Downtown Saint Augustine is a beautiful place. There are so many things to do and so many places to visit. Being a tourist here is awesome, but living around the area, not so much. I love living up here in Saint Augustine, but sometimes, I don't always love the crowds and the flooding.
So here are 7 struggles of living in downtown Saint Augustine!
1. The flooding
The flooding in Saint Augustine is ridiculous. If you saw pictures of Saint Augustine during Hurricane Matthew, then you know what I am talking about. The worst part about it is that it doesn't even have to rain for a long period of time for it flood up here. An hour of heavy, torrential rainfall will do it for Saint Augustine. Then after that hour of rainfall, it starts to smell pretty bad in Saint Augustine.
2. Driving behind the horse and carriage
While the horse and carriage may seem like a good idea for a nice day out, it sucks when you get stuck behind one. The horses move very slowly and since a lot of Saint Augustine streets are only one way or are very narrow, it's hard to get around them. (Sometimes they even reek of horse poop).
3. Driving behind the trolleys
Driving behind the trolleys is another minor inconvenience when driving in Saint Augustine. Although they move faster than the horse and carriage, they are awfully long and drive slow to show the area. Be prepared to go about 10 mph when you get stuck behind one.
4. The amount of tourists on the Flagler College campus
We get it, our campus is beautiful and you are welcome to take as many pictures as you'd like. However, please do not just stop in the middle of the sidewalk when kids are trying to get to class.
5. The parking
Parking in Saint Augustine is terrible. Unless you park in the garage, you probably will not find any kind of parking in the streets. Also, beware of the worst combination: one-way streets and people who cannot parallel park.
6. The prices
Because Saint Augustine is a popular tourist area, all of the prices are relatively high. While it's nothing like Disney World, it's still pretty expensive. It's about $5 for a slice of pizza, $8 for ice cream and usually, everything in the stores on Saint George Street carry a heavy markup. (However, this is written by a poor college student...
7. The Saint George Street crowd
If you've never been to Saint George Street, it's a street consisting of a bunch of little shops that stretches along downtown Saint Augustine. There are many ice cream places, pizza places, shops, and so much to look at. Unfortunately, the street isn't that wide and sometimes, the crowd gets packed. It's hard to walk down there and not feel claustrophobic.
