You'll see high quality original artwork in a variety of media. Enjoy talking about the work with the artists.
Great opportunity to find unique pieces for decorating your house or condo in Sarasota.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Art Show this Weekend in Sarasota
Just a heads-up to check out the 28th Annual Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts this weekend, Feb. 13-14, 2016, 10AM-5PM, on Main Street, from Orange Avenue east to Links Avenue, in downtown Sarasota FL.
You'll see high quality original artwork in a variety of media. Enjoy talking about the work with the artists.
Great opportunity to find unique pieces for decorating your house or condo in Sarasota.
You'll see high quality original artwork in a variety of media. Enjoy talking about the work with the artists.
Great opportunity to find unique pieces for decorating your house or condo in Sarasota.
Monday, January 25, 2016
St Armands Circle
You can see it as an outdoor shopping mall, a tourist trap, or a traffic circle to navigate on the way to Longboat Key--and it is all of those things. But St Armands Circle, on Lido Key in Sarasota FL, is also a sort of urban-pedestrian-cultural-park worth visiting because it's a beautiful and easy getaway for a few hours of high-tone sitting, sunning and gawking.
A mile or so down the road as you exit the John Ringling Causeway across Sarasota Bay from downtown, the exhilaration of zooming over the bridge immediately slows, as traffic bows to pedestrians in the crosswalks between each block of the "circle" of shops and restaurants that makes up St Armands Circle.
There are eateries representing most types of international cuisine here.
At many of the crosswalks, you can pause to admire white marble statues representing the "virtues", which were inspired by John Ringling's travels to Italy, where he purchased most of them in the 1920s. Several more were added in 2007 by Sarasota organizations dedicated to the ongoing preservation of the Circle.
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| Pedestrian crosswalk and seating area, St Armands Circle, Sarasota FL |
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| Pedestrian crossing at St Armands Circle, Sarasota FL |
There are eateries representing most types of international cuisine here.
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| Columbia Restaurant, St Armands Circle, Sarasota FL Plenty of outdoor sitting and schmoozing takes place in artfully placed nooks between circle traffic and shops.
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At many of the crosswalks, you can pause to admire white marble statues representing the "virtues", which were inspired by John Ringling's travels to Italy, where he purchased most of them in the 1920s. Several more were added in 2007 by Sarasota organizations dedicated to the ongoing preservation of the Circle.
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"Music" statue at St Armands Circle, Sarasota FL, next to "Allegory of Sarasota, it's Seven Virtues" |
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| "Bounty" statue, St Armands Circle, Sarasota FL |
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Getting Away from it All: Lido Beach Scenic Trail
If you drive to St Armands Circle (over the Ringling Causeway from downtown Sarasota), take your 2nd right off the Circle, and you'll find Lido Beach parking. (This is the St Armands Circle entrance to the beach, not the official beach pavillion entrance which is further down on Ben Franklin Drive.)
After you park your car, head directly towards the wood entry ramp and deck that takes you onto the sands of Lido Beach.
After you park your car, head directly towards the wood entry ramp and deck that takes you onto the sands of Lido Beach.
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| Lido Beach entrance pavilion at St Armands Circle, Sarasota |
Walk about 20 feet onto the beach, and look to your right. You'll see a sandy path that parallels the beach (to the left) and the neighborhood (to the right).
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| Lido Beach walking path at St Armands Circle, Sarasota FL |
Start walking along the path.
Sometimes when I'm here, it feels just like hiking in the Rockies high desert where I used to spend summers. The only thing that gives it away as being Sarasota is the sliver of blue-green Gulf at the horizon to the left.
There's a bench for taking a pause, and the path is wide enough for bicycles. I also enjoy its gentle changes in elevation. A nice break from the flatness of most of Sarasota.
If you walk the entire path, it eventually curves over (in less than a mile, I'd estimate) to reconnect with Lido Beach. You can then walk back to St Armands Circle along the beach. Or return via the footpath. Your choice.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Premiere of Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival in Downtown Sarasota
This looks like an interesting and fun event to check out this weekend in downtown Sarasota. Five Points Park is in front of Selby Library at the corner of Pineapple Avenue and First Street. It might be easier to park in Burns Square and then walk north on Pineapple a few blocks to the park. Or use the Whole Foods parking garage upper levels, which you enter on 2nd Street.
The Sarasota Downtown Merchants Association announces the inaugural Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival. The event is in Selby Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota on January 23-24, 2016. Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 11-6, free admission and parking.
The mission is to celebrate the diverse nautical and cultural heritage of Sarasota while celebrating community thru camaraderie, great music and scrumptious foods. The event interweaves the freshest sustainable and indigenous seafood with outstanding live musical performances. Included will be seafood cooking demos, fishing workshops, arts and crafts, educational programs and exhibits.
Seafood lovers will enjoy fin-fish and shellfish prepared onsite by local restaurants and food purveyors. The ‘menu’ includes grouper, stone crabs, jambalaya, crab cakes, low country boil and more!
Musical genres explore the gamut from Rock N’ Roll, R&B, Blues, Rumba Flamenco to Reggae and Jazz by such talented musicians and groups as Holey Miss Moley, Aland Music, Flat Land, Come Back Alice, R.J. Howson, Jah Movement, Kettle of Fish, Twinkle & Rock Soul Radio and the Sarasota Steel Pan Band. In addition, the event showcases original handmade artwork by a select group of local, regional and national artisans.
Musical genres explore the gamut from Rock N’ Roll, R&B, Blues, Rumba Flamenco to Reggae and Jazz by such talented musicians and groups as Holey Miss Moley, Aland Music, Flat Land, Come Back Alice, R.J. Howson, Jah Movement, Kettle of Fish, Twinkle & Rock Soul Radio and the Sarasota Steel Pan Band. In addition, the event showcases original handmade artwork by a select group of local, regional and national artisans.
Monday, January 18, 2016
The Celery Fields and Sarasota's Hiking "Mountain"
Located east of I-75 along Palmer Boulevard in Sarasota, the Celery Fields is a 360+ acre site owned by Sarasota County. It serves as the County's primary flood mitigation zone.
While most of the acreage is relatively flat, it also features Sarasota's only "hiking mountain", a 75-foot-high hill with trails and palm trees. It will give you a good workout and a panoramic view of Sarasota in all directions.
In the background, you might also hear the distant roars of lions and tigers residing at the nearby Big Cat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary next door.
The Celery Fields were originally wetlands that were drained for agriculture, specifically celery. In the 1990s, after record-setting rains, Sarasota County purchased the land to avoid future flooding of Phillippi Creek downstream. Since then it's developed bike trails, the hiking and observation hill, and provided habitat for many bird species.
After a vigorous hike or bike ride at the Celery Fields, you can get a good meal and enjoy live music at J.R.'s Old Packinghouse Cafe, on Old Packinghouse Road, just south of Palmer Boulevard, a couple of miles west of the Celery Fields. The cafe's building was originally a celery-packing warehouse for the celery fields nearby.
While most of the acreage is relatively flat, it also features Sarasota's only "hiking mountain", a 75-foot-high hill with trails and palm trees. It will give you a good workout and a panoramic view of Sarasota in all directions.
In the background, you might also hear the distant roars of lions and tigers residing at the nearby Big Cat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary next door.
The Celery Fields were originally wetlands that were drained for agriculture, specifically celery. In the 1990s, after record-setting rains, Sarasota County purchased the land to avoid future flooding of Phillippi Creek downstream. Since then it's developed bike trails, the hiking and observation hill, and provided habitat for many bird species.
After a vigorous hike or bike ride at the Celery Fields, you can get a good meal and enjoy live music at J.R.'s Old Packinghouse Cafe, on Old Packinghouse Road, just south of Palmer Boulevard, a couple of miles west of the Celery Fields. The cafe's building was originally a celery-packing warehouse for the celery fields nearby.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Walking Tour of Sarasota Districts
Sarasota FL, a lush and quirky small city on Florida's Gulf Coast, is trying to use principles of New Urbanism to weave its various charming "old urbanism" districts into a cohesive live-work-culture-nature experience.
Blessed with a gorgeous location, nestled alongside the mid-Gulf Coast, an hour south of Tampa, protected by even more gorgeous barrier islands--here called "keys"--including Longboat Key, Lido Key, St Armands Key, Bird Key and Siesta Key--Sarasota is also the arts and culture capital of Florida.
In its very walkable and compact downtown, you'll find theatres, a beautiful opera house, a soaring modern library, a purple-painted waterfront concert hall, a municipal auditorium, upscale shops and restaurants, Whole Foods Market, and many art galleries.
A few blocks away, across the only scenic section of Tamiami Trail (Hwy 41), is the magnificent Sarasota Bayfront Park, lined each winter season with modern sculptures, and featuring a lovely tree-shaded walking path and park, impressive yachts, and two restaurants, one upscale and one of the sea-shack variety.
Several blocks south of Main Street, separated by a non-descript, pedestrian-indifferent office-building-zone, there is a charming antiques district, called Burns Square, along Pineapple and Orange Avenues, with restaurants and boutiques, an art movie house, and a neighborhood of artist studios offering monthly Friday night studio/gallery strolls.
Crossing Tamiami Trail and south a few blocks more, is the tiny retail crossroads called Southside Village, surrounded on one side by a lush neighborhood of old residental streets and on the other by the expansive Sarasota Memorial Hospital Center. Southside Village has been undergoing "upscaling" in recent years, and it's a delightful mix of lux gift shops, gourmet markets, restaurants featuring international cuisines, as well as cozy neighborhood bar-restaurants, bakery-cafes, hair salons and boutiques.
A few winding miles down the road is Siesta Drive, which crosses Sarasota Bay and winds through Siesta Key, a tropical paradise enlivened by Ocean Boulevard with its funky shops and restaurants, leading to an exquisite wide beach composed of soft, powdery white sand that is 99% crystal. Perfect for walking, swimming, sunning, parasailing, and sunset-watching and applauding, which is a nightly tradition on Siesta.
Heading northwest from downtown Sarasota, over a couple of short bridges, you enter the world-famous St Armands Circle retail district. It's a "circle" of short blocks that wrap around a park on St Armands Key. There is every kind of store and restaurant, as well as Lido Beach, a long and deep expanse of not-so-soft sand with unbroken vistas across the blue-green waters of the Gulf.
Over another couple of bridges and you're driving alongside the perfect lawns and landscaping of Gulf of Mexico Drive on Longboat Key, a golf-course- and luxury-high-rise-lined gold coast community with its own long strip of wild beach towards the north end. Cross another bridge and you're on lovely Anna Maria, a key of old houses and cute shops just north of Longboat and west of Bradenton.
All these bridges and keys, taken along with downtown proper, make Sarasota a diverting place to live. Within a few miles of any one spot is another with different views and amenities.
Blessed with a gorgeous location, nestled alongside the mid-Gulf Coast, an hour south of Tampa, protected by even more gorgeous barrier islands--here called "keys"--including Longboat Key, Lido Key, St Armands Key, Bird Key and Siesta Key--Sarasota is also the arts and culture capital of Florida.
In its very walkable and compact downtown, you'll find theatres, a beautiful opera house, a soaring modern library, a purple-painted waterfront concert hall, a municipal auditorium, upscale shops and restaurants, Whole Foods Market, and many art galleries.
A few blocks away, across the only scenic section of Tamiami Trail (Hwy 41), is the magnificent Sarasota Bayfront Park, lined each winter season with modern sculptures, and featuring a lovely tree-shaded walking path and park, impressive yachts, and two restaurants, one upscale and one of the sea-shack variety.
Several blocks south of Main Street, separated by a non-descript, pedestrian-indifferent office-building-zone, there is a charming antiques district, called Burns Square, along Pineapple and Orange Avenues, with restaurants and boutiques, an art movie house, and a neighborhood of artist studios offering monthly Friday night studio/gallery strolls.
Crossing Tamiami Trail and south a few blocks more, is the tiny retail crossroads called Southside Village, surrounded on one side by a lush neighborhood of old residental streets and on the other by the expansive Sarasota Memorial Hospital Center. Southside Village has been undergoing "upscaling" in recent years, and it's a delightful mix of lux gift shops, gourmet markets, restaurants featuring international cuisines, as well as cozy neighborhood bar-restaurants, bakery-cafes, hair salons and boutiques.
A few winding miles down the road is Siesta Drive, which crosses Sarasota Bay and winds through Siesta Key, a tropical paradise enlivened by Ocean Boulevard with its funky shops and restaurants, leading to an exquisite wide beach composed of soft, powdery white sand that is 99% crystal. Perfect for walking, swimming, sunning, parasailing, and sunset-watching and applauding, which is a nightly tradition on Siesta.
Heading northwest from downtown Sarasota, over a couple of short bridges, you enter the world-famous St Armands Circle retail district. It's a "circle" of short blocks that wrap around a park on St Armands Key. There is every kind of store and restaurant, as well as Lido Beach, a long and deep expanse of not-so-soft sand with unbroken vistas across the blue-green waters of the Gulf.
Over another couple of bridges and you're driving alongside the perfect lawns and landscaping of Gulf of Mexico Drive on Longboat Key, a golf-course- and luxury-high-rise-lined gold coast community with its own long strip of wild beach towards the north end. Cross another bridge and you're on lovely Anna Maria, a key of old houses and cute shops just north of Longboat and west of Bradenton.
All these bridges and keys, taken along with downtown proper, make Sarasota a diverting place to live. Within a few miles of any one spot is another with different views and amenities.
Sarasota Parks
From little neighborhood parks to beaches--which are actually really big parks--Sarasota County does a beautiful job with creating, maintaining and improving its parks. For a full list, go to: Parks Locations & Amenities
Here are some examples:
Neighborhood parks:
Scenic parks:
Dog Parks:
Here are some examples:
Neighborhood parks:
- Payne Park (downtown, east of Rte. 301)
- Arlington Park & Aquatic Center & dog park (east of Tamiami Trail, near Sarasota Memorial Hospital)
- Urfer Family Park (on Bee Ridge, corner of Honore)
- Vest pocket park at Osprey Avenue & Mietaw, near Hyde Pk Street, in Southside Village)
- Ackerman Park (east of I-75, between Palmer Blvd and Fruitville Rd)
Scenic parks:
- Causeway Park (on the mainland side of the John Ringling Causeway bridge)
- Bird Key Park (at the Bird Key end of the John Ringling Causeway bridge, across from downtown Sarasota)
- Sarasota Bayfront Park (west end of Main Street, on the bayfront, downtown)
Sarasota Bayfront Park, looking towards John Ringling Causeway - Centennial Park (10th Street, just north of downtown, includes boat launch)
- Bay Island Park (on both sides of the Siesta Key (north) Bridge)
- Phillippi Estate Park (Tamiami Trail & Constitution Avenue)
- The Celery Fields (Sarasota's only "mountain", a 100-ft high hill garnished with palm trees, great place for a hike, and lots of bicycle paths nearby; approx. 2 miles east of I-75, off Palmer Blvd)
Dog Parks:
- Arlington Park (east of Tamiami Trail, near Sarasota Memorial Hospital)
- Lakeview Paw Park (east of I-75, north of Proctor Ave)
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Thunder by the Bay and Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market
It's just another Saturday in downtown Sarasota. Simultaneous popular events somehow flowing one into the other. Today it's the regular Saturday Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market on Lemon Avenue and State Street, surrounded by zillions of motorcycles, with a bike-themed arts and crafts show on Gulfstream Avenue and at Five Points Park next to Selby Library.
Thunder by the Bay is an annual fundraiser that brings lots of riders and gawkers to our little city by the bay.
The Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market is in its 37th year, with more than 70 vendors offering 5000 square feet of plants, produce, ready-to-eat foods, live music, climbing wall, bungee bouncing booth, fine art, clothing, pottery, and other arts and crafts. And let's not forget the "dog show" featuring all manner of pooches strolling through the market with their owners in tow. Every Saturday from 7AM to 1PM, year-round.
Thunder by the Bay is an annual fundraiser that brings lots of riders and gawkers to our little city by the bay.
The Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market is in its 37th year, with more than 70 vendors offering 5000 square feet of plants, produce, ready-to-eat foods, live music, climbing wall, bungee bouncing booth, fine art, clothing, pottery, and other arts and crafts. And let's not forget the "dog show" featuring all manner of pooches strolling through the market with their owners in tow. Every Saturday from 7AM to 1PM, year-round.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Sarasota: A City of Walkable "Pods"
While you need a car, bus, or bicycle to get from district-to-district in Sarasota FL, each "pod"--as I like to think of them-- is easily walkable once you're there.
For instance:
Downtown Sarasota:
Park on Cross Street, at the north end of Pineapple Avenue in Burns Square. Walk across the roundabout towards downtown. At the purple fountain, continue on either Lemon Avenue or Pineapple Avenue. You can walk everywhere downtown from here. West on Main Street to Bayfront Park. Or east on Main Street all the way to Rte. 301 (Washington Blvd). Don't forget to explore Palm Avenue, 1st Street, State Street, etc.
Siesta Key Village:
Park in the Village (free parking lots behind Ocean Blvd). You can walk west down Ocean Blvd to Beach Access #5. Explore all the side streets, too, including Canal Road (which intersects with Ocean Blvd at the gazebo between the Lobster Pot and Beach Bazaar.
Gulf Gate and Sarasota Pavilion:
Gulf Gate Village consists of one-story shops and restaurants on Gulf Gate Drive, Gateway, and Superior Avenue. Next to the village is Sarasota Pavilion, which has lots of shops including Michaels Crafts, TJ Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ross Store, Panera Bread, Books-a-Million, Marshall's, Chinese food, and many others. Park in the village or at the Pavilion, and you can walk anywhere within those two shopping/dining areas.
St Armands Circle and Lido Beach:
There's plenty of parking behind the shops and restaurants on St Armands Circle. If you want to walk the circle and have easy access to the beach, park in the Lido Beach parking area (2nd right off the Circle, if you're coming from Tamiami Trail). You can walk right onto Lido Beach from there, or walk around the Circle. There's a lovely walking path just off the beach entry there. As soon as you step onto the sand from the entry ramp, look to your right, and you'll see a tree-shaded path that parallels the beach for about a mile and then reconnects with the beach. So you can walk on the path in one direction, and return via the beach in the other direction.
Pinecraft:
This is the Amish/Mennonite neighborhood in Sarasota. Taking Bahia Vista St. east from Tamiami Trail, look for the small turquoise "Pinecraft Park" sign on your right, and turn right.You can park near the shuffleboard court at Pinecraft Park. Walk in the small park, or along the canal. Also, you can walk through the whole neighborhood of small, well-kept houses. On Bahia Vista Street, get fresh produce at the Amish Market. There's a popular Big Olaf ice cream shop, a pizzeria, restaurants, and other locally owned shops. At the corner of Bahia Vista and Beneva is a shopping center with Earth Origins market, Dollar store, CVS, etc.
For instance:
Downtown Sarasota:
Park on Cross Street, at the north end of Pineapple Avenue in Burns Square. Walk across the roundabout towards downtown. At the purple fountain, continue on either Lemon Avenue or Pineapple Avenue. You can walk everywhere downtown from here. West on Main Street to Bayfront Park. Or east on Main Street all the way to Rte. 301 (Washington Blvd). Don't forget to explore Palm Avenue, 1st Street, State Street, etc.
Siesta Key Village:
Park in the Village (free parking lots behind Ocean Blvd). You can walk west down Ocean Blvd to Beach Access #5. Explore all the side streets, too, including Canal Road (which intersects with Ocean Blvd at the gazebo between the Lobster Pot and Beach Bazaar.
Gulf Gate and Sarasota Pavilion:
Gulf Gate Village consists of one-story shops and restaurants on Gulf Gate Drive, Gateway, and Superior Avenue. Next to the village is Sarasota Pavilion, which has lots of shops including Michaels Crafts, TJ Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ross Store, Panera Bread, Books-a-Million, Marshall's, Chinese food, and many others. Park in the village or at the Pavilion, and you can walk anywhere within those two shopping/dining areas.
St Armands Circle and Lido Beach:
There's plenty of parking behind the shops and restaurants on St Armands Circle. If you want to walk the circle and have easy access to the beach, park in the Lido Beach parking area (2nd right off the Circle, if you're coming from Tamiami Trail). You can walk right onto Lido Beach from there, or walk around the Circle. There's a lovely walking path just off the beach entry there. As soon as you step onto the sand from the entry ramp, look to your right, and you'll see a tree-shaded path that parallels the beach for about a mile and then reconnects with the beach. So you can walk on the path in one direction, and return via the beach in the other direction.
Pinecraft:
This is the Amish/Mennonite neighborhood in Sarasota. Taking Bahia Vista St. east from Tamiami Trail, look for the small turquoise "Pinecraft Park" sign on your right, and turn right.You can park near the shuffleboard court at Pinecraft Park. Walk in the small park, or along the canal. Also, you can walk through the whole neighborhood of small, well-kept houses. On Bahia Vista Street, get fresh produce at the Amish Market. There's a popular Big Olaf ice cream shop, a pizzeria, restaurants, and other locally owned shops. At the corner of Bahia Vista and Beneva is a shopping center with Earth Origins market, Dollar store, CVS, etc.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Lido Beach
Easily accessible from St Armands Circle on Lido Key, Lido Beach offers panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico. Its sand is coarser than the powdered sands of Siesta Beach, and a bit darker. If you like searching for seashells, you'll find the best selection in the early morning on Lido Beach.
The Lido Beach parking area is a right turn off St Armands Circle. From your parking spot, walk towards the beach, and you'll see this wooden deck and ramp with foot-washing station appear in front of you.
As you walk across the deck, the Gulf comes into view.
Lido Beach is very peaceful, so you can take time to listen to your thoughts or escape them, as the sound of the gentle surf and seabirds replaces everyday concerns.
One of the magical experiences on Sarasota beaches is taking in the exquisite sunsets that surprise every night with a different array of colors and light effects.
In addition to the Lido Beach access near St Armands Circle, you can enter the beach by driving south on Ben Franklin Drive until you reach the Lido Beach Pavilion. There you'll find concessions, rest rooms and showers, and other outdoor play areas, as well as parking.
At the north end of Lido Beach is North Lido Beach, which is more secluded. Here's a view north, with a gentle skyline of Sarasota buildings in the distance.
At the south end of Lido Key is South Lido Beach, which offers picnic facilities, parking, two walking trails and a canoe trail, and lots of shade from acres of pine trees.
Parking is free at all the Lido Beach entries.
The Lido Beach parking area is a right turn off St Armands Circle. From your parking spot, walk towards the beach, and you'll see this wooden deck and ramp with foot-washing station appear in front of you.
As you walk across the deck, the Gulf comes into view.
Lido Beach is very peaceful, so you can take time to listen to your thoughts or escape them, as the sound of the gentle surf and seabirds replaces everyday concerns.
One of the magical experiences on Sarasota beaches is taking in the exquisite sunsets that surprise every night with a different array of colors and light effects.
In addition to the Lido Beach access near St Armands Circle, you can enter the beach by driving south on Ben Franklin Drive until you reach the Lido Beach Pavilion. There you'll find concessions, rest rooms and showers, and other outdoor play areas, as well as parking.
At the north end of Lido Beach is North Lido Beach, which is more secluded. Here's a view north, with a gentle skyline of Sarasota buildings in the distance.
At the south end of Lido Key is South Lido Beach, which offers picnic facilities, parking, two walking trails and a canoe trail, and lots of shade from acres of pine trees.
Parking is free at all the Lido Beach entries.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Christmas Lights Boat Parade
Saturday, December 12th was a perfect evening for the Christmas Boat Parade of Lights in Sarasota Bay. With balmy temperature and a mild breeze, it was comfortable for hundreds (thousands?) of people to gather on lawn chairs and picnic blankets on the grassy areas of Bayfront Park.
A few vendor tents offered appetizers and comfort food. The air was full of anticipation as everyone waited for the first bejeweled boats to come into view.
There were lots of oohs and aahs as the lead boats approached the marina.
We may not have snow in Sarasota, but we surely have beautiful light displays during the holiday season.
A few vendor tents offered appetizers and comfort food. The air was full of anticipation as everyone waited for the first bejeweled boats to come into view.
There were lots of oohs and aahs as the lead boats approached the marina.
We may not have snow in Sarasota, but we surely have beautiful light displays during the holiday season.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Walking in Siesta Village
I've always chuckled at the quote on a t-shirt in the window of the Beach Bazaar gift and apparel shop on Ocean Boulevard in Siesta Village: "A quaint drinking village with a fishing problem." Well, Siesta Key is more than that, of course, but it does offer lots of opportunity to eat, drink, and be merry.
In addition to the food and libations, many of the restaurants in the Village hire local musicians to provide entertainment, which gives a tropical soundtrack to your walk along the street. Here's The Hub Baja Grill, which is across from the Beach Bar. Both are very popular with vacationers.
The Lobster Pot reminds me of the fish shack restaurants familiar on Long Island and in New England. It's a long-time fixture on the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Canal Road. To the right is Siesta Key Market, an outdoor laundromat, and Siesta Key Hardware.
Last year, as part of the village-wide sidewalk redesign and landscaping project, Siesta Village added a brand-new gazebo for sitting and watching the world go by.
At the end of Ocean Boulevard, where it curves into Beach Road, you can walk onto Siesta Beach at Beach Access #5. Here's the sidewalk leading from Siesta Village up to Access #5, with lovely native grasses to the left.
In addition to restaurants and bars, Siesta Village offers lots of casual shopping, including jewelry stores, gift boutiques, a used bookstore, and ice cream shops.
In addition to the food and libations, many of the restaurants in the Village hire local musicians to provide entertainment, which gives a tropical soundtrack to your walk along the street. Here's The Hub Baja Grill, which is across from the Beach Bar. Both are very popular with vacationers.
The Lobster Pot reminds me of the fish shack restaurants familiar on Long Island and in New England. It's a long-time fixture on the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Canal Road. To the right is Siesta Key Market, an outdoor laundromat, and Siesta Key Hardware.
Last year, as part of the village-wide sidewalk redesign and landscaping project, Siesta Village added a brand-new gazebo for sitting and watching the world go by.
At the end of Ocean Boulevard, where it curves into Beach Road, you can walk onto Siesta Beach at Beach Access #5. Here's the sidewalk leading from Siesta Village up to Access #5, with lovely native grasses to the left.
In addition to restaurants and bars, Siesta Village offers lots of casual shopping, including jewelry stores, gift boutiques, a used bookstore, and ice cream shops.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Walking on Siesta Beach
The sands of Siesta Beach, on Siesta Key, in Sarasota FL, are 99% pure crystal. They are world-renowned for their soft, powdery texture.
Every day, Siesta Beach is groomed, to fluff up the sand for another round of beachgoers.
In contrast to beaches in other parts of the country, Siesta Beach parking is free and public, so everyone has access, via 10 different entry points.
People of all ages enjoy walking along the blue-green surf, swimming, building sand sculptures, picnicking, riding their bikes, or quietly napping or reading a book.
In recent years, the small-scale wooden beach cottages that used to line Beach Road have been replaced by 3-4 story beach mansions in some places.
Siesta Village is an easy walk from any of the beach access points. Once you've had your fill of sand and surf, you can amble over for a meal at the numerous cafes and restaurants, stock up on basics at Siesta Key Market, or shop for beachwear, jewelry, and gifts in Village stores.
Every day, Siesta Beach is groomed, to fluff up the sand for another round of beachgoers.
In contrast to beaches in other parts of the country, Siesta Beach parking is free and public, so everyone has access, via 10 different entry points.
People of all ages enjoy walking along the blue-green surf, swimming, building sand sculptures, picnicking, riding their bikes, or quietly napping or reading a book.
In recent years, the small-scale wooden beach cottages that used to line Beach Road have been replaced by 3-4 story beach mansions in some places.
Siesta Village is an easy walk from any of the beach access points. Once you've had your fill of sand and surf, you can amble over for a meal at the numerous cafes and restaurants, stock up on basics at Siesta Key Market, or shop for beachwear, jewelry, and gifts in Village stores.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Island Park at the Sarasota Bayfront
Downtown Sarasota's Island Park is a beautiful multi-use greenspace that follows the arc of the shoreline at the west end of Main Street.
It's one of Sarasota's many delights that one minute you're walking along a city street with shops and restaurants, and the next minute you're ambling along the water's edge, surrounded by yachts,
small craft,
walking paths,
a playground, and numerous spots to read or rest under the shade of a banyan tree.
The panoramic view towards the John Ringling Bridge, which connects downtown to Lido Key, is not to be missed.
And, Sarasota being the artsy town that it is, you can enjoy permanent sculpture such as this exuberant dolphin fountain
and the very interesting "Season of Sculpture", a biannual temporary outdoor exhibit of large-scale creations that follows the curve of the bayfront. This year's selection is now installed, so make sure to schedule an amble along the Bayfront to see the artwork up close.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sarasota Best Place in the News
If you live in Sarasota FL, you already know it's Paradise. Although, it's taken a drubbing in the real estate market the past couple of years. Now, from at least two national media sources, it's being recognized as the jewel it is.
On the Today Show a few days ago, Sarasota was named one of the top undervalued places in the U.S. to buy real estate. According to expert Barbara Corcoran, Sarasota tops the list because its home prices, which dramatically declined in recent years, have seen a sharp rise in the last 3 months. She said the median home price is now $175,800, up 13% this quarter. As a friend of mine likes to say, "Woo-hoo!" for anyone who owns an upside-down property or anyone who wants to buy a house in SRQ.
This is the same message that appeared in a July issue of U.S. News & World Report, which included Sarasota in its own list of 10 most undervalued places to buy. From that report:
"Sarasota, Fla. Another alluring option for those looking to buy into the depressed Florida housing market is Sarasota, McCabe says. Like Naples, Sarasota is a relatively upscale community along the state's west coast. "Sarasota has got a lot of culture to it—a lot of art, a lot of art festivals," McCabe says. "It's a nice boating community, and they have got a lot of beautiful homes there." And after home prices plunged 44 percent from the first quarter of 2006 to the first quarter of 2009, the market presents would-be buyers with some attractive opportunities. IHS Global Insight considers the median home price in Sarasota — $141,000 — to be 28 percent undervalued.
On the Today Show a few days ago, Sarasota was named one of the top undervalued places in the U.S. to buy real estate. According to expert Barbara Corcoran, Sarasota tops the list because its home prices, which dramatically declined in recent years, have seen a sharp rise in the last 3 months. She said the median home price is now $175,800, up 13% this quarter. As a friend of mine likes to say, "Woo-hoo!" for anyone who owns an upside-down property or anyone who wants to buy a house in SRQ.
This is the same message that appeared in a July issue of U.S. News & World Report, which included Sarasota in its own list of 10 most undervalued places to buy. From that report:
"Sarasota, Fla. Another alluring option for those looking to buy into the depressed Florida housing market is Sarasota, McCabe says. Like Naples, Sarasota is a relatively upscale community along the state's west coast. "Sarasota has got a lot of culture to it—a lot of art, a lot of art festivals," McCabe says. "It's a nice boating community, and they have got a lot of beautiful homes there." And after home prices plunged 44 percent from the first quarter of 2006 to the first quarter of 2009, the market presents would-be buyers with some attractive opportunities. IHS Global Insight considers the median home price in Sarasota — $141,000 — to be 28 percent undervalued.
America's 10 Best Undervalued Places to Live: (Percent of undervaluation, according to IHS Global Insight.)
Like the real estate folks always say, "Location, Location, Location." The economy may have its ups and downs, but the beauty of Sarasota's natural features and its convivial lifestyle continue to draw people to visit and relocate.Sunday, September 27, 2009
Selby Library, An Oasis Downtown
Sarasota has a habit of making things beautiful (well, with a few architectural exceptions downtown!). Selby Library looks like a graceful, gleaming mothership floating across from Five Points Park on First Street.
With columns that look like elephant legs, reminiscent of its circus heritage, the building offers shady relief from summer sun outside, and a 21st century research and reading facility inside.
On the first floor, you'll find the children's library, with a delightful entrance archway that's a real aquarium! On this floor are also new books, videos, books on tape, DVDs, and CDs. Also, a large magazine reading area and fiction collection.
Upstairs are numerous study pods with Internet computers. That's also where you'll find non-fiction, periodicals, quiet-rooms, and reference. There are meeting rooms on both floors. The facility has free wi-fi and work carrels, too. During Season, there are exhibits mounted on the mezzanine facade and in the center of the main floor.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Are you Ready for Season?
Walking east on Main Street in Sarasota FL during Season. Shopping, cafes, tra la.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Private Views from Public Places in Sarasota FL
Under the protective canopy of Selby Library in downtown Sarasota FL, a contemplative view with a boy and his dog for company. Across the street is a leafy park. To the left is Starbucks. Further down the street is Whole Foods Market Centre.Sarasota is a small city that feels like a small town. Once you're downtown, you can walk to everything, including the expansive Sarasota Bayfront Park.
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