Candid Florida

I’m adventuresome when it comes to food. So when Jennifer Huber suggested we meet up over dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant, I was all for it. After all, I grew to love Greek food hanging out with my sisters in Corfu. Imagine my surprise, then, to discover the Downtown Hookah Lounge. True, Lebanon is on the Mediterranean, too, but it doesn’t pop to mind as a cuisine. The restaurant is largely outdoors, since one of the prime draws (no pun intended) for patrons are the hookah pipes, which my sister calls “hubble bubble.” Flavored tobacco is drawn through water and inhaled for effect: and we’re talking flavors like sour apple and bubble gum. Not my cup of tea, but certainly popular.

I was impressed, however, by the kebabs. That’s the focus of the Lebanese menu found here: chunks of meat and veg seasoned, skewered, and roasted. The portions are massive, and come with seasoned rice.  We ordered some of my favorite dips as well, like hummus and baba ganoush, and it was simply too much for the three of us to eat. My steak kebab was outstanding, and I liked Rob’s chicken version, too.  Well worth a try – and if you’re a non-smoker, sit inside!

The Downtown Hookah Lounge
307 E. Marion Avenue
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
941-639-0004

Ponce de Leon, it seems, was a short fellow. Or so the folks who crafted the statues (or are they statuettes?) of him at Ponce de Leon Park would have us think.

Now we know people centuries ago were short. Just take a look at antique beds and pioneer cottages. I’d be hitting my head on the lintel every time I ducked through the door! I had that trouble in Nepal, in fact, in every cab, bus, and shop. And I’m only 5’5″. Still. Ponce de Leon Park is Punta Gorda’s secret beach. It’s where everyone goes to see the sunset, to walk the short boardwalk through the mangroves, and to do a little fishing. It’s the home of the Peace River Wildlife Center – where they rehab injured birds and mammals – and a frequent field trip destination for CHEC, for wading out into the harbor to scoop up tiny critters.

But then there are the Ponces. They’re everywhere you look! I counted three, maybe four. All adorably sized, for a would-be conqueror. In 1513, the famed conquistador landed on these shores looking, as one did in those days, for gold. While he didn’t take any home, when he returned in 1521 to establish a colony on this coast, he suffered a wound at the hands of the Calusa, who understandably didn’t like the Spanish Armada snooping around their cities in the mangrove islands. Ponce died far from home in Havana, Cuba, in 1522, from complications related to that injury. And we have these pint-sized Ponces to remind us of his footsteps here.

One of my whirlwind press trips last month involved scoping out what’s new in Punta Gorda to fill in some holes in South Florida: An Explorer’s Guide. A lot has changed since I worked on that first edition. Hurricane Charley hit a week after my initial visit, and I had to return much later – and delay the book – to see the rebuilding. Now that several years have elapsed, Punta Gorda is back on its feet, with new things to see and do opening all the time. The Wyvern Hotel is the latest addition to downtown, and scores big points as one of the most luxurious yet intimate hotels I’ve reviewed in Florida. With a Spanish-influenced restaurant, Lulu, on the first floor and a busy bar adjoining the rooftop pool, they’ll tempt you not to leave and walk a block to the downtown restaurant district … although I did, since I needed to add a couple more restaurants to my book.  I appreciated the large and elegant bath with tub and shower, the free wifi, and free parking, but the crown jewel? The bed. Rob says he’s never had a better night’s sleep. Comfy and fluffy in all the right places, it was a bed that was just plain hard to get out of in the morning, it was that good. Can’t wait to return!

Learn more about The Wyvern Hotel

On my way home from Pensacola, I had to stop in Bagdad to visit Florida’s last real Stuckeys.  When I was a kid and my family did road trips to Florida down the East Coast every year, we’d always stop at Stuckeys.  The distinctive yellow-roofed shops were filled with treats, had clean restrooms, and often included a snack bar, in later years typically a Dairy Queen where I could indulge in my favorite, chili dog! I’d save my allowance so I could buy pralines, which at the time were 3 for $1.

Did you know that in the 1970s, Stuckeys had the first real email system for travelers? I still have the brochure. It was a computer where you could leave a message for a friend and they’d stop into any Stuckeys, type in their secret code, and get the message. But over the years, the interstates crowded out the US highways and Stuckeys vanished, converted into less-glamorous uses.  There are only two “real” Stuckeys left in Florida – I don’t count the Stuckeys name slapped on a gas station to sell candy to be the same – and of those two, the one that still shows the genuine hospitality, cleanliness, and friendly spirit I remember from the 1960s is the Stuckeys at the Bagdad / Milton exit along I-10. It’s loaded with goodies and nostalgia items, and has a Dairy Queen to boot.  Do stop in when you’re on a road trip!

After a lunch with my brother-in-law Jeff, I headed to the Pensacola Bluffs to see what the fuss was all about. Jeff had strongly recommended the bluffs as a potential site to include in my hiking guides, and after a few moments scramble, I found out why. The trail is only a mile or so long, and it’s mostly boardwalk, but what a boardwalk! Caught up in a dense forest of live oaks, it zigzags up and down the steep slope, with long staircases, straightaways, and steps to drop you down into the forest so you can duck through it, cross the railroad tracks, and head for the tiny beach along the bay. While I only had time for a sample, it’s on my list to examine more fully on my next trip so I can add it to Florida Hikes!

During a long morning of hiking on the breezy, open trails of Big Lagoon State Park with my brother-in-law Jeff,  we made it out to the famed observation tower at Big Lagoon.  This prominent structure offers a sweeping view of the park, the lagoon, the Gulf of Mexico, parts of Gulf Islands National Seashore, Perdido Key, and the surrounding shorelines.  Quite the panorama! Big Lagoon State Park is a gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail and we saw no lack of birds here, from bluebirds to osprey, stilts to blue-winged teals. While the hurricanes of 2004-2006 did a number on the tall trees, especially those shading the campground and trails, it’s still a pleasant destination.  Enjoy scenic views? Here’s an article I wrote about observation towers around the state.