Adding a bucket list item to visit more friends was new this year (2016). How to choose those people, I have not figured out yet. The idea for this item in the bucket list came about last August when I visited Vermont. I decided on that trip that I would look up my old high school classmate Jerry Atkins and his wife Cindy, a friend from when I was a kid. I got his phone number from my brother and I made the call. I ended up going over for a cookout and it turned into a small group gathering including their daughter and her husband and their two grandchildren, Jerry's mom, Cindy's mom and dad, and Cindy's brother. It was a beautiful afternoon that never would have happened in the past because I would have decided that the first phone call would be a bother and I would not make it. Well now, if I call or email you, you better tell me quickly you do not want a visit.
In the trip I took yesterday, the selection of Ed came out of me working on another project, organizing my analog photos. I found an envelop with about 40 photos in it and I had a note that send "Duplicates - Give to Ed". I think I wrote that note ten years ago. I decided I was not going to wait anymore, so I sent Ed an email and he responded that he would love to have me visit.
Ed Kennedy, a retired lawyer, had moved from Melbourne to New Smyrna Beach about 16 years ago. I kept in touch but I had only seen him a few times since he moved. He was a regular at Coasters for a while and the best part was he would organize a pub crawl each year. We did four in four years, 1997-2000. The last one was in the year 2000, and it included as the first stop Ed's new condominium in New Smyrna Beach. I have included a photo looking out his back porch (on the second floor) toward the Indian River.
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| Looking West from Ed's condo in New Smyrna Beach. |
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| Looking North toward the North Causeway |
His condo is off the South Causeway, and you can see the North Causeway out of his window (on the end of the building). There is a boardwalk and boat docks. He said both the mainland and the barrier islands are both easy walks or bike rides. His wife Mary Beth does not drive, but uses her bike to go everywhere.
After the lunch at the Cork Screw, Ed took me on a tour of both the Downtown and Beach-side commercial areas of New Smyrna Beach. What I really mean is we were checking out the bars and restaurants. There are too many to list them all here, but we did stop at a few to take a look around. Let me give you a tour.
The first place we stopped was called the Flagler Tavern located beach-side on Flagler Avenue. Although a mainstay of the area since the 1920s, we found out that is was taken over by new owners in 2014, and that is why there is so much renovation and additions happening. Ed wanted to show me the upstairs speakeasy (which did not open until 5) bar called The Bounty . There is even a little wooden door on the stairwell door to check out who is there. It just happens that a young man was heading that way. He asked if he could help us and Ed said he just wanted his friend to see the speakeasy bar. Well, He happened to be one of the new owners so he offered to give us a tour.
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| Looking back toward staircase and original fireplace. |
Everything was cool and as we found out, had a story. The sign above the bar is actually the back of an old fishing boat. The lights are all old-fashioned resembling the 1920s.
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| Sign above the bar - Bounty at Flagler Tavern |
The bar stools are made from old casks, cannot remember if it was wine or whiskey, may have been both. The copper mugs stored on the rack were used for some specialty drinks. The wheel allows the bartender to lower or raise the cups.
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| Cups are lowered or raised by twisting the ship wheel on the wall (you can see the ropes) |
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| School of Mahi-Mahi |
The owner, Sherman, pointed out some of the art work including the fish on the walls.
He took us into the bathrooms which were just fabulous looking. He said there was a spike on social media of ladies taking pictures of the tile patterns.
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| Large Grouper |
He says the plan is to make sure all future bathroom upgrades were of the highest caliber to receive the free PR from Facebook and Instagram.
Sherman took us out on the patio where they have built a small bar. They also have cigars in a locked humidifier located on the deck. I think he said they have sold 1,500 cigars since 2014. He explained that these were special cigars, grown using...I lost what he was saying because I am not a smoker.
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| Sherman and Ed on the patio deck in front of the new bar |
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| Patio at Flagler Tavern outside the Bounty |
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| Flagler Avenue from Flagler Tavern |
The next stop was a placed called The Garlic and it is owned by the guy who use to own PJs across the street. He is from Killington and Ed thought that he owns a restaurant there called the Garlic. My Vermont friends will have to let me know about it.
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| Entrance to the Garlic, a restaurant in New Smyrna Beach |
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| Valet Parking stand |
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| State Capital Wine? in the Blue Bar |
The place is located in an old warehouse, but has slowly moved outside with plenty of tables and plant life. Also, lots of garlic was hanging around. Just as before, this place does not open until 4 PM, but Ed and his wife are regulars here so when we started walking around, the staff knew who he was.
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| The Garlic - Am I inside or outside? |
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| The hen-house at The Garlic |
After walking around The Garlic, I told Ed I needed to find a place that will actually serve me a beer. He said he would take me to a tree house. Our next stop was the Norwood's Restaurant, established in 1946, almost the same age as my friend Ed. It is a very well-known seafood eatery. We went in to look around but an old couple were leaving. Ed walked in but I opted to hold the door for them. The man came out and then the lady said you will be sorry, there were about 15 people in their group. I finally got inside and Ed showed me the nice old bar and lots of dining space. There were still people eating lunch.
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| Sign on Second Avenue for Norwood's |
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| The bar in the tree-house bar |
We went back outside and climbed a staircase to a tree-house bar. Lots of wood, thee bar stools are huge and heavy to move.
I took a picture of the large tree that the bar was constructed around. Other than the bar area, everything is outside. The bartender was telling us that the squirrels have gotten so comfortable, they have been eating through propane gas lines and some tables are having found taken by the critter while they are still eating. I would be asking for some squirrel stew, but I guess the place is known for the seafood.
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| Treehouse Bar at Norwood's Restaurant |
I thought I would end with a picture, taken by one of the bartenders, of Ed and I at the Treehouse Bar. BTW, I drank another Fat Tire on draft....
I cannot wait to get back to New Smyrna Beach and try some of these great places. Ed and I, and hopefully Mary Beth, are planning to do a mini-beer pub crawl in April. Tentatively, but I do not want to keep putting things off.
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