Daniel_Williams

Hello all,

It looks like I would perhaps need to spend a day/night in Jacksonville as part of a trip to Saint Augustine. I know a lot of Florida is difficult for those without their own wheels. And I realize Jacksonville is particularly huge in geographical area and a car is highly recommended. However, since I don't drive, renting a car would not be an option.

SO, if you had to pick a hotel in one area of the city for a night, as it looks like I might need to, where would you choose? I'm certainly not expecting to "see it all" and am aware that likely many highlights of the region will be inaccessible to me as a result. I'm curious if there is an area of the city that you'd most recommend to someone without wheels, with better than most access to public transportation or an area with a modest density of places to eat within reasonable walking distance. A touch of history, access to some interesting sites, a touch of charm and a healthy, tasty, affordable restaurant would be a plus.

It looks from a map like much activity is clustered between areas labelled "Brooklyn", "Downtown" and "Everbank Field" at the point where the St. John's River does a serpent-like loop. I notice there's Skyway and a Riverside Trolley, so I thought this might be a good area to aim for?

Best wishes, Daniel

PS Have you found taxis reliable in the city? PPS If you were curious, my plan is to get to Saint Augustine via Greyhound.

tomfuller

Could you rent a bicycle? http://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=bike...le+Beach%2C+FL
I never spent much time in Jacksonville. Good luck on your trip.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks for the link, tomfuller. I would rent a bicycle if it would help. Best wishes, Daniel

jaken

I have lived in Jacksonville now for about 2 years. I'm not sure there is an area that meets all of your criteria--"A touch of history, access to some interesting sites, a touch of charm and a healthy, tasty, affordable restaurant would be a plus." I enjoy going to the beach, so my recommendation would be to stay along the oceanfront at Atlantic Beach (north of Jacksonville Beach), where there are several nice restaurants and a few shops in walking distance (I think this will fit the "touch of charm" criterion.) I have found the Jacksonville area beaches much nicer than the St. Augustine area beaches. There are probably places to rent bikes at Atlantic Beach, and I'm certain there are places to rent bikes at Jacksonville Beach. In which case, you could spend part of the day biking from Atlantic Beach to Jacksonville Beach to Ponte Vedra Beach (and back) ... and this relatively short distance would take only a few hours depending on the stops you make. You can also ride the bike on the beach at low tide, which is also fun.

Daniel_Williams

jaken,

Thanks for your thoughts; I'm processing the idea of staying in Jacksonville Beach. I do like the idea of cycling. However, I should have written "a touch of history, access to some interesting sites, a touch of charm and a healthy, tasty, affordable restaurant would all be a plus BUT NONE ARE ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED." Walkability would be my main interest.

I'm interested to hear what "downtown Jacksonville and immediate vicinity" is like since the bus leaves from there. Is this downtown at all do-able by foot and public transport? I notice Jacksonville Beach is over 10 miles away from what seems to be called "the downtown".

Thank you so much, Daniel

azkomet

Hi Daniel,

I've lived in Jacksonville for over a year and I don't drive. It's been a challenge. Trying to respond to bits and pieces of what you wrote. Downtown is walkable. Most if not all of Jacksonville is flat or fairly flat. There are 3 convenient ways to get around parts of downtown. One, which you can use only on weekdays is a free monorail-esque system operated by the transit authority, called the Skyway. The stop near the Greyhound station is the Central Station, about a block and a half away. Skyway will take you to the northern end of downtown where the major bus hub in the city is called Rosa Parks. It will take you out to our "convention center" which is a renovated train station and also across the St. John's River to the part of JAX called Southbank. The Skyway runs every 7 to 10 minutes on weekdays from 6 am to 930 pm. It's free at least until this summer. Website with more info on this and other public transit is jtafla.com.

Another way to get from downtown to Southbank (may be able to take you to Everbank Field area) is a water taxi service. Don't know much about it although it runs all 7 days. Website is jaxwatertaxi.com, but they're "repairing" the site, so you can call 904-733-7782.

The 3rd way, also run by JTA (like the skyway) but costs 1.50 one way and runs Monday through Saturday (limited on Sat though) is the Riverside Trolley. It starts in the center of downtown and travels to Riverside, an adjacent neighborhood. Riverside, along with a complex called The Landing have the most concentrated dining areas near downtown.

If you were to go from downtown to other parts of town, walkability and even bike riding become more difficult because downtown is surrounded by the river. A few or even just 1 (not sure) of the bridges leaving downtown allow pedestrian and bike traffic, but many only allow vehicle traffic.

Hope this helps some. I'm still learning about my new city. Didn't know Greyhound went to St. Augustine until tonight, but even that is limited.

Peter

Daniel_Williams

azkomet/Peter,

Thank you so much!

Your post about downtown, Riverside and the Landing has really hit the crux of my question. I'd never even read about the water taxi, the Landing and Riverside in my research, so I can't thank you enough. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint options with so much information out there and with so many guidebooks geared for visitors with cars.

I like that I read on wikipedia that Riverside "is known for its eclectic architecture and artistic character". I also like that the Landing is downtown, seems to have a few eating options and is open for lunch & supper. I also learned from your post supplemented with Google that Main St. Bridge is pedestrian-friendly, I can't tell you how helpful this is!

Indeed, Greyhound is limited, with one bus daily early in the morning from Saint Augustine to Jacksonville and only two buses daily from Jacksonville to Saint Augustine. Which leads me to my two-part reason for staying in Jacksonville: 1. In case my arrival in JAX is delayed and I miss the bus. but also not to be dismissed 2. I'm curious about Jacksonville.

Any favourite spots in downtown/ Riverside? (Anyone feel free to chime in.)

Best wishes, Daniel

Katzgar

learn to drive

Daniel_Williams

Hi azkomet/Peter,

I thought I'd share I've discovered that there are two Jacksonville Transit Authority buses (the L7 and S1 bus lines) that meet up with Saint Augustine's Sunshine Purple Line bus at Avenues Mall. So, it seems there are more options than the Greyhound bus.

http://www.jtafla.com/Schedules/showPage.aspx?Sel=11

Thanks again for your help.

Best wishes, Daniel

Daniel_Williams

If anyone else has a similar question to mine, I wanted to share this blog I just read on living car-free in Jacksonville, a thoughtful, well-written blog that I found incredibly helpful for the car-less visitor to the city.

http://lewyn.tripod.com/carfreeinjacksonville/