I’m
Always Up for a Siesta! (or Oysters Galore)
by Brown…Rick Brown
My buddy…and
Naked Sunfish webmaster Dan…has consulted in Sarasota, Florida
for a number of years. And when his new contract came up he decided
to buy a house. After all, he spends anywhere from 10 to 12 days
a month there. And I’m sure living in a hotel…no matter
how nice…gets pretty old. So Dan bought a beach house on
Siesta Key…right across Sarasota Bay. I have this theory
that visiting someone really isn’t the same as a vacation,
although there are obvious exceptions to this formula. Yet last
May we both decided to forgo our usual Florida Keys trip and spend
time together in his new “beach bunker”.
We met at Tampa’s airport where we picked up a rental car
and drove the hour or so it takes down. But Dan had certain priorities
before we got to our destination. The first day it was a big screen
TV. My first trip to Siesta Key (and subsequent ones as well…although
not quite as elaborately) was as much house warming party as anything.
The two essentials any guy needs we acquired that first week in
May, the aforementioned television and a BBQ grill…of course.
And while I am not enamored with Florida’s mainland generally,
I have taken a liking to this small island. I must have. I have
visited 4 times in the past 9 months.
When I visit alone Dan is usually working during the day. So I’m
on foot. And that’s great because the beach (and it’s
a lovely one) is a 7 minute walk…into Siesta Village it’s
not quite 20. In late autumn and winter this is a pleasant jaunt
in 70-degree weather. In May and early fall it’s an exercise
involving perspiration like you wouldn’t believe! And it
rains quite suddenly as well. Conversely, when it is humid swimming
is a cooling pleasure, while waters in winter…if you dare
go in…involve some major shrinkage. I’m sure you catch
my drift.
The village is not large. And although it does have a few god
awful, relatively high-rise condos and/or time shares, there is
still enough left of the old Florida funky charm that the atmosphere
seems low key party quaint if you will. The main strip in the
village is a good example. There is the Siesta
Key Oyster Bar, The
Old Salty Dog (where your dog is more than welcome), The Beach
House and a local martini hangout aptly called The
Blasé Café. There are also more than a few tacky
and not so tacky souvenir, beach apparel shops, jewelry store,
an intriguing cigar store whose hours I dare you to figure out,
a very decent old style super market (alongside an outdoor Laundromat)
and various restaurants. Of course since this is Florida one can
find a different breakfast café for almost every day of
your visit. My personal favorite is The
Sun Garden.
The people are friendly and always say “hello”. One
day while crossing the street a city bus stopped to let me walk
through the crosswalk. I gave the driver a friendly wave of thank
you and she immediately leaned out her side window, smiled and
yelled “You’re WELCOME!”
One of the coolest aspects of Siesta Key is that it is a bird
sanctuary. Everything from gulls to sandpipers to woodpeckers
abound. And the beach is wide with dunes, sea oats, vegetation
and turtles! A lot of families, Europeans, and locals mingle with
the usual beach babes and quasi surf dudes. Depending on the season
you might see a sand sculpture contest, giant kites flying, volleyball,
football, and of course Frisbee. The atmosphere is wonderful and
a walk can take most of your afternoon if you do the extent of
the beach’s length.
My wife Yvonne and I drove down to Siesta Key for Thanksgiving
last year. We took our dog Henri as well. First big trip for the
French Boy and he loved being included…just sitting in his
little car seat taking it all in. Ordinarily a long drive such
as this can be a real “marriage tester”. But we took
two days each direction and had plenty of tunes on the iPod and
it really wasn’t bad. We enjoyed ourselves so much we're
planning on driving down with Henri again sometime! I know Henri
is still thinking about all those birds to bark at. And I’m
looking forward to spending some time in the surf.
While there we visited the John
and Mable Ringling Museums. Ringling was one of the famous
circus brothers and Sarasota was their headquarters for a long
while. Surprisingly, the art museum is quite beautiful and the
collection is larger than one might assume. The grounds and mansion
make for a beautiful tour as well. There is also a circus museum.
It’s interesting seeing the old circus wagons, posters and
even famous clown Emmett Kelly’s “Weary Willie”
outfit. But it is so politically correct it feels sanitized. I
suppose the lack of animal exhibits and only caricatures of circus
freaks is a 21st Century reality. That keeps complaints at a minimum.
There are also artistic endeavors ( The
Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg ), concerts and interesting
neighborhoods to explore nearby.
I’m looking forward to returning to Siesta Key...whether
driving down with Yvonne or if I sneak off to visit Dan alone.
I eat a lot of oysters while I’m there. Between my 4 trips
in the past 9 months I have eaten over 250! And while I am not
sure the legend about eating them is true, between low airfares,
a place to stay costing only a house-warming gift, and “oyster
happy hour” (a dozen for 6 bucks from 3 – 6 pm daily)
at the Siesta Key Oyster Bar…I am more than willing to continue
my research!!
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