Verse 5 - Where in the World is Apalachicola?

This post is a continuation of The Bowery Station Story.

Lisa and I would get the chance to travel once in a while from Key West, and one of our favorite destinations was New Orleans.  On one trip back from New Orleans, a friend of ours, Rob Taylor, suggested we stop in the small town called Apalachicola.  He and his wife Meghan had sailed a catamaran from Houston to Key West when they moved there.   They let us know that it was really off the beaten path and not that easy to get to, (Well, that rang a bell instantly) and had a great natural beauty with fantastic beaches nearby.  So, on our way back to Key West from New Orleans we tooled our VW Eurovan named Franky into Apalach one summer eve and found a second heaven.  At the time, the town was smaller than it is today, with very little to do, a small assortment of Oyster bars, and one shrimper filled dive called the Oasis.  We stayed in a dog friendly room at a tiny inn along the river.  The River Inn had an iconic restaurant called Boss Oyster, and a tiny bar known as The Spoonbill, filled with locals and tourists alike.

The old Florida feel it harbored was right up our alley, and after that initial evening we headed out to see what this Island they all spoke of... this St. George Island... was all about.  As we approached in the morning, we imagined the usual Florida coastal experience...maybe some condos, no dogs allowed, no alcohol, no access, no public parking...and on and on.  What a surprise... we pulled up to a beach access, and quickly noticed the poop bags for the pooch, and a sign that says...no glass (Obviously, not excluding a frosty can of beer!).  We look at each other and said..."Beer, Dogs, and no high rises....now that's a beach!"

St. George Island, and Apalachicola quickly became our home away from home.  Every Christmas, or perhaps Thanksgiving, we would rent ourselves a house on the beach for a "taste of the cold."  We would make a fire, some Oyster stew and relish in what a beautiful area of the country the Forgotten

Coast was.  Clearly, it had escaped the ravages of development, maintained the character, and prioritized the environment.  Beauty was found in so many ways, from the sunrise, to the estuary,  to the historic buildings of Apalachicola.  What a reprieve the Forgotten Coast was from what the Keys had slowly devolved into, an over developed and gentrified theme park of Island living.  More importantly, it appeared there was no way to get a cruise boat in... yet.

The contrast between Key West and the Forgotten Coast was forced upon us with each year's visit.  We loved the Keys, but Key West itself had become a concrete jungle, a theme park of Island living.  One side had been "cruise boated," the other "gentrified," and the original flavor of when we had originally visited as kids, and subsequently had moved there for, had slowly eroded like a sand castle in the tide.  Granted we had found the solace and serenity of some of the lower Keys just up from Key West, but the cost to maintain an average lifestyle came with a huge toll.  Our jobs paid well, but it was barely enough to get by.  We enjoyed every day, but with time, we were always reminded we were not getting ahead relative to other friends our age throughout the Country.  It was a great lifestyle down in the Keys, but ultimately it was almost impossible to save a dime.

Stay tuned as The Bowery Station Story unfolds in it's next episode...The Big Move to Apalachicola?