|
|
Article: Let Us Now Praise the Old Florida . . .; PANAMA CITY BEACH
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- March 23, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
Buddha smiles sagely as you putt between the Sphinx's paws. A kid
wearing an "I [heart] Manatees" T-shirt slices his shot, missing the
Tyrannosaurus rex and bouncing his ball off the Easter Island head.
The sun, red as the 20-foot monkey's eyes, starts to sink into the
Gulf of Mexico.
Goofy Golf is not your usual Florida golfing experience. But
Panama City Beach isn't your usual Florida tourist destination.
Despite the condos thrusting up out of the ground like crab grass,
despite new resort hotels that seem to have wandered in from Fort
Lauderdale and millionaires' "cottages" invading old Gulf hamlets,
Panama City Beach remains cheerfully demotic, vulgar even. The Day-
Glo glories of the ...