On Friday night my son had planned for us to check out a place called Pineapple Willy's near his apartment on Panama City Beach. We made the critical mistake of starting late and if the unbearable tourist traffic wasn't the first clue, the fact that we could not park in the regular or overflow parking lots was enough to convince us to move along.
And we were glad we did. We drove down the road to a wonderful development called Pier Park. The mall portion of the place is a cut & paste of The Shoppes at La Cantera. Having never been myself, I can only take my son's word for it.
The part I liked was closer to the beach and was full of bright and colorful buildings that to me, looked like a modern version of Main Street USA at Disney. I especially loved the fact that they had a carousel and little slingshot bouncy things for the toddlers. How cool is that?
There was a wide selection of places to eat at but we opted for a German place called Hofbrau Beer Garden.
If you have ever been to Germany or seen it on the Travel Network (as opposed to The History Channel), you immediately recognize the communal seating on long tables and the group participation in the entertainment. Its tough for even a reserved person like me to not be sucked into the clapping and laughing and yes, even Chicken Dancing that takes place during the eating of the vittles.
My wife ordered the Fish & Frites and she was very happy with it. There was nothing bland about it at all. Not too spicy for her tastes, but certainly not bland. And I don't think it was fried at all. It was breaded, but there was no fried texture to it.
My son and I both ordered some other fish plate - the name escapes me several days later and the online menu didn't offer a clue - but it was good. The fish was lightly breaded and highly seasoned giving it an almost Cajun kick to it. Had I known yellow squash would have been included with the vegetables I would have probably asked for something else, but surprisingly, it was all very, very good. Okay, I ate the zucchini but not the rest of the squash. 
We all were very satisfied with the food and my son and I each sampled a beer. He had the Hofbrau Original and I went with the Dunkel, the darker variety. Good stuff.
To cap off the evening, we went into a club across the street called Tootsies where the house band was putting on a great show. The crowd is encouraged to participate because just up the road in Nashville, TN, the folks at the original Tootsies Orchid Lounge are watching a live feed from the PCB lounge. It was all quite cool, and with so many tourists and older folks, my wife and I didn't feel out of place.
I'm not sure how Pier Park pans out during the off season, but for our visit, the place was pretty sweet.
My wife and I took a short drive up the new and improved Loop 410 over to San Pedro to do a quick in and out at North Star Mall so we could visit the See's Candies kiosk which opens each year for the holidays.
First, I have always avoided NSM simply because for someone like me who tends to dress down on the weekends, I always feel a little self-conscious, almost as if I have driven into a gated community without belonging there. I know that sounds silly - there is no income requirement to shop at North Star and certainly no written dress code requiring a jacket and tie, or at minimum, something fashionable, but seriously, Valet Parking at the mall?
Grandma looks for the valet ticket so she can go do some Muddin'
On the other hand, I can certainly see how it might be convenient for older folks who just want to get inside to spend their grand-children's inheritance without having to circle the lot for a space to park.
Anyway, I do like the big letters spelling out the mall name and of course, those boots are classic. If I could get over my socialite-phobia, I would probably visit more - and maybe even give The Shoppes at La Cantera a shot. (Nope - I still haven't been there).
On the bright side, I find great joy in seeing ugly people, fat people and astonishingly terribly dressed people walking through North Star Mall because it gives me a feeling that the mall is being integrated with normal people, and of course, it makes me feel like I'm not the object of all the pretty people's ridicule. I know, I probably could use some counseling.
But to the point of the story. My wife and her mom are huge fans of See's Candies and for some reason, the don't have a store her in SA. Anytime I travel through LAX or Las Vegas, I have to buy a shopping cart full of candy to keep in good graces. Luckily, See's opens a kiosk in North Star in November and December to save everyone a trip out west, and to save on the price of shipping (the Internet has everything for sale).
So, the first thing you should know is that they have free samples. That alone is worth the trip. When my wife showed the slightest interest in a candy she had not tasted before, the clerk busted out a sample lickity-split and it was like lunch time at HEB Plus!
Anyway, we aren't into sweets that much, but it did cost $75.00 just to get out of there. Maybe it is a good idea they only open shop two months a year.
And we were glad we did. We drove down the road to a wonderful development called Pier Park. The mall portion of the place is a cut & paste of The Shoppes at La Cantera. Having never been myself, I can only take my son's word for it.
The part I liked was closer to the beach and was full of bright and colorful buildings that to me, looked like a modern version of Main Street USA at Disney. I especially loved the fact that they had a carousel and little slingshot bouncy things for the toddlers. How cool is that?
There was a wide selection of places to eat at but we opted for a German place called Hofbrau Beer Garden.
If you have ever been to Germany or seen it on the Travel Network (as opposed to The History Channel), you immediately recognize the communal seating on long tables and the group participation in the entertainment. Its tough for even a reserved person like me to not be sucked into the clapping and laughing and yes, even Chicken Dancing that takes place during the eating of the vittles.
My wife ordered the Fish & Frites and she was very happy with it. There was nothing bland about it at all. Not too spicy for her tastes, but certainly not bland. And I don't think it was fried at all. It was breaded, but there was no fried texture to it.
My son and I both ordered some other fish plate - the name escapes me several days later and the online menu didn't offer a clue - but it was good. The fish was lightly breaded and highly seasoned giving it an almost Cajun kick to it. Had I known yellow squash would have been included with the vegetables I would have probably asked for something else, but surprisingly, it was all very, very good. Okay, I ate the zucchini but not the rest of the squash. 
We all were very satisfied with the food and my son and I each sampled a beer. He had the Hofbrau Original and I went with the Dunkel, the darker variety. Good stuff.
To cap off the evening, we went into a club across the street called Tootsies where the house band was putting on a great show. The crowd is encouraged to participate because just up the road in Nashville, TN, the folks at the original Tootsies Orchid Lounge are watching a live feed from the PCB lounge. It was all quite cool, and with so many tourists and older folks, my wife and I didn't feel out of place.
