St. Augustine. Oldest city in what is now the United States. New Orleans without the French influence. A lovely town. Impossible to pigeon-hole.
Most towns – apart from the foundation places of stereotypes – are very similar. And most can be compared to some other to give people a sense of their layout and attitude. Paris, for instance, is like the bustle of Philadelphia crossed with the street plan of Washington, DC. London is just New York with older buildings, better beer and odd accents. Miami seems like LA must be, or vice versa. Norfolk, VA is like Birmingham, AL. Etc.
There are some places that set the standard as commented above: New York, Washington, DC. And there are others that are utterly unique: New Orleans, Boston, St. Augustine.
If I had to make a comparison I’d say it’s a Spanish New Orleans crossed with a good taste version of the Jersey Shore. It’s got all the tourist traps, but they’re all in good taste, or at least enclosed in historic architecture to take the edge of tastelessness off.
So today I went into the “Oldest House” and walked by the “Oldest School.” Along the way I saw the first-ever honest souvenir shop: “Junk.” I missed Ripley’s original Believe it or Not because I didn’t like the length of the line and the jury’s still out on whether Ponce de Leon’s Original Fountain of Youth is worth the tariff.
There’s still tomorrow.