Friday, April 08, 2011

Apalachicola? ...Does He Know How Much There is NOT To Do In Apalachicola?

When Mrs. FC mentioned to her friend Libby, that we were going to Apalachicola on a little trip, Libby responded in her sweet southern accent, "Does he know how much there is NOT to do in Apalachicola?"

That is classic Libby, she says the neatest things and could easily be a southern dame off of Steel Magnolias or Fried Green Tomatoes.

She's right in a way, but that was part of the attraction of Apalachicola. I needed time in a fishing town that was still a fishing town.

I got it.

We ate at THE BOSS OYSTER since it was recommended by a girl I know, who knows her seafood.

You can't very well go to the center of the oyster universe without having a few, so we started with six plump steamed oysters.


Here's a plump Apalachicola Bay oyster all dressed up with a splash of Tabasco.



I went with the fried shrimp.
These delicious decapods were big and fresh tasting and I believe they truly were local and not farm raised somewhere far away.
The fact that shrimp boats were either passing by on the river or tied up nearby added to the validity of the restaurant's claim of fresh, local seafood.


Mrs. FC went with a combination of crab cake and grouper filet.
The one thing I would change would be the corn nuggets. There should be hushpuppies on that plate, not corn nuggets.
Ugh.
Who invented those nasty things?


It was just a day before the official "SUPERMOON", so the "SORTASUPERMOON" was pretty darn big.















Here's a zoomed in shot of the moon taken while braced against a power pole.


Along the docks, there are all kinds of buildings related to the processing of seafood from the Gulf. Some are active and some are tired and worn out. This one had a "For Sale" sign out front and looked vacant.

Let's hope for renovation and renewal, not demolition.

This old trawler was on display and was obviously an older model of a shrimp or sponge boat, but I could not find any historical marker explaining the life of this tired old boat.

 We walked around town after dinner, savoring the perfect spring evening and the quiet, sleepy downtown area next to the docks. Some restaurants were open and a few bars spilled music on to the street, but mostly it was quiet.

The "regular" shops were closed, but we did find one hold out that was open. It had a nicely odd mix of antiques, cookbooks, junque, and custom made T-shirts featuring old seafood companies from Apalachicola's past.

We talked with the owner for a while. He said he owned the town newspaper for years, so he turned out to be a great source of local info.

We left his shop after a pleasant conversation which included a tip about a good restaurant for breakfast. Nothing outside had changed much during our time inside his store. 
The quiet streets were almost empty save for restaurant/bar patrons or small clusters of tourists wandering by with overheard comments of, "Well, I guess nothing is open" or "We'll come back tomorrow, maybe these shops will be open then".


In the end, Libby was right when she asked that question. The shortage of things to "DO" made Apalachicola exactly the kind of place I had been looking for.

We did come back the next morning for breakfast ... but, that is another post.

In the meantime, here's a few scenes from our outdoors, riverside table at the Boss Oyster.

Any recently abandoned table was attacked by the dock grackles and gulls.


A shrimpboat heads out the Apalachicola River on its way to a night of shrimping.


Most pilings sported a laughing gull or pelican. A corn nugget tossed their way created an instant gull-grackle cacophony.






15 comments:

SophieMae said...

Aaaahhhhh... the perfect vacation. You're making my feet itch. 8-}

While y'all were there, did you visit the estuarine research reserve? (...she, once again, queries after the fact). It's been a while since we were there during 'open' hours. Nice walkabout spot, anyhow.

threecollie said...

Sigh, I like the places you go...

ignatz said...

the corn nuggets were for the birds...YOU weren't supposed to eat them.

Meems said...

Apalach! As the locals call it... WE LOVE that place. For the VERY reason you mentioned... it's peaceful and relaxing. And the food is out of this world. I hope you ate at the Owl Cafe. I see a photo of the Green Door (under the moon)... one of my favorite shops. It is so OLD Florida up in those parts. Always have to include St. George Island and Cape San Blas. The last time we were there was for a long weekend last November. Oh, I miss it just thinking about it.
Meems

R.Powers said...

Sophie,
No, Apalach was a stopover on the way home, so we had an evening and a morning, and then we poked our way slowly home.


3C,
Me too. :)

Ignatz,
Well, dang. Of course the were.
But in that case, where the hell were my hushpuppies?
The birds did get them by the way.
:)


Meems,
I agree. We had breakfast at a cafe that escapes me now, but I will google search. It was very good. I posted about San Blas earlier, loved it!

Darla said...

It is a great fishing town. My uncle fishes for a living and frequents this town. The people are 'real' know what I mean?

Miz S said...

Please plan all my future vacations.

R.Powers said...

Darla,
I know EXACTLY what you mean. :)
That was my impression too.


Miz S,
Agreed. Disclaimer: They will be Floridacentric.

Chris said...

FC, While neither JT or I often add comments, we are regular readers, and we always enjoy your Crackerly insights and musings. Thank you!
C&J

R.Powers said...

Chris,
Thanks! I hope you and JT are doing well. Glad you enjoy PF.

Florida Beach Basics said...

I love Apalachicola for that very reason - did you stay at the Gibson Inn?

Lisa at Greenbow said...

A friend of mine likes to go to Apalachico. They never talk about what they "do" there. Now I know why.

Thunder said...

Sounds like a nice relaxing place to visit! If there's seafood, cold beer, and nice weather, what else do you need?

roger said...

i think that every and any "just local" place in california has been yuppified. i would have thought that about florida too. if you have nice local places there, we might have something here. maybe tucked up into the northeast corner. ssshhhh. don't give it away.

Julie Zickefoose said...

My kinda town, my kinda vacation. I prefer decrepit and real to shiny and new.
I am wondering where your vegetable was on that plate, though. Mom always had something green on the side.