A weekend Recap- Downtown Pensacola
Friday
Since moving to Pensacola, we are now way closer to my parents. Like, they literally live in our backyardโฆ It is great for us all to be able to spend more time together. Moose has even started to say Nanny and knows the general direction of their house if we are outside! I love this! And also love how close we are to downtown!
A day with Nanny- downtown Pensacola
Friday, Moose and I spent the day with my mum. We went for a walk along the beach on the base nearby. It was very humid and hot, but the breeze off the water felt lovely. After our walk, we headed to downtown Pensacola to The Bodacious Bookstore and Cafรฉ . It is such a nice spot and I have a feeling Moose and I will spend a few mornings there during our time here. We ordered lunch and coffee before browsing the bookstore. I ordered the Fig, Bacon and Brie Panini, and my mum ordered the Chicken Bacon Ranch (without the Ranch) Panini. Both of these sandwiches were delicious! For drinks, my mum got a Soy Latte and I got the Sunrise Latte, a special they had.
After we ate, we looked around the bookstore and of course Nanny got Moose some books! The books Nanny got him were ” Get a Hit, Mo” by David A. Adler and ” Dear Little Sagittarius” by Roxy Marj.
Since we have the most trusted loved ones close, my husband and I decided we would go on a date night, knowing that Moose would be safe! AND my parents love the extra one on one time with their grandson! We decided to would try out 5 Sisters Blues Cafรฉ, located in downtown Pensacola. I had been there a few years ago, remembering the nice atmosphere, I suggested this place and Melvin was up for it.
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Our Order
We ordered the Sistersโ Sampler Appetizer, this included: 4 large fried green tomatoes, 2 crab cakes, and 6 ย grilled andouille shrimp. It was also served with 4 different sauces. It was yummy and I enjoyed the fried green tomatoes, this was my first time having them.ย
For our main dishes, I had Aunt Saraโs Southern Fried Chicken with greens and cheesy grits. The chicken was tasty, however, next time I would try some different sides. Melvin had the Fish, Shrimp and Grits with a side of mash potatoes and mac & cheese. We ended up trading sides, as I liked his mash potatoes and he liked my greens. I shouldnโt have got the grits since Melvin had a WHOLE plate of them! We also got some yummy adult drinks to go along with our meal. I had the Moscato and Melvin had the Strawberry Jam cocktail. Both were so good we talked about going back just to get drinks in the future! The only problem with the Strawberry Jam cocktail was that it wasnโt enough.
After dinner we went over to Krispy Kreme to get donuts, we were disappointed, and I will just leave it at that!
Once we got home, we spent a couple more hours hanging out with my parents watching TV and chatting. It was a wonderful evening and to say we are enjoying being even closer to family would be an understatement.
Saturday
On Saturday, we woke up and enjoyed breakfast at home. We then went back downtown, back to The Bodacious Bookstore and Cafรฉ. The ladies at the Cafรฉ had told me they do childrenโs story time on Saturday mornings at 11 am, so I wanted to take Moose to this. I also wanted an excuse to get another Latte, it was so good. We were a little early, so Melvin and I got our drinks and a cookie and a banana for Moose. We had the funfetti cookie and it was fantastic. It was soft, flavorful, and a little cakey. My husband was reluctant to get it at first because it was a small 3 dollar cookie. However, we were glad we got it.
I sat with Moose during story time as Melvin explored the bookstore. It was nice to do something โnormalโ for Moose, growing up during a pandemic, he has missed out on a bit, and it was nice to be able to do this safely. We ended up purchasing four more books! Can you tell we like to read in this household!? We picked him up: “Little Heroes of Color” by David Heredia, “Lil Air Force Pilot” by Lisa Engler, and “Peakaboo Bear” by Camilla Reid, and “The Arts Encyclopedia”.
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Downtown Pensacola has lots of hidden gems. After the bookstore we wanted to stop at an ice cream shop we had passed earlier and promised the store owners we would be back. We went into AJโs Market & Ice Cream where Melvin got a brownie sundae. We also learned that they have dairy free and gluten free ice cream, a plus for Moose and I! So, this is another place we will be going back to!
We then ventured over to the market that is held in downtown Pensacola every Saturday and Sunday. I love to support local businesses, and this is a good way to do so. Plus, I love homemade and natural foods. We stopped at a few stalls, picking up lumpia to snack on and some art workย for Mooseโ room. We also picked up a gluten free cookie for Moose, some local honey to help with my allergies, and a pressed juice.
After this, we headed to the grocery store and then back home for a relaxing evening and Olympics. Moose had a rough night and refused to sleep in his crib. I donโt know how families co sleep on a regular basis with their babies, not saying there is anything wrong with this but, Moose was all over the bed. Melvin and I had a rough night of sleep!
Sunday
Sunday was a day for relaxing and chores. We spent the morning enjoying breakfast and playing with Moose. We then got started on some chores. We got some laundry done, I brushed the cats and clipped their nails, and we organized our garage so I can park my car in there. It was a productive morning. Once Moose went down for his nap, I hopped on a Zoom call with my Book club besties. Although we have taken some time off from the book club, we still try to Zoom and catch up with each other! It was fun to chat, I miss them all so much!
Finally, to end our weekend, we spent the Sunday evening at my parentโs house with my brother and niece. My mum cooked a very tasty British dish, toad in the hole! This is sausages in batter with mash potatoes and veggies on the side! (of course, no one took a picture of it because it smelt so good, we dug in as soon as we sat down) For dessert, Melvin and I picked up some pastries and wine from the store. Spending the evening watching the Olympics and chatting with the family was a great way to end the weekend!
I look forward to exploring many more local stores and blogging about our experiences while we are here! Check out our favorite coffee shops in Pensacola by clicking here!
