Hey Tom,
If you are a neighbor of my Internet buddy Gary Gordon in New Hampshire
bring him on down with ya!
If you are coming to a Blue Angel practice session they are going to be
at these times in March:
19
20
21
25
26 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m. (Museum Visit)


If you bring your badge the security guys at the museum will let you
buy them coffee.
As far as extra special things to do and see it just depends on what
turns you on. If you want to do something that not too many people get to
do then you will want to visit the museum on a Friday morning and be there
when it opens so you can proceed to the reception desk quickly in order to
get one of the few boarding passes for the trolley ride. On Friday mornings
the trolley ride out to the static parking area is followed by a walking
tour through the restoration hangar. That group gets to see how the
aircraft are restored, they talk with the restoration volunteers and they
get to see how it all really transpires. The only other way in to see
what's happening is to walk to the bathroom during a Blue Angel practice
session.
I don't know if you stay in a trailer camp, with friends or in a
hotel/motel. Wherever it is, I suggest you get through the NAS gates in
time to get a good seat at the practice sessions.
We like to help visitors find a good restaurant. Two that are not on
the Internet are the Crazy Horse Café at 13110 Lillian Highway in Pensacola.
Lillian Highway is actually Highway 98 and the Crazy Horse is about one half
mile east of the Lillian Bridge which connects Florida to Alabama. The food
is home style and all of the desserts are home made. They are not open on
Sundays. Another is Lillian's Pizza on Perdido Key. We like the Big Dave's
pizza. It's got plenty of meat and is sinful.
Going in the other direction we recommend Pegleg Pete's restaurant on
Santa Rosa Island. They have killer fried calamari. If seafood isn't your
bag then go to the Surfburger on Santa Rosa Island. Their food is so fresh
that nothing is cooked until it's ordered. So be ready to wait a few
minutes for the main part of your meal (get a table on the veranda and watch
the sailing on the bay).
And, if you are one of those diehards who stays in a condo in
Alabama.....we recommend DeSoto's restaurant. They have the best crab claws
on the coast and their lunch-time only corn fritters are to die for. (I
know, don't end a sentence with a preposition.)
The exhibits at the museum are constantly changing. Right now there is
a new IMAX movie and there are always reenactors and docents who can make
your visit much more entertaining. You just have to not be in a hurry, Tom
in Pensacola

"Tom" wrote in message
. ..
Tom,

Nice shots of an interesting craft. I'm headed down to your neck of the
woods (or
should I say beach) in a couple of weeks. I plan on venturing over to the
Naval
Museum and maybe even catching a practice session if we're there on the
right days.

The museum website had lots of good info, but is there any absolutely
gotta see stuff
at the museum or elsewhere? Better to ask the local guy now rather than
wish I had
later.

I've attached an aviation shot from snow bound New Hampshire. I'm ready
for spring
to be here now! This was Manchester (MHT) on Saturday 2/23/08 after
clearing out
from a small overnight storm. The FAA registry says this is a DC-9-32
built in 1969.

Thanks!
Tom at the beach in NH