A day in the city

If you can tear yourself away from the island -- and I know it's difficult -- try a leisurely walk through downtown Pensacola. Palafox Street is lined with charming little shops and galleries and restaurants. The Christmas decorations are up now and not to be missed.



The architecture in downtown Pensacola is incredible. Even more incredible is that this was once the tallest building in the state of Florida!



As a matter of fact, I am.

I have discovered many wonderful details about Pensacola by simply looking up or looking down. You never know what you may be passing by when you look straight ahead. See if you can find this artful tilework the next time you stroll down Palafox.



Don't miss the opportunity to visit downtown Pensacola during Winterfest! The opening weekend is November 25 and 26.

http://www.pensacolawinterfest.org/

"The annual Winterfest Celebration is a series of interactive performances along a 2½ mile route in downtown Pensacola, Florida. The idyllic small town setting encompasses a historic residential neighborhood and downtown storefronts along Palafox Place.

Winterfest provides unique experiences for people of all ages. The area comes to life with entertainment provided by residents and business owners and beautiful downtown Pensacola becomes a stage for Winterfest during the holiday season. Organizers for this year's holiday trolley tours in Pensacola, Florida are well on their way to establishing one of the nation's premier holiday events showcasing the scale of a small town atmosphere by using the historic downtown streets as a setting for interactive performances from classic movies. Trolleys act as theaters taking passengers to performances at eleven locations where dozens of local residents bring to life favorite characters of the season.

The overall theme of Winterfest deals with holiday subjects celebrated in our popular cultural heritage, commonly expressed in literature, songs, movies and shared traditions. The focus for the theme is taken from the Frank Capra movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" which will be staged as a movie set on the porch of a Victorian home in Pensacola's Historic Village. Other holiday classics, such as "The Grinch" will be reenacted in similar fashion using historic buildings of the period as backdrops for the action. Cartoon characters are included in the holiday fun. Frosty and Rudolph board each trolley and lead the passengers in song."


Stroll along Palafox and enjoy the Christmas displays.


An elegant fountain in Plaza Ferdinand is still under repair.


On the south side of Plaza Ferdinand stands a monument to Andrew Jackson. This is the site where he formally accepted Florida into the United States in 1821 and was sworn in as territorial governor of Florida.

During the mid-1700's, the British ruled Florida and divided it into East and West Florida, separated by the Apalachicola River. St. Augustine was the capital of East Florida; Pensacola was the capital of West Florida.