Our season in Florida is nearing an end and these snowbirds will have to take flight and head back to the cold north soon. I am not kidding about the cold, there is still some snow back home! Hopefully with all the rain most of it will be gone by the time we get there. But I am pretty sure the temperature will be a complete shock to the system after we have been enjoying the upper 30’s (80’s F)
I can’t think of a better way to say goodbye to the Florida sunshine and the new friends we made this year than by taking a ride with them and checking out a few more hang outs.
Seeing it was Easter Sunday we headed out to “Biker Church” (also known as The Mermaid Lounge) on Fort Myers beach. This place opens at 8 am and serves $1 Bloody Marys until 11 am. For the record we did not get there that early!
I am glad we got a chance to experience this place. Soon this iconic favorite biker hang-out that has been around for 35 years will be bulldozed under to make way for the new developments that are in the works for Fort Myers beach. Personally, I think this will make the strip just another money grabbing “tourist trap” with high end hotels and restaurants. It will be sad to see that all the new development will take away the charm that these old establishments have to offer.
As you can see there is quite a congregation, standing room only.
The bar cleared a little and we were able to grab a table
to have communion at “Biker Church”.
to have communion at “Biker Church”.
Katy a friend of Elaine & James joined us. Nice meeting you Katy!
Quite a turn out this morning.
Photo credit goes to Elaine who went across the street to snap this shot for me.
You make quite the photographer Elaine!
Photo credit goes to Elaine who went across the street to snap this shot for me.
You make quite the photographer Elaine!
After 11 am “church” starts to let out. We headed outside to finish off our refreshments.
It is not often that I get in on the pictures, thanks again Elaine!
Glad to be out in the sunshine again, I was getting chilly in there.
Glad to be out in the sunshine again, I was getting chilly in there.
Katy, Elaine & James.
Katy joined us for a refreshment at the Nauti Parrot.
Looking good Elaine, show off!
Looking good Elaine, show off!
A nice customer at the next table took a picture of all of us.
The Nauti Parrot is a great place to take in the awesome views of the waterfront.
If you’re interest here is my take on the food, from a “non-foodie” like me.
There seems to be a theme to my eating habits, Philly Cheese Steak. I have been sub-consciously ranking them so I thought I would share my thoughts…
The Philly at the Nauti Parrot ranks #3. It was delicious! But it could possibly tie in at #2 as the bun was nicely toasted and the fries were very crispy. The Ale House still is my #1 but lately I am very disappointed with the customer service there, but that is another story.
The Boulevard Deli ranks in at #2 as the beef is tasty perfection, however the bun seemed a little too doughy for my liking, maybe it just needs to be toasted more, fries were crispy delights. The Ragged Ass Saloon comes in #4 as it is served with a bag of potato chips. I would definitely tie it with #3 on the tasty scale. I have had an order of their French fries and I would have to say they are the crispiest and most tasty. Lastly the Nav-A-Gator comes in at #5, mine seemed to skimp on the cheese, and seeing I only order it without the garnishing of onions and peppers, cheese is very important! The Boathouse doesn’t make it on my list only because they don’t offer Philly Cheese Steak, but I had a burger there and if I start a list for hamburgers I would currently put it at #1. FYI, I did not eat this all in one day!
After lunch the day was still young and we road over to the Bimini Bait Shack in Punta Rassa. This is located just before the bridge to Sanibel Island.
There is plenty of atmosphere at the Bimini. It is like being up in a tree house of sorts. Although I didn’t much care for the climb up. (I did notice they had an elevator, so I suppose I could have wimped out and took that, but I didn’t want to be called a sissy LOL)
Hey I am in another picture! Thanks Elaine! Ugh those stairs!
The views are amazing from up here.
The bar has swing chairs on each corner and the musical entertainment plays above.
Lots of interesting treasures hanging about.
The fish tank bar provides just as much entertainment as the performers above.
At first, I didn’t think this was a real star fish, then it slowly moved across the tank
I even caught a glimpse of a lobster, at least I think it is a lobster.
When the place cleared out a little, we managed to snag those swing chairs.
I never sat on a swing chair at a bar before.
Very cool, however they were a tad hard for my bony butt.
(Many thanks to our "travel guide" James who plotted out our course for the day. We will let you do that again sometime)
Until next time keep
Cruising Through Life & Enjoying the Ride…
