Room to Roam in St Petersburg, Florida

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we drove south to Florida for our winter getaway. We were surprised to find light traffic in the Atlanta area.  As we got closer to the Florida border, the traffic got heavier, slowing to a crawl in Gainesville and again in Tampa. Guess people were not heeding CDC's plea to stay home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Covid-19 cases were rising in many states, with Florida ranking top 3 as of  Dec 4.  We only stopped to fill up our gas tank and for bathroom breaks, so we got to our destination an hour earlier than our usual 12 hours drive.

With so many county parks and open spaces in the Tampa Bay area, we have room to roam, safely. It's a good thing the new St Pete Pier, which opened in July, is so open, airy and spacious, with 26 acres of land for outdoor activities. We met a friend for lunch at the rooftop bar Pier Teaki, and later explored the new pier and downtown by bike. 

Looking at downtown St Pete from the rooftop bar Pier Teaki

Walkway to the St Pete Pier

Pier Plaza, with a cafe, chairs and interactive fountains

Looking at the Pier from Spa Beach

Taking a break to soak up some sun

a blue heron waiting patiently for a meal 

Vantage point of the pier from the Dali Museum area

We wanted to see Van Gogh Alive at the Dali museum, but the tickets were sold out. Just as well. The exhibit runs until April 11, 2021, so we'll catch it next year. With vaccines out soon, it'll be safer to be indoors then.

Biked to the Vinoy Point

View of  the St Pete Pier from Vinoy Point

 

Gelato and brownies - sweet endings to a great workout!

Music and gelato, how sweet it is!

 My favorite Louis Armstrong song summed up our day:

I see skies of blue

And clouds of white

The bright blessed day

The dark sacred night

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Y'all have a good day. Be well and stay safe!

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday, Our World Tuesday and My Corner of the World. 

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