Vaca #2: the beach!

For vaca number 2, I went to Pensacola to visit a girlfriend and spent mucho time on the beach! She had just moved down a few days before so I went to help her explore her new home!

First thing was first...we went straight to the beach when I got there. It was dinner time so we had dinner outside with a view of the beach. Then the storm rolled in...we didn't get our walk in but did plenty of that later.

storm's a brewin'

Day 2 we hit the Pensacola lighthouse after a delightful morning run through a nearby neighborhood. Cute little lighthouse with 170something stairs. Fun fact - if you wear flip flops, you have to climb it barefoot. Chacos save the day again.

view from the first little window

spiral iron stairs all the way up

view from the top

I was terrified and it was raining, so we took a pic inside

After some well deserved beach time, we went out to McGuire's. This place was packed!! but they got us in fast and we enjoyed our dinners and beers. Definitely recommended if you are in Pensacola.

yummm

and we saw this on the way home...Krispy Kreme "nuts" with your coffee??

Day 3 was the local farmer's market, lots of beach time, running errands, and our "cab night". We found a few bars in the downtown area went straight to the Pensacola Bay Brewery. Super cool little brewery with tasty beer! The taster platter is huge and only $9. And you get a free glass. We split the taster so the bar tender (Carey) gave us 2 glasses! After PBB, we went to a bar that is outside and had a band playing. A wedding had just ended and the drinks just didn't compare. So back to PBB we went :) We made great friends with Carey, Simon, Kitty, and Chip. We later found out that these were all bar names (except Carey). We were dubbed Natasha - Tasha for short - and Svetlana - Lana for short. And these will always be our bar names. Simon and Kitty invited us to join them on the local side of the beach the next day so of course we agreed! And cabbed it home well after closing down the bar.

beach!

Pensacola Bay Brewery tasters

Day 4 moved a lottt slower!! Learned we aren't as young as we used to be! We went to the zoo to walk off the hangovers after some greasy drive-through. The zoo hurt big time and we had to stop in the shady areas for breaks. But it was totally worth it for the fun at PBB and to see the animals.

goat!

giraffe

momma peacock and her babies hangin out in middle of the zoo

When we left the zoo, we hit the local beach with Simon and Kitty. They were right where they said they would be! Got a tan and learned more about the area! Super cool kids. And we went to bed early that night :)

Day 5 we tried out a new spot for an early morning run. We found a park with a loop that is 1/3 of a mile near the bay and close to a cute neighborhood. We ran through the park and the cute houses. Then it was time to hit the road back to TN. I was sad to say goodbye to one of my best friends and my new love for the beach, but happy to get back to my boys.

And this is her cat, Yoda. Cutest freakin kitty. He played with anything that moved..esp the tags that hang over the side of a mug when I drank my morning tea. 

Yoda