Sightseeing the Gulf Coast Part 2

So, at the end of Part 1 we left off at Fort de Soto State Park, southwest of St. Petersburg.  After you leave the park you backtrack north, rejoin the Pinellas Bayway eastbound (no further tolls travelling in this direction), and in just a few minutes you pick up Interstate 275.

If, at this point, you would like to detour a few minutes north to visit downtown St. Petersburg, just take I-275 north and follow the signs.  This compact city faces the enclosed waters of Tampa Bay, and has a lovely chain of waterfront parks.  It's a great place for a stroll on the sometimes-cooler winter mornings.

St. Petersburg has a large pier with a very distinctive building at the end, which houses restaurants, patios and shops.  Park on the shore (much cheaper than the spaces on the pier itself), and walk out.  It's also a great place to get close up and personal with the pelicans.

To continue south, get back on I-275 south and keep going past the Pinellas Bayway.  Here you'll pay a toll -- a resounding, wallet-draining $1.25 -- to cross the Sunshine Skyway which stretches right across the entire mouth of Tampa Bay.  The whole crossing consists of several shorter bridges connecting islands, and linking to the 4.1 mile (6.67 km) main bridge across the central channel.  An earlier bridge of the same name was destroyed in 1980 when a freighter slammed into a main pier during a blinding thunderstorm.  The new bridge, opened seven years later, has a higher, longer central span above the shipping channel and the support piers are surrounded by large concrete "dolphin" fenders which will stop any incoming ship before it can strike the pier.

As soon as you come off the Skyway, follow the highway signs to Bradenton.  This city has some interesting historic buildings in its downtown district.  It's also the headquarters of Tropicana Juice.  You'll see a few of those old buildings as you turn right onto Florida route 64 to drive out to the next chain of coastal barrier islands.  At the end of Route 64 you are in the town of Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island.  Turning left (south) on Route 789 you soon come to another huge public beach park in Bradenton Beach,  You can't miss it because the right side of the road simply widens out to form a sandy parking area hundreds of metres long under the overhanging trees.  Just over the dune is the beach proper.

Many of the houses and businesses on Anna Maria Island are old wooden buildings, and have plainly been around for a while.  As soon as you cross the next beach to Longboat Key, the atmosphere changes totally.  You are now in the presence of money -- big money.  It's abundantly clear that you shouldn't even look for a second at property on Longboat if you have to ask the price.  These homes have the rarest of all commodities in coastal Florida -- privacy.  The road is lined with shrubs, trees, and hedges, and while some houses are visible from the road, many are not.  Further south you actually come to a golf course, which is quite an achievement when you realize just how narrow these islands are.  It's lined with high rise condos on the far (beach) side.

As the name suggests, it takes a while to drive down the full length of Longboat Key, and then you cross another bridge to St. Armand's Key and you have plainly arrived.  The main streets radiating from St. Armand's Circle are a window shopper's paradise, although much of the merchandise for sale is very high end.  There are a couple of quirky little gift shops to add to the mix.  In one of these shops, way back on my first visit to the Gulf Coast in 2001, I bought this brass plaque:

ON THIS SITE, IN 1883, NOTHING HAPPENED.

I'm still hunting for a suitable place to stick it up.  St. Armand's alone among all these resorts doesn't just have a beach -- it has a Lido.  Oh, my.  From the Circle, you head back to the mainland along a double road with a tree-lined boulevard down the centre, and then across a high bridge to Sarasota.

Sarasota is obviously a temple to big money too, and as you look around you realize that a notable portion of this big money is Old Big Money.  This city has some eye-catching mansions, and some gigantic, towering condos that look as if they are eye-catching-mansion wannabes.  The high rises are higher than anywhere else along the coast, and more opulent, and more garish.  So are the yachts.

This is also a city where the arts are highly significant, and nothing proves that better than the huge sculpture entitled "Unconditional Surrender" in the waterfront park, based on the famous World War Two era photograph!

Back in 2008, this sculpture temporarily disappeared and was replaced by another pair of pieces from the same artist.  The first showed a man and woman conversing, apparently unaware of the gigantic tooth which had appeared close by.

Across the street in front of an office tower that same year appeared this pileup of cars.

The big attraction in Sarasota is the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.  This ornate building inspired by the classic Italian palaces of the Renaissance, was built by the Ringlings to house their collection of artworks, and to collect others.  A quick walk into the courtyard of the museum makes you feel almost as if you have been teleported to Florence!

The Ringling money all came from the Ringling Brothers - Barnum and Bailey Circus, which used to set up winter quarters in Florida every year.  The Ringlings chose Sarasota as their home, and single-handedly made it into the place to go for Old and New Money alike in the 1920s and 1930s.  The Museum, its beautiful gardens, and its associated exhibitions, including a Circus Museum and the Ringlings' home, Ca d'Zan, are all now affiliated with Florida State University.  You can enjoy a good walk through the museums and house, and all around the sizable property and gardens.

Speaking of gardens, while in Sarasota, don't overlook the beautiful Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

That's a far south as I got on this trip, but shortly I will also get around to blogging about the regions farther south which I have visited previously: Siesta Key, Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Bonita Beach, and Marco Island.

Sightseeing the Gulf Coast Part 1

Okay, right off the bat, the Gulf Coast between Clearwater and Sarasota is not a sightseer's mecca unless your idea of sightseeing is to visit the top 20 in the Ugly Giant Condo Building Sweepstakes.

But there are a few places worth visiting.  Some of them I have seen on this trip, and some on other trips.  I'll take them in order from north to south.  The key road is Florida Route 699, which runs down the long strip of barrier island beaches all the way from Clearwater to St. Petersburg and Pass-a-Grille beaches.  It's not a fast road (speed limits vary between 25 and 35 mph) but then, this is a holiday so who's racing the clock?  Not me, for one!

In Clearwater Beach, there are plenty of gigantic palatial ugly condos.  This kind of resort isn't about getting away from it all.  It's about bringing it all with you.

But it's the Clearwater Marine Aquarium which is a must-see.  It's unique even when compared to other aquaria.  That's because this one is primarily a marine hospital, dedicated to healing injured marine wildlife and (when possible) returning them to the wild.  One of the fascinating aspects is meeting with the naturalists who explain exactly why this dolphin or that sea turtle is unable to survive unaided in the wild.  Their most famous dolphin lost her tail after an accident, and has been learning to swim with a prosthetic tail!  One of the sea turtles has suffered a permanent injury (probably from being hit by a boat) which prevents her from submerging -- it's like she has a permanent airbag inside her tail end which keeps her tail always above the water.

Going south from Clearwater you pass through Belleair Beach and Indian Rocks Beach, where there are more private homes and everything is on a much more modest scale.  The condos reappear in Redington Beach, but are not nearly as overpowering.  Along the way there are plenty of restaurants, often in older wooden buildings of great character, and assorted shops.  Big national brands are notable by their absence.  If you want those, cross one of the seven causeways linking the barrier islands to the mainland.

Carrying on south through Madeira Beach you come to Madeira Beach Village, a sort-of quaint shopping area.  A few miles farther south is John's Pass.  The "Pass" in this case refers to a navigable channel between islands from the inner lagoon to the ocean.  John's Pass was originally a fishing village, and still retains a bit of that character, but is now mainly a shopping and dining attraction.  Several of the restaurants have outdoor decks overlooking the Pass, and there is a long boardwalk stretching along the shore where you can see fishing boats, private yachts and cruisers, and pelicans.

Every time I see the pelicans, I'm always reminded of a limerick I first read many years ago:

A wonderful bird is the pelican,

his pouch can hold more than his belican,

He can store in his beak

Enough fish for a week,

Though I'm darned if I see how the helican.

As you continue down across Treasure Island and onto St. Petersburg Beach (always called St. Pete Beach for short), the surroundings get ever more touristy.  St. Pete Beach has more shopping facilities than any of the other beach communities, including half a dozen old-style surf and beach stores.  Also, the mainland chains begin appearing here.  Sigh.  At the last causeway, you see the palatial "pink palace", Loews Don Cesar Hotel, one of those classic old resorts that dotted the main beaches of Florida back in the first half of the last century.  Few now remain, and this is one of the best.

Past Don Cesar, the road gets narrower and slower as you make your way down to the old-style village of Pass-a-Grille.  The houses here are small, the streets narrow, and the beach spectacular and wide and beautiful.  If you are looking for a good ocean beach to relax on for a day, or a place to stroll around some unusual shops, this is a great location.

But back north to the last causeway, the Pinellas Bayway.  Note that this is the only one of the seven crossings that charges a toll -- $0.75, which is almost enough to break the bank!  It's a chain of bridges connecting several islands over to the mainland.  Halfway across, there's a right turn that takes you down to Fort de Soto Park.  There's one further toll bridge on this road, and that's the only admission fee you have to pay.  What I love about Fort de Soto park is that so much of it looks just as this coast looked when the first Europeans arrived: sand dunes, sawgrass, marshes, channels.  The beach here is probably the widest and certainly the wildest on the entire coastal section.  Since the whole island is a state park there is no development, no concessions to rent you a beach chair or a sailboat, no condos, no noisy restaurants.  Bring your own picnic, or grab a bite to eat from the food stand at the parking lot.  And then you can really relax, and genuinely get away from it all.

I have to finish my packing and head for the airport today (waaaah -- the weather has been uncommonly sunny and warm all week and still is).  Give me a day or so to recover from the flight home, and I'll continue the journey south in my next post.

(Note:  most of the pictures on this post are not mine.

I'm writing this while I'm still on the road and most

of the good ones are stored in my home computer.

I haven't migrated my files to CloudCuckooLand yet!)

The Ideal Resort?

Ask 100 people for a description of their ideal resort getaway, and you'll probably get 101 answers!

But if the travel ads and brochures are anything to go by, there seem to be some common factors that govern a lot of people's thinking on the subject.

Seems like the ideal resort should be big, have multiple restaurants, shops, bars, a nightclub or two, a super-gigantic pool or three as well as the beach, lots of fancy-shmancy recreational facilities, and a general atmosphere of 24-hour hedonism cranked up to overdrive.

Sorry, but that's not for me.  I am glad to report that just over 10 years ago I discovered a resort getaway in Florida that is ideal for me and other people who feel the way I do -- quiet, laid-back, friendly, small, and generally low-pressure.  In all those respects, it's a perfect fit with the area in which it's located.

The place is North Redington Beach, Florida, about halfway between St. Petersburg Beach and Clearwater Beach.  The DoubleTree Resort by Hilton is set in the middle of a string of condo buildings, and fits in with them perfectly.  It's definitely not big, brassy, or flamboyant.

Like most of its neighbours, the hotel is 6 stories tall.  It has less than 150 rooms, but over half of those face the beach.  There's a pool and sundeck, a Tiki bar and patio, another patio adjoining the restaurant, a lounge bar, and a small gift shop.  All the essentials, in other words, but nothing wildly extravagant or glitzy or show-offy.  And it suits me to perfection.  And because it's so small, you never have to walk more than a minute in any direction to reach any part of the facility.

I've come here a dozen times in the space of as many years, and it always feels good to be back.  A large part of that is that the staff are so friendly and helpful, in every way.  Last time I checked in, I had trouble with my key cards,  The concierge came upstairs with me, personally, to make sure the new cards worked as they should.

Today, I arrived early and my room wasn't ready.  The desk clerk took down my phone number, while I went to relax with a drink at the Tiki bar, and in 45 minutes I got a cellphone call to inform me that my room was now ready.  Tonight, at dinner, I got a big warm welcome (and very good service) from Daniel, the server, who remembered me from my last visit almost a year ago.

One of the beauties of North Redington Beach is that the beach is a good size, but not too gigantic.  There are some resorts on the Gulf Coast where you practically need binoculars to see the ocean from your hotel room because the beaches are so wide.  Here, the ocean is close enough that the music of the surf can lull you to sleep even with your sliding glass balcony door closed.

Rooms are a good size, beds are very comfortable (like all Hilton and DoubleTree hotels), and if the décor is a little dated that's all to the good as far as I'm concerned.  Ultra-chic modern hotels where every piece of furniture is shaped like a cube are not comfortable for me at all.  To quote from Corey Ford in a magazine article I read when I was a young boy, "Form follows function, the edict states, but the function doesn't follow my form."

The location of this hotel may be quiet, but there are a dozen or more superb restaurants within easy driving distance up and down Gulf Boulevard.  Shopping is also readily accessible in a number of nearby locations.  The fishing village, boardwalk and shopping/restaurant complex at John's Pass is picturesque, fun to visit, and about a 5-minute drive away.

Other benefits: the sinfully good DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie which every guest gets at check-in (I have to pass, of course, being diabetic) and the two-deck free parking garage.  And then there's the price!  For tonight, rooms with Gulf view were available for $119/night, which is dirt-cheap compared to many of the better-known resorts on the Gulf coast.  No, it isn't always that low, but it's often well into the "affordable" range.  It's not hard to see why -- when you're staying in a lavish resort compound with every frill and luxury under the sun, well, somebody has to pay for all those frills and you're the one who's going to pay!

And what don't you get?  Many resorts now charge many extra dollars a day for internet, for parking, and for "resort fees" which never seem to cover much.  None of that in this hotel.  And if you are a Gold or higher member of Hilton Hhonors, you will get a free and very plentiful breakfast buffet every morning, including the chance to order eggs any way you want, omelettes, and fresh-to-order pancakes from the kitchen (normal rate $17 and change including tax).

I confess, I feel a little uneasy about revealing my great secret hideaway to the world, but I take comfort in the fact that the hotel won't be getting any bigger, and that my usual habit of booking months ahead of time will ensure that I can always get back in here to be spoiled rotten whenever I want to come.

So, here are a few pictures of my Florida paradise.

View of the pool, Tiki bar and beach from my balcony:

Flowering shrubs are still blooming by the terrace in December:

View of the pool and front of the hotel, early morning:

And the Gulf Coast sunset is always spectacular:

Flying to the Sun

ADVANCE WARNING:  Much of this post is about the mechanics of air travel again.  If you are a multi-times a year seasoned traveller, read skippingly.  If you do one trip a year to the sunny south, and always seem to get into difficulties and hassles, this one's definitely for you!


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Okay, folks, I'm off on my travels again -- this time, just a short trip to my favourite beachfront hotel in Florida.  I'll be home for Christmas -- and not only in my dreams!

Way, way back in 1986 I spent several days at the Expo '86 World's Fair in Vancouver, and among my memories was this little incident.  I timed all the lineups that I had to wait in at the Fair, because I was curious to see how long I waited each time.  Mostly it was a matter of 20-30 minutes, but on this one occasion it took 45 minutes.  I joined the line right behind a couple who arrived about 10 seconds ahead of me.  Just as we were being let into the show, some friends of theirs came along and asked this couple how long they had waited.  "We've been here forever!," was his reply, and she amplified with, "Yeah, at least 2 hours!"   LOL!

I mention this because I often read people complaining about how long it takes to get anywhere or do anything in Toronto's Pearson International Airport.  Right away, I could tell them some real horror stories about some other major airports I've used that are far, far worse.  And I suspect that they are often having the same problem as that couple in Vancouver in 1986.

Having said that, I do know that the airport gets much busier at some times than at others.  If you hate long lineups, my first advice to you for a southern beach vacation is to forget the cheap charter flights and go with a scheduled airline, if you can.  Here's why.  The only way the charter airlines can make money is to keep their planes in the air for every possible hour.  This can often mean, depending on your destination, either the dreaded 6:30 am departure (with the obligatory 2-3 hours early to check in) or the equally horrendous red-eye, leaving just before midnight and arriving at your resort's airport at 3:00 am. 

True, there are some destinations where scheduled alternatives are not available -- but Florida certainly isn't one of them.  For each of the three main travel regions of Florida -- the Gulf Coast, Orlando, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale region -- there are multiple choices of both kinds of flights.  And fortunately, for those of us starting from Toronto and region, there are no time zone changes!

So here's the bonus.  My flight leaves Toronto at 10:55 in the morning, and arrives in Tampa 3 hours later.  I get to wake up at a normal hour, have time for a good breakfast in my hotel before heading to the airport, and at the other end I pick up my rental car and drive to my destination before the afternoon rush hour begins.  I'm also passing through both airports at an off-peak time of day.  That's what I call a win-win situation!

My experience at Toronto is that when I pick a flight leaving at the off-peak, I can usually get from hotel room to the boarding gate in less than an hour all in, including shuttle to the airport, baggage drop, security, and walk to the gate.  Add about 15-25 minutes for a flight to the United States where you have to pre-clear U.S. Customs before going through security.  Add on another half hour of safety margin, and I've never once come anywhere close to missing a flight.

Here's the second hint.  As soon as you get to the airport, get out your boarding passes and passports and don't put them away.  I've seen people waste incredible amounts of time storing their documents away into a nicely-zippered wallet tucked into a neat little inside pocket of a tightly-packed carry-on bag, only to have to reverse the process and dig them back out a few minutes later.  And then they do the same thing again!  Talk about not learning from your mistakes.  Even at the boarding gate, you need to show that passport to get on the plane, so don't put it away until you're aboard.

Both the USA and Canada have greatly streamlined their customs/immigration procedures at Pearson by introducing scanners that instantly scan and save your landing card with your personal information on it.  Usually, I get asked no questions now, or perhaps one at most.

Once you're through security and inside the terminal, look UP -- because that's where the signs are, giving directions to the various gates.  They aren't painted on the floor!  This is one time in your life when you can waste a phenomenal amount of time and energy by burying your nose in your phone and texting as you walk off down the wrong corridor all the way to the end -- and I see people do just that almost every time I go through the airport now!

If flying to Florida, I highly recommend Tampa Airport as a destination because of the incredibly short walking distances involved.  The main terminal is compact, and there are direct escalators linking the floors on all sides.  The five satellite concourses with the gates are linked to the main building by electric shuttle trains which take less than a minute.  You clear security after taking the shuttle to your satellite, which means that there are five different security areas.  Even on peak period flights, I've never taken more than 30 minutes to clear security at Tampa.  When you arrive, you step off the shuttle and right in front of you are two escalators down to the two different baggage claim areas.  Pick-ups for hotels, car rentals, taxis, and private vehicles are right outside the doors beside each set of baggage carousels.  I wish every airport was this easy to use!

By the way, one of the nastiest drawbacks of travelling to Orlando is that many discount airlines now use the Orlando-Sanford airport, located many, many miles away from central Orlando and even farther away from the theme parks that are this region's # 1 attraction!  Distance from Disney World:  Sanford is only about half an hour closer to Disney than Tampa Airport!  Factor that travel time and cost in when pricing that temptingly cheap discount air fare!  On the other hand, if you can get a good flight into St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport you will be about 20 minutes driving time closer to the beaches than at Tampa Airport.

And finally -- once you have landed and gotten into that rental car, be prepared to drive.  And drive.  And drive.  Florida's cities are spread out over phenomenal areas of land in relation to their population, and you will have to drive past miles of shopping plazas, fast food restaurants, churches, and motels before you finally get near the beachfront resort you've chosen.  Tourist brochures print misleadingly small maps which make it look as if that great little restaurant is just a few blocks away, and then you find out it's a 20-30 minute drive in each direction.  Not much you can do except grin and bear it.

After I actually get there, I'll do another post about my favourite resort and why I love it so much, and then one about some of the little attractions of the surrounding region.