Road trip plans: Kona Skate Park, Jacksonville Florida

With spring break in our rear view mirror, it's time to set our sights on the next road trip. Sk8terdude and I are heading to Jacksonville, Florida next week for our (okay, his) long-awaited trip to Kona Skate Park.

I'm not sure exactly how or when this plan was originally hatched, but somehow we went from wishing he could go there, to thinking about going there, to buying plane tickets and, now, with the trip looming, I guess I'd better book a hotel and arrange for a rental car before it's too late!

I did phone ahead to ask about the parent lounge! I'm not a big sun-worshipper, so the thought of spending three days at a Florida skatepark isn't exactly my idea of heaven. The folks at Kona promise me there's an indoor lounge (ooh - I forgot to ask if it's air conditioned!) and free wi-fi, so I'll be working (and blogging) from Jacksonville.

The skatepark opens at 1:00 p.m. during the week, so we might hit the beach in the morning, or the hotel pool (note to self: pack lots of sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses), and I'm hoping to meet up with the sister of a good friend for lunch at least once while I'm there. (Otherwise I'm doomed to three straight days of nothing but skate-talk.)

The park offers private lessons. We're planning to have Sk8terdude take one lesson when we first arrive - if for no other reason than to have someone with him who knows the park well and can show him some of the ins and outs, including skating the famous snake runs.

In the meantime, I'm soliciting advice for restaurants, activities, etc. in the area. The last time I was in Jacksonville was in 1998. At that time, the city was mostly a chain of chains: Denny's, Applebees, TGIFridays, etc. on every corner and not a lot in the way of good ethnic food. (We found the only Thai restaurant at the time - in a strip mall on Atlantic Boulevard - and loved it, but beyond that Jacksonville was a culinary wasteland.)

Suggestions??? Please feel free to comment!

And don't forget to wish for perfect weather - which for me means a little overcast, slightly cooler than normal, and a light breeze. What are my chances?