then that we could wait until April to drive into the fort and take a shorter hike to the historical fort.

Another possible trip to Fort Pickens dashed, but we made lemons into lemonade and made it an afternoon of walking the beach letting the waves hit us in the legs and enjoying the white sands and Gulf breezes. Mom's hat kept blowing off, but it made a great basket for the many pretty little shells we found along the way. Plans for picture frames and earrings were made for future projects, and Mom and I enjoyed the time spent together and letting the sun beat on us warming us up. My friends in Idaho and other northern States are going to be so jealous seeing pictures of me in a tank top on a beach in October while they are scrambling for their sweaters and snow boots!

Mom and I walked about a mile of the road to Fort Pickens that was still asphalt watching a couple of fishermen throwing their nets to catch the mullet that is plentiful in these waters along the way. By the end of the walk, I was a little sunburned and tired, but happy to spend a day at the beach with Mom.

The beaches around Pensacola Beach are free to get into and they have picnic areas for one to have lunch in. Pets are not allowed on the beaches and steep fines are imposed for anyone who violates the rules posted on signs along the beach. The beaches are open year-round for all to enjoy!

To several of my friends and co-workers in both Idaho and Florida, it's no secret of my political beliefs and attitude. I have been a life-long Democrat and have been against a lot of George Bush's policies since he took office in 2001. Since Barack Obama has come onto the scene as a charismatic and eloquent speaker this past decade, I have been fascinated by the man who many of us hope will become the first African-American President of the USA after November 4, 2008.

I have had to hear all of the crap from the Republicans at work who think Obama is the Anti-Christ and a Muslim, neither is true and trying to explain this to them is like pulling teeth. Several times, I have had to walk out of the lunch room when they start their prejudicial rants against Obama, and a couple of times, I have told them that Sarah Palin is just like a lot of the women in Idaho, stupid and not knowing of the world around them ("I can see Russia from my window!", is not being well-travelled, Ms. Palin!).

Last week, one of the local news stations here in Pensacola announced that future First Lady Michelle Obama would be coming to Pensacola on October 21 to campaign for her husband and give a speech to her supporters at the Pensacola Civic Center. SWEET! I didn't have to be in work until 3:00 that day, and since Mom and I missed Barack Obama's visit to Idaho in February before the Caucus we participated in because of bad weather, we felt we needed to make up for it by seeing Mrs. Obama speak.

So Mom and I got up about 6 a.m. to get ready for the ride to the Civic Center near downtown Pensacola and to make sure we were there before the doors opened at 10:45 a.m. Mom and I arrived at the Civic Center, and the lines were already very long. We heard that people had been camping out at the Civic Center to hear Mrs. Obama since 6 a.m., and Mom and I wondered if we were going to make it inside the Civic Center, but rest assured, dear readers, the line moved pretty quick, and we would be able to get inside for this monumental historical moment in history.

While waiting for the Civic Center doors to open, we saw a couple of McCain/Palin supporters protesting on the corner with signs saying "I am afraid of the Democratic Candidate for President" and other jibberish. I turned to Mom and said, "Isn't pollution against the law here?" Mom and I got talking with nice woman who was originally from Bermuda and carrying a sign that said "McPain" with the L of Palin's name in parentheses. A lot of us in line were chuckling with the lady's sense of humor and talked about how Palin is not aware of life outside Alaska. I spoke about how women like her in Idaho didn't know where Rhode Island (my state of birth and raising), and she said many don't know where Bermuda is. After a while, we lost the McPain lady when the line moved, and we were chatting with other Obama supporters.

A few minutes later, a nice African-American woman named Muriel asked me where I was from, and I told her I was born and raised in Rhode Island, lived in Idaho for 16 years, and just moved to Pensacola four months ago. She lived in nearby Okaloosa County, and we had a nice chat of politics and other subjects before we lost her when the line moved again.

Finally the doors to the Civic Center opened, and Mom and I along with the rest of the throng got inside to find seats to hear Mrs. Obama. They said in the paper, you couldn't come in with purses or food, but security didn't confiscate any bags or food, but I had chucked my pepper gas to be safe. Oh well!

Mom and I found seats near the curtain that the stage Mrs. Obama would be speaking from. If Mom and I had stayed seated, we would have been craning our necks to see Mrs. Obama onstage, but after a few minutes, Mom and I were standing in the aisles checking out the mayhem on the floor and listening to the music pumping in from the speakers. A woman fainted on the floor near the stage and was taken backstage for treatment, but it was barely noticed.

Finally at about 10:55 after several rousing speeches from local dignitaries and Obama supporters, Michelle Obama was introduced to a loud standing ovations. Mrs. Obama is a very attractive woman and was dressed in a nice taupe suit with flats and was touched by the support of the the almost 7,000 people in the audience. Mrs. Obama's speech lasted about 45 minutes and consisted of Barack Obama's dreams for affordable health care for Americans along with getting the soldiers out of Iraq and providing all soldiers with better psychiatric and physical care for them even in basic training. A lot of us in the audience could relate to Mrs. Obama as she spoke about barely being able to pay for gas and groceries for the table with our paychecks today. Mrs. Obama wanted a parade to go to the voting offices to vote early right after the speech, but I needed to get to work and get a flu shot before work and Mom and I made plans to go on Friday morning.

Mom and I left the Obama rally very satisfied and more aware of Barack Obama's dreams and aspirations. I bought a pin with a picture of Obama and JFK on it, and it's on my purse now. Once in a while someone will see it and I would tell them I was honored to see Mrs. Obama in person and how Barack Obama is so much like JFK.

So, my friends, make sure you go out and vote now, if you have early voting in your state, or get out there on November 4 and vote for CHANGE!

The Saturday before Halloween, Mom and I had plans to take the Red Light Bars and Brothels Tour in Historic Downtown Pensacola, and Mom had gotten a little windfall with a couple of refunds from our old telephone company in Idaho and another company. Mom said earlier in the week that she would treat me to dinner as a thank you for being there for her during these last four months of chaos, and it was just a matter of deciding where to go for dinner. It had to be good and inexpensive.

While we were at the Pensacola Seafood Festival, we saw chef Jim Shirley of The Fish House do a cooking demonstration. When I went on line to http://goodgrits.com to see the menu for The Fish House, I wasn't very happy with the prices and decided to do what Rachael Ray does when travelling around the world, ask the locals where to eat. So I went to work that morning and got talking to my co-worker Roy, who has lived in the Pensacola-Milton area for a long time, and he said The Fish House was yes, expensive, and also over-rated. Roy then mentioned a couple of other restaurants in Downtown Pensacola that were pretty good, and one of them was Sam's Seafood and Steaks. Located near the water and across the street from our favorite fish store, Joe Patti's near Downtown Pensacola, Sam's appealed to me for it's good prices and seafood.

I got home from work about 4:30 and told Mom about Roy's recommendation for Sam's, and it was unanimous, we would have our pre-Red Light Tour dinner there. A short drive from home, and we pulled into Sam's parking lot which was pretty empty being only 5 p.m., and we were part of the early diners. Upon entering the restaurant, Mom and I were greeted by our waitress Rachel and seated in a booth near a father and grand-father and a little boy. There were a couple of elderly couples in the restaurant enjoying an early meal before going home to watch Lawrence Welk reruns on PBS (ha-ha!)!

Mom and I ordered a couple of beers (Budweiser for me and Heineken for Mom) from Rachel, and she left to let us peruse the menu for the time being. Before going to get our beers, Rachel mentioned that the night's special was a Fried Whole Flounder with Two Sides ($15.99) along with four raw oysters for $4, but Mom and I passed on that but heard that they were very popular to many diners. Flounder isn't one of my favorite fishes, so I settled for the small entree of Fried Mullet with French Fries and Cole Slaw ($7.99) while Mom ordered the Flounder Special. The food was quickly prepared in the back while we waited at our booth chatting and checking out the many TV's that were playing NASCAR, college football, and horse racing. Too early for the World Series, unfortunately.

After about 15 minutes, our food arrived, and Mom's Flounder special was pretty big with the flat whole flounder with fins and tail and all taking up almost the whole plate. Mom got a baked potato and coleslaw for her sides. My mullet entree consisted of three flat and small lightly fried fillets with a good portion of french fries and my coleslaw. There was a Southern touch with both of our dishes with a couple of hushpuppies, and everything was washed down with our beers and lots of tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. Mom and I declared everything to be delicious and our waitress was nice and not intrusive checking on us once to see how everything was. I never had mullet before since it's only available in the Gulf, and I was not disappointed with flat slightly dry fillets of goodness. Both Mom and I cleared our plates, but I still had room for dessert (I am cursed by my Nana's sweet tooth at times, I joke), and the minute I heard Key Lime Pie ($3.99) come out of Rachel's mouth, I was sold. The pie was a small piece of light creamy filling that satisfied my sweet tooth just right.

Our meal with tax and tip cost us just under $40, and it was well worth the money. Mom said Sam's and the Ale House have had the best seafood she has eaten so far, and she and I declared we would have to return here in the future to try other seafood dishes.

Sam's is open Mondays and Tuesdays only for lunch from 11-3 and Closed on Sundays. It is open until 10 the rest of the week and has an extensive seafood menu along with steaks and other dishes for the landlubbers in your group. The service and atmosphere is casual and the portions are good. Very highly recommended.

The Pensacola Seafood Festival is held every year in the city's historical Seville Historic District which houses Seville Square and Quarter, and with Pensacola turning 450-years-old next year, it will be bursting to the seems with tourists and many celebrations in the coming months.

Mom and I walked through the Seville Quarter, a tiny part of Government Street in Downtown Pensacola that is home to several restaurants, shops, and bars in several of Pensacola's oldest buildings. Mom and I enjoyed looking at the cast-iron balconies and brick facades of the buildings that are reminiscent of many buildings in Spain.

After seeing Seville Quarter, Mom and I hit Seville Square, which has a colorful history dating from its first settlement in 1752 when survivors of a hurricane on Santa Rosa Island settled the Seville Square area after their homes on the island were destroyed. Most of the settlers of Seville Square built a fortified outpost and were of French and Spanish descent and the area became known as San Miquel.

After the French were defeated by the British in 1763 in the Seven Years War (or French and Indian War), the British settled in Pensacola and West Florida and occupied the stockade in the area, and the the old town square was constructed by the British in 1764 to include an open commons area and street system that were laid out in right angles to each other.

In 1815, the Spanish recaptured Pensacola and Seville Square but maintained the British design of Seville Square and its surroundings but changed the English street names to Spanish names that remain there today. Seville Square was designated a park in 1814 and during the 1960's, the park at Seville Square underwent a huge reconstruction that has allowed locals and tourists enjoy the park and its festivals today and for many years to come.

September in Pensacola. The weather is starting to get cooler although it still can get into the 80's and stay humid during the peak hours of the day, but nights are nice and cool and you need a to put a blanket over you when you go to bed at night.

An unexpected weekend off from work for me had Mom and I jonesing for adventure in our new home in Pensacola, and Wednesday's Pensacola Journal had our plans in black and white: The 31st Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival, an annual fair complete with arts and crafts booths and local craftspeople hawking their wares and food booths selling everything from frozen lemonade to, of course seafood.

Mom and I got a 10:30 start from our home in Pensacola to get to the Seafood Festival. The weather was starting to warm up by mid-morning, and it was bright and sunny outside. A perfect day to enjoy the festival. Upon arriving near the Seafood Festival, Mom and I knew parking was going to be a pain in the butt, and we began looking for a parking place off of Seville Square but not so far away, we would be too exhausted to enjoy the festival. After losing one spot on Zaragossa Street when I had to turn around another road to get to the spot, Mom and I parked the car on Garden Street near Jefferson Street and walked into Seville Square via the historic Seville Quarter.

The Pensacola Seafood Festival has been entertaining locals since 1977, and this year was one of the bigger festivals with hundreds of food and arts and crafts vendors in the park that is part of Seville Square. Mom and I entered the park via the Pensacola Historical District that I had the honor of touring last year when I visited Pensacola. The Old Baptist Church and several Victorian homes made a great backdrop for the festival. Mom and I began our time at the the Festival by checking out the arts and crafts booths. There were many great food and arts and crafts being sold, and Mom and I took our time looking at several points of interest including windchimes, signs, jewelry, jams and other preserves, and other gourmet delicacies. At one food booth, Mom bought a key lime pie mix for one of our future desserts. I spent time in this booth sampling the many dip mixes they had on display before Mom and I headed to the food court on the other side of Seville Square.

Once getting to the food court, I noticed that the Fiesta Seafood Grille was going to start its first cooking demonstration, and the benches in front of the stage were filling up quickly. Mom grabbed a fried shrimp platter from one of the food vendors, and we shared the platter while waiting for the demonstration to begin.

The first demonstration was by Jim Shirley, the chef at The Fish House in downtown Pensacola. Mr. Shirley created some really great fish dishes including Shrimp and Alabama Goat Tree Grits and pan-fried Grouper Daniels, which was served on top of a wedge of corn bread baked in a cast iron pan with this heavenly looking Gouda cheese sauce. The hostess of the Seafood Grille then asked the audience if we had a cast-iron pan in our home, and most of us raised our hands, and I whispered to Mom, "If they only knew that our cast-iron pans were stolen from campers in our neighborhood by our dogs Nicholas and the immortal Loki when we lived in Idaho, and they were allowed to roam free!" To this day, Mom and I still scratch our heads wondering how they dragged the heavy pans home!

But it was a bummer that only a select few could try the finished product. In order to do so, one had to buy the 2007 ($2) or 2008 ($3) Fiesta Seafood Grille Cookbook that came with a raffle ticket. After each demonstration by Chef Shirley, a drawing was held for four lucky people to go up to the table near the stage to enjoy the great food prepared. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until I get to visit The Fish House someday to try the great food there or cook it myself since I have the recipes. But the Shrimp and Grits and Grouper Daniels did look scrumptious when the hostess showed it to the audience.

After Chef Shirley's demonstration, Mom and I wandered around the Festival one more time to check out everything, and Mom bought some blueberry jam from one of the food vendors, and we checked out some of the old homes around Seville Square before heading back to our car parked on Garden Street. The whole time Mom and I spent at the festival was just a couple of hours, but we had a nice time checking out the Seafood Festival and soaking in the history of Pensacola in the process. I told Mom we will have to visit Historical Pensacola when it isn't as crowded to get the full effect of the place.

The Pensacola Seafood Festival happens at the end of September every year. Admission is free along with parking (except in some parking lots near Seville Square, but avoid them). Be prepared to spend a couple of hours or more at the Festival and enjoy the fun, food, and music there. The Festival starts at 10 p.m. on Friday, September 26, from Noon-10; 10-10 on Saturday, September 27, and 11-5 on Sunday, September 28.

To get to Seville Square, Pensacola, get onto Palafox Street towards downtown Pensacola for about 4 miles and take a left onto Main Street. The square is right there, and takes up a good chunk of city real estate. Now that the cooler weather is here, there will be more festivals for the rest of the year for all to enjoy.