Vintage Reflections

I find old things very interesting.  When I'm somewhere that is rich in history, I try to envision what it would be like to live during a different time.  Since I live in the nation's oldest city, this happens quite often.  The photo below is of different handles that were used in a steam room at the Alcazar Hotel (currently known as the Lightner Museum).  Hotel guests would pay anything from 50 cents to a couple of dollars for use of the health spa.  This hotel also housed the world's largest indoor swimming pool at the time.  Click here for more information about the history of the hotel.

Vintage Alcazar Hotel Handles

 

It was built in 1887 in the Spanish Renaissance style.  The health spa included a Turkish Bath, a steam room, a cold plunge, a massage room, a gym and a lounging room.  Now, the indoor pool is lined with antique shops and a really awesome eatery called the Alcazar Cafe.  I still love visiting this place as it is really easy to lose yourself in the details, beautiful architecture and ghost-like memories of past times that still linger throughout. 

 

Old things.  Vintage things.  They remind me of how we have both grown and regressed as a society.  I'm reminded of how important our history is - the bad and the good.  When I walk through the hallways at the old Alcazar Hotel, I think about drinking tea and playing croquet.  Maybe taking a dip in the pool and going for a horse-drawn carriage ride through the cobblestone streets in St. Augustine (even though they still do this today).  It'd just be different back then without cars and scooters passing by. 

 

Enjoying history is a wonderful way to be reflective and in the moment.  I wish that everyone took advantage of these types of wonders in our own backyards.  They are great places to go with family and friends or even by ourselves to journal, capture moments with our cameras or just savor our nation's history.

 

 

*I'm participating in the 2013 A to Z Challenge. Every day in April (except for Sundays) I will be posting according to a letter of the Alphabet. To read more about my theme, click here.