I woke up and got up quickly today. There are donuts to be had!
Once I was ready, I hopped in the car, where I had to wait for the morning dew to work its way off my back window enough to drive (cars need rear wipers even more than SUVs do!). Once the car was driveable, it was about a 10 minute drive to my early morning destination: Jupiter Donuts. At this point in the day (a little after 6 am), there were very few cars on the road.
At Jupiter Donuts, I got an apple fritter and an old fashioned cinnamon sugar donut, and then headed back to the hotel, where I dug right into the apple fritter. It was very good!
Donut enjoyed, I finished getting ready for the day, which would be significantly warmer today than it had been, and then headed back out to the car a little before 9.
The drive to my first destination took about 20 minutes and was very straightforward, so soon enough I was at Manatee Lagoon.
Manatee Lagoon is a visitor center and viewing platform overlooking a small lagoon next to a Florida Power and Light substation, so the water is warmer than the natural lagoon water. Is it Blue Spring State Park? Definitely not. Do manatees still gravitate here when the weather has been cold, creating some fun viewing opportunities? Yes. Did I thoroughly enjoy myself? Sure did!
After watching manatees for quite awhile, and discovering that the upstairs viewing platform was better than the ground level one, I headed back to the car and made the quick drive to my next destination, the Flagler Museum.
The Flagler Museum was basically the Florida version of New England’s Newport Mansions. It was stunning, with even better views. And Mr. Flagler’s connections to the northeast were evident in the artwork on display, so it truly was Florida’s version of a Newport Museum.
Museum explored, it was back in the car for another short ride, this time to Worth Avenue. I found parking in a parking garage that I had specifically mapped out (are there people who DON’T research parking in advance?!), paid up, and found my way onto this fancy street. No, seriously…Worth Avenue is a shopping street filled with brands that probably don’t even know NH exists, that are so expensive they each have their own security in the doorway in suits, and little European style courtyards. My true destination was in one of these little courtyards: Pizza Al Fresco for lunch.
Lunch was delicious and it was so nice to sit outside and eat. I got the colorful bianca pizza and a margarita. Both were excellent.
After lunch, I went to Piccolo Gelato and got guava and passion fruit gelatos. Excellent!
I then worked my way towards the ocean side of Worth Avenue and did some picture taking around Worth Avenue clock tower.
I spent an hour or so here listening to the waves roll in, taking pictures, and just enjoying some sunshine.
Back at the hotel after my time on the beach, I ate my cinnamon sugar donut for dinner and spent some time reading on my balcony until the sun went down. It was a great way to wrap up a great day.
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