Day 35 - Panama City Beach, Home of the Waffle House

We were out of the house at 4:30 am, leaving the snow and cold behind us, headed to O’Hare to catch our 6 am flight to Atlanta and from there to Panama City.  After picking up the rental car, we drove to Panama City Beach where we had lunch on the beach.  The weather was warm (mid-60s) and sunny.  The name of the restaurant was “Hook’d.”  Their specialty is a Chardonnay based broth with vegetables and spices that simmers all day.  We had it with shrimp and oysters added and garlic bread to dip.  We also tried the blackened shrimp tacos.  Both were delicious.  Hook’d is located at Pier Park, next to one of the long fishing piers that we saw on our way from Destin to Panama City.  The city charges $3 to walk out on the pier and $6 to fish – we passed.  Across the street there is a new looking shopping/entertainment/restaurant mall with many familiar vendors and some unique places.

 

 

 

Other than the mall, Panama City Beach largely consists of condos, hotels, seafood/fast food restaurants and souvenir shops.  Every other block has a Waffle House, Dollar Store and Sunsations sundry shop.  We think there are more Waffle Houses here than any other place we’ve ever been. 

Next we went to Historic St. Andrews and the St. Andrews Marina.  Similar to Historic Panama City, there is not much to see so we don’t stop.

According to Trip Advisor (a travel app we use), the second highest rated attraction in Panama City is the Bear Creek Feline Center.  It is a small refuge for wild felines such as lions and jaguars.  We drove a half an hour just to discover that it was closed – you have to call ahead and book a tour.  Wish that detail had been on Trip Advisor!  That’s it for our sightseeing today and we went to the marina and were cheered by the sight of our boat.  Captain Randy had a new water pump and a few other supplies delivered while we were gone and we picked those up from the office and got settled in.  Across the dock from us was a trawler with the Active Captain logo.  Active Captain is a website that details marinas, the surrounding towns, restaurants and other attractions for boaters.  We did not get a chance to talk to the captain, but think he might be checking things out in Panama City for the website.

Randy is a board member of NACO (National Association of Charterboat Operators) and its past President lives in Panama City.  We had arranged to have dinner with him and we met up that evening at the Saltwater Grill in Panama City Beach.  The grouper was excellent and it is always good to have locals tell you about the town.  One thing I have noted though is that most people in this area are from somewhere else:  Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, etc.  The cab driver that took us to the airport when we left here on December 1^st came from West Virginia at the time of the BP oil spill.  He was paid $1.000/week to walk the beach and look for oil.  He never saw any.  Since he was doing such a great job (!), he was asked to stay on as a supervisor after most of the temporary workers were sent home.  He never left and now drives for a local car service.

Another thing that struck me as we drove around town is that there are very few holiday decorations here. The Saltwater Grill was a welcome exception, as you can see above.  We saw a few wreaths and lights on some of the commercial buildings, but very few homes have outside lights or decorations – so different from where we live.  At least we have our tree and lights on the boat to remind us that it is Christmas!