new in town

Hello all! I have recently moved from Rochester, NY to Pensacola, FL. My name is Valkyra, but my friends call me Val or V.
I was previously a full-time provider in the north, but have decided that I want to forge a new trail for myself / completely restart my life in a new area.
These days I find myself spending less time doing fancy photo shoots and more time attending classes for my eventual BA of Science in Psychology. I enjoy doom metal, video games and getting tattooed.
Recently, I tend to find myself wishing that I had someone to show me around a bit, or at the very least talk to about things worth exploring in the area! That being said~

I am hesitant to post my contact info outright as I do not want to get blown up with people wanting appointments- I am not interested in offering appointments at this time (but am open to an arrangement, if I feel like the vibes are right...)
Please interact on this post and do tell me, what should I absolutely experience while I am down here? What places to eat are the best bang for the buck (I love Indian food and a good taco)? I have a dog - are there any good dog parks around? I have seen a few neat "tourist-y" attractions but I want to know from the locals what I absolutely *must* not miss out on.
Also - I'm an avid hiker but the land here seems very... flat. How far away is the nearest mountain?!?

If I see anyone post who I think I would get along with, I'll DM with my email and we can go from there. ^_^

Thank you for taking the time to show a newb around! I will check back on this whenever I can - still in the process of moving and haven't gotten my PC back up and running again yet.

The highest elevation in Florida is like 500' above sea level and it's just a random spot on the side of the road a few counties east of here. The closest mountain would be up in Alabama around Birmingham.

But if you're looking for hikes that don't require mountains/hills, there are plenty of those around. Blackwater has lots of trails you can explore and the Florida Hikes website can suggest other trails not too far away.

If you're willing to drive over to Alabama they have a really nice elevated nature trail through a pitcher plant preserve that's worth checking out once the weather warms up.

For live music you'd probably want to go to The Handlebar.

For Indian food I like Taste of India on Gregory, but I've heard good things about Dinner India on New Warrington.

If you're looking for used video games there's a store on Davis Hwy just down from Airport that has tons of used games for modern and old-school consoles. There is also Grid barcade on Pace Blvd.

Hopefully that will help get you started. Welcome to the Emerald Coast!

For places to eat, definitely go to McGuire's at some point. You won't regret it.

I also enjoy video games (I'm more of a casual gamer).

If you're not making appointments, I'm open to chatting more and/or maybe arranging a date-night sometime. I enjoy going out and doing things with people, but hard to find women who actually WANT to go out and have dinner, go to a club/movie/show, etc. If things progress further, then so be it. XD