When Reedy Press contacted Amy Angelilli about writing a St. Augustine edition for its “100 Things to Do Before You Die” series, the local entrepreneur quickly realized how daunting the task would be — because the Nation’s Oldest City simply has too much to offer.
“A hundred is nothing in a town like this,” Angelilli said. “It’s a small town that never quits.”
In fact, her list got to 100 “in the blink of an eye.”
“It was kind of worrisome to me, because there were places I wanted to write about that didn’t make it in,” she said.
In fact, because it took two years from concept to print run, some of her initial choices closed and new ones appeared on the scene.
“Up until press time, I was still adding and subtracting,” she said.
“100 Things to Do in St. Augustine Before You Die” is filled with not-to-be-missed experiences. Readers will find sites from the city’s 459-year history, unique dining spots, entertainment venues, recreation options and suggestions for shoppers.
While longtime residents will recognize much of what’s included in the book, there will no doubt be a few surprises. For visitors and new residents, consulting the guide is a great way to easily identify those indispensable experiences.
Though this is Angelilli’s first book, she has been writing throughout much of her life, including stints on her high school and college newspapers. Originally from Philadelphia, where she worked a wide range of jobs and launched an animal welfare agency, she later moved to Denver.
At about age 30, she discovered improv, which is often associated with stage performance but can be used to enrich the lives of practitioners.
“Improv is about being able to pivot and being resilient and being able to go in a different direction than you had imagined,” Angelilli said.
In fact, having worked in a number of jobs across a broad spectrum of disciplines and being forced many times to redirect her efforts after being faced with layoffs, she said she has basically been learning improvisation in real life.
While living in Denver, she underwent foot surgery and spent long immobile hours staring out the hospital window at the endless snow. She began to search for small, culturally vibrant beach communities.
“I wanted to be in a place that was active all year long and that had a good arts community and had access to airports,” she said.
The research paid off. She moved to St. Augustine in 2015.
Here, she launched The Adventure Project, a teambuilding, bonding and development company built around improv.
It began at the Limelight Theatre, but due to the pandemic and later to storm damage, The Adventure Project was forced to move first to an art gallery and then a yoga studio. It did find its way back to the Limelight Theatre eventually. Then, in January, Angelilli launched Third Space Improv under The Adventure Project umbrella in a former yoga studio at 200 Malaga St., Unit 7, St. Augustine. Her new business is a five-level improv training school.
For more information about classes held at Third Space Improv, go to adventure-project.com.
Among her many pursuits, Angelilli is managing editor at visitstaugustine.com.
“I’m the red pen,” she said. “I look for inconsistencies in style and look for opportunities to write about things. I like being there, because I hear about things before other people do.”
In fact, this was probably the reason Reedy Press contacted her.
“100 Things to Do in St. Augustine Before You Die” is available from Amazon, as well as reedypress.com. Angelilli will also have some copies for sale at upcoming book-signings.
