ahhh, pensacola.
unlike mobile alabama, an hour north, they have malt liquor, tho no actual 40s.
end of the line is at 610 E Wright St.
if you hop off at the train yard, just follow the tracks
south bound until they make a nearly 90 degree left turn,
(which is just about where the police station is on the left
so be careful if you stayed on, or are hopping further down
the line. the train obviously slows down for this curve, so
it's a pretty good spot to hop off just after the curve, or you can wait till hobo
beach).
a block or few after that left curve is this huge hospital/hotel looking thing on the right,
and directly across from it is the end of the line.
definitely traveler friendly, 100% vegan and they have
internet(computers and wifi). pretty sweet courtyard out back,
too, and a little reading room on the way there. a plus, if you didn't know
is that the place is owned and operated by Ryan Modee of This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb and
Rymodee, with his partner whose name currently escapes me. They are both super nice.
if you keep on headed east down wright, following the tracks where the road turns away from them, eventually you'll hit hobo beach. just keep on walking down past the abandoned amtrack station, and then over the short iron train bridge, which has an iron walk way on the left. go past the first sets of trees on the right and you'll run right into hobo beach. not much to explain here. there might still be the turned over uprooted tree fort. fucking no one can see you when you're here, except maybe with binoculars from across the mini bay. not even the cars on the bridge headed out to the pretty beach, because of the concrete risers, which effectively block the view. on the other side of the tracks there is a wooded area where you can gather fire wood, or even camp out if the beach isn't to your liking. one thing i recommend is establishing some kind of cover before you go to sleep. town bums often set up camp here, and they generally have the sweet shade providing tree to the right totally staked out. if you stay up late drinking and singing 'round the campfire, the last thing you want to deal with is the blaring sun in the southern heat in the morning.
there's another punk house on 12th and Gadsden, referred to as... well 12th and Gadsden, but i'm not sure how open they are to travelers. I was always welcome there when my friends were living there. I saw matt & kim play and it seems like there were parties after shows there.
sluggo's is at 2403 W Cervantes St
and is a bit of a walk, but if you wanna, walk north from the end of the line, and head west on cervantes. it's like 30 blocks. some pretty wicked shows happen there, vegan food, good beer prices. i did notice, the further west on cervantes i headed, the more heckling, trash and food was thrown. as in it happened at all. not that big of a deal though.
you can't really walk to the pretty touristy beach as it would take way too long, but if you can get a ride with someone, it's worth it during the summer if there aren't any jellys or red tide or sharks in the water.
the tracks after hobo beach pretty much follow scenic 1 for awhile, so if you're going further south in florida, you'll have a nice view in the day time.
also, on your way to hobo beach on the tracks or wright st, take a right N 14th St, then go left on gregory to Bagelheads. 924 E gregory is the address. fresh bagels in the unlocked dumpster in the back of the parking lot daily! there is also a super huge liquor store close by. last time i was there, some promotional was going on and ladies in low cut shirts were doling out free booze samples.
also on 600 E gregory is a local legend, McGuire's Irish pub. there is nothing sold there made out of food that isn't completely ridiculously good, and they're a microbrewery, so they have plenty of delicious brews. it's definitely expensive, but if you have cash to blow, this is where i would do it. if you want to get crunked like no one's business, buy the Irish Wake. it's cloudy and green and you get to keep the jar it comes in, which has a deliciously racist depiction of a plastered irishman on it. i recommend standing up a few times while drinking it, because that's the only way you're going to be able to tell just how fucked you are.
if for some reason you want beer that isn't shit cheap, try to get a ride out to aloha wine world (95046 Bayou Blvd). it's right in front of the cordova mall which sucks, but they've got a ridiculous amount of beer from microbreweries all over the world. i had my first dogfishhead 120 minute ipa in the parking garage of the hosptial across the street from this place. also they have a wine tasting day, where you pay a flat fee like 10 bucks and just chill in the store getting wasted.:cheers:
that's all i can remember about pensacola for now, aside from just all the fucking awesome times i had with my friends. definitely a travellin' kid friendly place if you meet up with the right people, and stay relatively close to the rails. mobile, alabama about 60 miles north, and fun in the summer as well. it's a bit harder to come by folks who will treat you right, but i assure you they are there. pm me if you want any info pertaining to that place...
