St. Augustine

St. Augustine is America's oldest city. It's 42 years older than Jamestown. Henry Flagler, co-founder of Standard Oil Company with John D.Rockefeller, came to St. Augustine in the 1880s. He fell in love with the area, and decided to develop it into a vacation spot for wealthy Northerners..a sort of Newport, RI south. His masterpiece hotel was the Ponce de Leon. It accommodated the wealthiest of travelers with luxurious lodgings and many leisure activities. The rate was 6.00 a night, when the average weekly wage was .50. You had to book a room for the whole season, whether you stayed the whole time or not. The hotel was first class, black tie required in the restaurant and at functions. It is now part of Flagler College, a private-four year liberal arts college.

Flagler then built the Hotel Alcazar, near the Ponce. It was the "budget" hotel, offering rooms for 2.00 a night. You didn't have to stay the whole season here, and it was less formal(no black tie). As a result(no surprise), it became more popular that the Ponce de Leon. Flagler himself would stay here, because of the more informal feel.

The Alcazar had many amenities for it's day: a spa and Turkish baths, a three story ballroom, that overlooked the world's largest indoor swimming pool at the time.

Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway provided transportation between New York and St. Augustine, and he built a two-story depot to properly receive arriving guests. He also paved the first road in St. Augustine, so that his four star guests would travel to the hotel in style. Flagler was also responsible for building the town's hospital, city hall, and several churches.

St. Augustine, to us, is kind of Annapolis meets Key West. A really neat town, with endless shops, galleries, and restaurants; add in a bunch of history. The historic district is full of beautiful houses and inns, each one more unique and prettier than the last. Many of the downtown buildings reflect the Spanish style of the city's beginnings. For more history on the city, check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine,_Florida. Check out our pictures of St. Augustine here.