Hanging out on Alvin’s Island

Sometimes the cheesy route is the best route…

  There is just something about a really tacky souvenir shop that never fails to draw me in.  I don’t need an excuse; cheap, trashy trinkets have an irresistible allure.  It might be the day-glo colors, cedar ashtrays, weird t-shirt slogans,  logo shot glasses, floating foam cup holders, and trucker key chains.  Or maybe it’s just the pathologic sociology of how a location creates a caricature of itself.  Or maybe it just says ‘vacation’.

In any case, Alvin’s Island is one of the best.

Alligator heads, everywhere.  A shark tank.  Acres of t-shirts that nobody could never wear beyond vacation (A fishing shop tee shirt with the logo “Master Baiter”.  Yes, I was tempted).  Sculptures made of sea shells; sand dollars and coral that probably (hopefully) were never part of the living seascape.  Henna tattoos; bathroom signs for Pirates and Wenches; float glass.  Short-shorts with PANAMA CITY BEACH across the back; night shirts with Panama City FL across the front; hats with Beer Pong logos; Reel Sandals; sharks teeth necklaces; hideous sunglasses. 

Okay, so I bought my share for the folks back home…

and, no, i have no shame…