Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Jacksonville

Help me get the most out of my Southern US road trip.

willnot — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:57:22 -0800

I have a follow-up to this Southern US road trip question. My route is firmed up, and I'd like recommendations for anything to see or skip between hotel stops. I'm going to be covering a ton of ground and moving pretty fast. I'm sure that isn't the best way to see the Southern United States, but it is what it is given my time. This will all be happening in early February.

I fly into New Orleans on a Saturday, and will have a night and part of a morning there. I will be returning the following weekend, so I don't need to see everything on this partial day.

Sunday - I've already booked a 1 PM swamp tour to the North East of New Orleans in Slidell. After than I was planning to stop at Bay St. Louis, MS based on aka burlap's recommendation from my previous question. I like arty towns, so that sounded right up my alley. From there, it's on to Pensacola, FL, which is where I'm sleeping Sunday night. Is there anything between Bay St. Louis and Pensacola that I should be sure to see? Or anything in Pensacola that I should be sure to do?

Monday - this is a MONSTER driving day. I need to get to Jacksonville, FL. I was thinking about stopping in Tallahassee for lunch and maybe taking a hike in Apalachicola National Forrest to stretch my legs. Any other recommendations?

Tuesday - I'll be traveling to/staying in Savannah, GA on Tuesday. I was thinking about driving north passed Savannah to check out Hilton Head and then dropping back down to the hotel. Does that make sense? I'm very excited about seeing Savannah. It looks really interesting. Is there anything I should be sure not to miss?

Wednesday - I'll be traveling to/staying in Atlanta, GA. What should I not miss between Savannah and Atlanta? What should I do in Atlanta. I have a friend who mentioned a tour of Coke. Worth it? Or would something else be better?

Thursday - I'll be traveling to/staying in Birmingham, AL. Again, based on the recommendation from the previous thread, I think I'll be spending a lot of time in the Talladega National Forrest. Is there anything in particular I should be sure to see/do?

Friday - I'll be driving back down to New Orleans. Anything between Birmingham and New Orleans that I shouldn't miss?

Saturday/Sunday/Monday - I'm on a company sponsored weekend in New Orleans. Much of my time will be spoken for, but I may have time for one or two major outings. What shouldn't be missed?

Thanks

What's cool in Jacksonville Beach? Moving from NYC soon...

jacquilinala — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:09:44 -0800

Moving to Jacksonville Beach, FL after living in big cities all my life. Looking for recommendations on stuff like apartment hunting, cafes, bars, shops, arts, etc. I am moving to Jacksonville Beach to work at a great company. I'm excited about the idea of living somewhere new - I'd been planning to leave my hometown of NYC again, but I really thought it would be somewhere in Europe, not... Florida. However, I've visited FL several times and have found that, as usual, my preconceptions were wrong, and mostly based on my limited experience in Orlando:)

That being said, I've lived in NYC, SF, LA, and Paris. I'm aware that Jax Beach is a wildly different change of pace, and that my lifestyle is going to be different. I'm hoping for this! However, it's going to be a major adjustment for me so I'm wondering... where should I live? I have an aversion to gated communities and the like, so not in any of those (I found several in my limited searches online). I've heard Shelby's has good coffee; I'd go there over Starbucks. What about bookstores? Bars? Bicycling? I love riding my bike, and I'm thinking this would be a great place to do so.

How dog friendly is it? I have a small pomeranian.

Do people surf there? I used to, although its been so long I fear I've forgotten how.

Anyway, any kind of advice would be welcome. I'm moving early January!

World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

glooper — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:53:55 -0800

Looking for advice on attending the Georgia-Florida college football game in Jacksonville, Florida on November 1. Most convenient hotel? How do I get tickets? Do I need a car? Where is the most fun to be had besides the stadium? Not a high roller, but I don't mind paying for hotel/rental car/parking/ticket broker etc. I don't really have connections in the Jacksonville area or at either school.

Bicycle shopping in Jacksonville, FL

pinkkitty — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:49:42 -0800

Any huge bicycle store in Jacksonville, FL? I'm looking for one that I can test ride several Trek and Giant models.

Help me make Japanese Shrimp Sauce, Jacksonville Florida style.

mhuckaba — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 16:02:56 -0800

Help me make Japanese Shrimp Sauce, as found in Jacksonville, Florida. Yellow/Dark Orange Cream sauce, found at practically every place Japanese food is served at in Jacksonville, Florida.

MANY MANY Google searches, hours of trying recipes have yeilded nothing.

Here is what I can tell you about it:
-It is creamy, and if left for a long period oil droplets will start to separate.
-It doesn't have a distinct flavor, like soy, garlic, MAYO (you cannot taste mayo if it contains it), vinegar, ginger, or mustard. Some places do add ginger, or mustard, but that is not true to the basic recipe.
-The sauce itself, in its best form, is orange, smooth and textureless, will coat a spoon, and has small dark orange/red bits (not flying fish eggs, they aren't firm).
-The sauce is savory, served cold, and definitely contains perishable dairy or egg products.
-It is recommended for use with vegetables, fish, and chicken.

I'm relatively sure the recipe MUST contain cream (or butter, perhaps), and it does not contain anything with texture, including black pepper, sesame seeds, chopped garlic or ginger. It does not have tomatos in it, as far as I know.

I know SOMEONE out there has to know the recipe. At least 40 unaffiliated Asian restaurants in the Jacksonville area serve it.

Help me prepare for my upcoming job interview

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:27:59 -0800

I've got a marathon job interview coming up, and I'm looking for advice on: a professional purse or briefcase I can use; how to stay energized, alert and upbeat for two consecutive days; cultural things I should be aware of in northeast Florida. I'm getting flown to Jacksonville, Florida, from the Pacific Northwest on an upcoming Saturday, to be met at the airport Saturday evening by my potential future boss. I'll have Sunday to recover and explore the town before the interview begins.

I'll meet with 12 people over the course of 16 hours on Monday and Tuesday -- HR people, people with the same job as I'm applying for, managers, assistant managers, and the very top corporate big wigs.

In the past I've just brought a leather portfolio to job interviews. My portfolio has room for extra copies of my resume inside, plus smaller pockets for the stuff I'd usually keep in my wallet (cash, license, credit cards, etc.).

I think I'd like to bring a bit more into this marathon interview, however -- including some crackers to munch on during bathroom breaks in case I get hungry, lipstick so I can refresh my fading color, and a prescription drug I'm supposed to take at the same time every day. I also still need to carry extra copies of my resume and my wallet stuff.

Can anyone recommend a professional-looking briefcase or purse that might do the job? Bonus points if it's under $100, and double bonus points if it's closer to $50.

I'd also love advice about how to stay alert and upbeat for the duration of the interview.

I tend to be drained by long periods of interaction with other people, and try to fit some alone time into my days to re-charge. That won't be an option here, as my breakfasts, lunches and dinners are all scheduled with interviewers.

My plan so far: stay on top of my workout routine in the 10 days leading up to the trip; make use of the hotel swimming pool and fitness rooms to continue getting regular exercise; accept every coffee or coke offered to me during the interview. That should help physically. Any tips for how to survive psychologically?

Finally, I've never been to northeast Florida before -- specifically, I'm heading to Jacksonville. I've heard that Miami may be even more laid back than the Pacific Northwest, though it's hard for me to imagine anything more chill than my current office after moving here from the DC area 5 years ago. I don't know if it's safe to assume anything about Jacksonville just because of things I've heard about Miami, however. Any tips on the Jacksonville corporate culture?

I'll be wearing my best business suits to the interview. Beyond that, are there things I should be aware of as I try to click, culturally, with the interviewers?

In case it matters to any of these answers: I am female, 27 years old, with five succesful years of experience in my field. This job would be a huge jump up for me, however. I'd have guessed it was five to 10 years away. Somehow they liked what I said in my cover letter and over the phone, however, and now I'm in the top three. I'd like to make it to the top one.

Sorry for my exhaustive questions. The interview is 10 days off, and I've already started having anxiety dreams about all the things that could go wrong. I figure the more info I have going in, the better. Thanks!

Miami Living

Drylnn — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 00:00:34 -0800

When I finish up my econ degree next spring, I was looking at a job with a Fed Reserve Branch in Florida (I'm in Orlando), which necessitates either Jacksonville or Miami. I'm looking mostly for information on living in Miami (I have a bunch of information on Jacksonville). I'm mainly interested in information about the city, price of living, etc. in web or book format, and I'm also interested in people's comments about living in either place. I'm aware the easiest way is to drive down, but I'm mostly looking for what I can do from home right now, because it's hard to get time off to go down in between dodging hurricanes and school.

We need a place to jam.

jsavimbi — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 11:15:45 -0800

My friend's band needs a rehearsal space in or around Jacksonville FL, for about a week, starting the week of July 7th. Does anyone know of or have a place? Four guys and equipment, nothing fancy. Their other place cancelled on them at the last minute.