We returned from Bath and our incomplete boat to Julie's parent's house in Cobourg, where Julie had an opportunity to recover from bronchitis (and Brad from a dislocated knee) and make new plans for the winter, now that sailing our boat south was no longer in the cards for this year. After renting a storage locker in Cobourg (and overloading Dave and Jane's house with other possessions) we started looking for winter options. Never fans of Florida (for the most part, Mississauga with beaches), we nevertheless booked a condo in Siesta Key, Fla. for two months through to xmas, when we preferred be to back in Canada.
Siesta Key Beach has been repeatedly ranked as the #1 beach in the USA - check out the Travel Channel and Conde Naste. We rented a one bedroom condo on the ground floor of an upscale development on a channel directly off the intercostal and across the street from the beach. We packed two months of clothes (it was cold when we left!), supplies, some food, spices etc. and headed to the Windsor/Detroit border for I-75. At that point the eastern route down I-95 was a disaster with highway closures due to flooding in the Carolinas from a tropical storm.
On our first day we drove about 12 hours, stopping for the night in Lexington, Kentucky. Our first time in Kentucky and we have to say that the scenery is absolutely gorgeous (certainly much better than Michigan and Ohio!). Apart from some heavy traffic in Ohio, where large portions of I-75 are under construction (and the rest should be!), our only issue was in using our USD credit cards at many gas stations. Instead of a PIN, you must enter a ZIP code that coincides with the account - something which we (and other non-American residents) don't have.
The next day we hit the road by 7:00 a.m. and drove through to Gainsville, Florida, where we again stopped for the night. Yes, we could have driven straight through to Sarasota and arrived just prior to midnight, but as our condo was not available until the next afternoon, we decided to make it a relatively short day and arrive at our destination rested. A good thing, as we had much to do - and much partying ahead.
The next morning we slept in until 8:00, had a leisurely breakfast and hit the road again. Prior to arriving at our condo we purchased a plan for Julie's unlocked iphone allowing us unlimited calls within the US and Canada, as well as data for a total of $100.00 for the two months until our return to Canada. At 2:00 we got the keys for our unit and it was exactly as advertised - we were the first tenants after a fairly extensive renovation.
Siesta Key:
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| The channel from ICW leading to our condo. |
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| Our neighbours boat ready for the Christmas parade. |
Siesta Key is a very upscale area. As soon as you exit I-75 for Siesta Key, you are confronted by dealerships for Mercedes, BMW, Lotus, Maserati - and if you took a right turn towards Sarasota, one of Florida's largest Porsche dealerships. Frankly, upon arrival in our 9 year old BMW loaded to the roof with clothes and supplies for two months we felt something like the Clampetts - although without the millions of dollars to make us acceptable to the locals!
After unloading the car, we hit the nearby Publix to buy food and supplies (including 2 for 1 bottles of Pinot Noir and Cab-Sauv) and spent a relaxing evening drinking wine while seated on the dock directly behind our unit. Life is good.
Siesta Key Beach:
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| Siesta Key Beach |
We spent the next week getting the lay of the land, checking out the beach and lounging by the pool. The latter being necessary because Sarasota and Siesta Key were suffering one of the worst ever incidents of 'red tide' - a form of algae that kills fish and causes respiratory problems and allergic reactions in many people. It certainly did for the two of us. After walking the beach for about 1/2 hour we felt our throats constricting, our eyes watering and the onset of a dry cough. We noticed that every second person we passed on the beach was 'hacking' and decided to give the white sand beach - as beautiful as it was - a pass.
Sadly, these conditions remained for virtually our entire stay and it was only on rare occasions when there was an offshore breeze that we would - or could - venture to the beach. For those who are interested, Siesta Key Beach is one of the only large beaches in Florida where one is now legally able to bring and drink alcohol. Also unlike the other large beaches in Florida, it has powder fine, white rather than tan sand. Due to el nino, the waters remained unusually warm in the Gulf - 82 degrees F. in November, only dropping into the high 70's by mid-December. All in all a perfect beach - if only we could hold our breath long enough to enjoy it!
Shopping, shopping and more shopping:
While we largely ate at home, we also checked out local bars and restaurants - much more on that later! Julie also wanted to check out the local shopping opportunities - quelle surprise - and we found plenty of opportunities. Even with the exchange rate from the Canadian peso to the US dollar, we found prices - and certainly selection - to be better than home.
Ellenton Premium Outlet Mall (a 25 minute drive from our condo) had every conceivable high-end store, many offering huge additional discounts for Veteran's day, Thanksgiving and Black Friday - all of which occurred during our stay. We doubled up on savings during Veteran's Day at Macey's; due to a special promotion, by opening up an account we received an additional 25% off the already drastically cut sale prices.
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| Brad & Julie in St. Armands |
St. Armands circle, on Lido Key off Sarasota, was developed in the early 1900's by John Ringling of Ringling Bros. Circus fame. In addition to various statutes of greek gods and famous circus personalities (now there's a mix - kinda like a clock in the belly of a Buddha) it retains many buildings from that era, now occupied by boutiques and restaurants. Late October, early November are prior to peak tourist season and a number of boutiques had prices slashed on some relatively unique, high quality clothing and accessories. Julie picked up a dress, some shorts and some 'starfish' Italian sandals; Brad even bought a couple of Egyptian Cotton, collarless shirts.
In terms of groceries and featured wines, we are huge fans of the Publix supermarket chain. Employee owned, there is incomparable service (always enough friendly cashiers plus someone to bag your groceries). They actually seem to enjoy their jobs, even during busy times. Do you think it has something to do with profit sharing?
The selection is excellent and while the regular prices are fairly high, the sale prices are terrific. Featured wines are often on at 2 for 1 pricing - think in terms of $6 - 7 USD for two bottles of decent California wine. The butcher and seafood counter typically have $6-10. off a pound on featured items such as Red Snapper, jumbo shrimp, fresh Chilean salmon, porterhouse and strip loin steaks, etc. As to the quality of the beef, although there are no bogus labels such as Canada's 'platinum', every steak we purchased was perfectly marbled and incredibly tender without any need for mechanical or fluid tenderizing. I am convinced that we in Canada have become so used to substandard beef (yes, even 'platinum' cuts), that they sell our supermarkets largely seconds, selling the best at high prices to butcher shops, or exporting it to the USA - when there is not a ban on Canadian beef occasioned by another incident of mad cow disease!
Another of our favourite stores for 'essentials' is Total Wine, a small chain of supermarket-sized stores that stock only wine, beer, liquor and drink accessories. The selection is without parallel - we counted over 100 different wines in the section from Spain alone! As to beer, when Spence visited he was in heaven - actually hell, as he could barely decide what new imported, or craft beers he wanted to try. They even had Polar from Venezuela. For those who want to sample different products, most beers are available by the single bottle, as well as in cases and six packs.
In any event, we now know where we will be stocking up our boat before departing the US for the Bahamas!
Party, party...
As we mentioned earlier, we also did a ton of partying on Siesta Key. I mean, probably more than either of us have done in decades! You see, there are countless bars with nightly live entertainment and there are free shuttles (operating on tips alone) between bars.
Don't drink and drive after partying!
We also subscribed for and starting using Uber. The vehicles were invariably quite new, clean and relatively upscale in comparison to taxis. Think in terms of BMW's, Audis, Volkswagen Passats, Ford Explorers, Toyota Sienna vans etc. Once you send a message on the Uber app requesting a car, you get the name of the driver, the car he is driving, an ETA (which constantly updates) as well as a map showing its progress to your location. Costs are less than half of that for taxis and you are asked to review your driver (as they are their passengers). It has become so popular in the area that, in order to avoid conflicts with licensed taxis, Sarasota County has now deregulated the industry and eliminated taxi licences.
Oct. 31st, 2015:
On Halloween Eve, Julie and I went out for dinner at 'The Cottage' restaurant in the 'village' on Siesta Key. An original frame cottage from the early 1900's, it was moved, reassembled and renovated into a popular tapas restaurant. After dinner, rather than staying for the acoustic music at the restaurant, we crossed the street to the 'Beach Club' , a popular local watering hole with live entertainment 6 nights a week followed by a late-night disco. The place was packed, no doubt in part due to the $2000 prize for best costume and a great band playing largely 80's and 90's music. While there we met some people who were to become great friends for the remainder of our stay in Florida - and we hope, for many years to come.
New Friends:
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| Laurie, John & Kris |
Laurie is an RNA and her boyfriend John an artisan furniture maker and restorer who had relocated to Florida from Connecticut in the last year. Their friend Kris is an RN and craft- maker extraordinaire who was originally from St. Louis, Mo. We became fast friends and spent many wonderful evenings - and a few days, enjoying the nightlife and some of the other activities that Sarasota had to offer. But, back to....
More partying:
The Beach Club became a regular destination - after all, they had free cover if you arrived before 9:00 and live entertainment ranging from Motown (a 7 piece band), to Reggae Sundays, to bands that covered everything from the 60's to date, They also had $3.00 beer and a decent house Cab/Sauv. for $5.00 a glass. But within a block of the Beach Club there were a few other bars that also had regular live entertainment and cheap drinks. Down about a block on the same side of the street was 'Gilligan's Island', a huge bar with nightly entertainment - often a solo artist or duo - on weekends starting at 3:00 pm! They had decent pub food and after happy-hour drink specials, including two for one Grand Marnier. Across the street was S.K.O.B. - the Siesta Key Oyster Bar which had live bands playing R&B, Blues, Jazz, Cajan and Folk/Rock from Thursday through Sunday. There was another bar, whose name we now forget, with a huge selection of frozen cocktails and live entertainment Fridays and Saturdays. We would often bar-hop, or just walk the roughly 2 block strip, listening for what 'clicked our switch' on a particular evening. And of course, we couldn't miss the Sarasota Christmas Parade, which ran down the main street of the village, conveniently in front of the patios in front of all the bars.
If we didn't feel like taking the roughly 5 minute Uber ride to the village, we could walk two blocks from our condo to Captain Curt's Sniki Tiki Bar, which also had some great duos and solo acts six nights of the week. Captain Curt also had an adjoining restaurant called 'Captain Curt's Crab & Oyster Bar', which sold, amongst other things, clam chowder that won awards not only in Florida, but a gold medal in a chowder competition held in New England in 2014.
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| Spencer & Rosario at Gilligan's Island Bar |
During the week that Spencer and Rosario were down to visit, we hit all of these bars and despite the difference in ages and musical tastes, even they were able to find live music that got them up on the floor.
Boating in Sarasota:
Although we were having a ton of fun, we were also frustrated by the fact that we were not out on the water. This frustration was aggravated by the fact that our ground-floor condo came with docking space in front of the unit on a channel directly off the Gulf Coast ICW! Every day we would watch the owners of adjoining units head out in their boats while we headed out shopping, or to the pool.
We had thought of trailering our new RIB and outboard down with us, but ultimately the cost of a trailer and trailer hitch that we would never use again - combined with the risk associated with having to pull the trailer back through the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky on our return trip in late December, brought us to our senses. So we were 'Boatless in Sarasota', which in our opinion is worse than being 'Sleepless in Seattle'.
To kill the itch - and to explore the nearby waterways, we rented a 19 foot power boat and outboard from C B's Saltwater Outfitters, a couple of blocks from our condo by the Stickney Point Bridge to Siesta Key. On our first trip we were accompanied by our new friends Laurie, John, Kris and her dog Toby. We ran south past some incredible waterfront mansions, hit a waterfront Tiki Bar and on our return home, had some dolphins rollicking in our wake until they were frightened off by some idiots in a pontoon boat who almost ran them over! When Spence and Rosario visited for a week in November, we reprised the trip and once again, at virtually the same spot on the ICW, ended our trip with some bottle-nose dolphins getting up close and personal!
One night Kris invited us all out for dinner at her beautiful, ground floor condominium in Sarasota. Stepping outside her lanai we detected an alligator in the pond not 20 feet behind her back door. The pond is apparently fed by an inlet from the gulf and the banks are only about three feet high. While it was difficult to assess his overall size as all but the top of his head and eyes were submerged in the murky water, it was nevertheless enough to cut short our smoke break. It was good to hear that she never let her little dog Toby out on his own!
By this point Laurie, John and Kris had become close friends and we were beginning to feel like locals. Maybe the best indication of that was one night when we were out at a bar and a local asked where Julie and I were from. Without hesitation, Laurie answered, 'Siesta Key'. O.K., most people in Florida seem to be from somewhere else, but still....
Brad was also asked by the president of the Sarasota Biker's Club if he wanted to rent a Harley and join them on one of their rides. Actually, it was not as crazy as it sounds. We had attended the birthday party for the president, Eli, who was running for Sarasota City Council. Other members included our friend John, who had a highly modified, high-performance Harley and a retired medical professor and his wife. Crazy or not, Brad showed signs of his new-found maturity (and respect for his bodily parts) and declined.
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| Marina Jack's Dinner Cruise Boat |
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| Sunset on the dinner cruise |
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| Laurie eyeing dessert! |
We may not be cruising yet, but how about a cruise?
Speaking of cruises, Julie and I were looking into a side trip to South Beach and Key West - places Julie had never been and Brad had not visited in over 20 years. We had initially thought about taking the high-speed ferry from Fort Meyers to Key West and booking a hotel there for a night. The cost of that, plus meals and a separate side trip to Miami with hotel turned out to be more than a four day cruise out of Miami plus a 4.5 star hotel in south Beach prior to our departure.
Speaking of cruises, Julie and I were looking into a side trip to South Beach and Key West - places Julie had never been and Brad had not visited in over 20 years. We had initially thought about taking the high-speed ferry from Fort Meyers to Key West and booking a hotel there for a night. The cost of that, plus meals and a separate side trip to Miami with hotel turned out to be more than a four day cruise out of Miami plus a 4.5 star hotel in south Beach prior to our departure.
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| Royal Caribbean, Majesty of the Seas |
The cruise was on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and it departed the Port of Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, a private Bahamian Out Island and Key West, prior to returning to Miami. We purchased an Oceanview cabin on a sell-off for $300.00 each including taxes. Adding $44.00 dollars for parking and shuttle and a half-price deal ($250.00) on a suite in the recently renovated, art deco, Kimpton owned and operated Angler's Inn (in the heart of South Beach) and we were living high and paying low! I mean, five nights and six days for $900.00 plus booze and gratuities on the ship and dinner (breakfast was included) in South Beach for the two of us!
The Angler's Inn, South Beach:
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| Angler's Inn at night |
The Angler's Inn dates back to the 1920's and while it has been extensively renovated, it still maintains much of its charm. There is a courtyard off the pool where guests can enjoy the free wine sampling for two hours each evening, exterior as well as interior seating at the restaurant (open daily only for breakfast, weekend brunch and lunch). There are free bicycles for use by their guests - perfect for travelling South Beach during the day as parking is scarce.
Located two blocks from the shopping district and three blocks from South Beach it is ideally situated and for those interested, the Inn also provides free beach umbrellas for those wishing to cycle to the beach.
Our Suite was 590 square feet with a well furnished living room area with an overstuffed sofa and chairs, a wet bar, a 52 inch flat screen TV as well as a good quality ipod/iphone dock and speaker system. The bedroom area had a King size bed, end tables, a dresser and another flat screen TV. The bathroom had marble tile and a modern, open 'rain' shower. Tons of closet space and quality linens, bath robes and towels complete the picture.
A block from the Inn is a fantastic little French Bistro which Julie and I enjoyed for dinner - exterior courtyard seating as well as crowded interior seating - with bench seating on exterior walls, as is common in Paris. The food was terrific and the pricing quite reasonable - especially for South Beach.
After dinner we went to a local night club featuring live Reggae and left after one nightcap - $48.00 for two sambucca and two coffees, plus tip is a little rich for our blood and bank account!
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| South Beach Miami |
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| South Beach Lifeguard tower |
The Cruise:
We boarded our ship the next day at 11:00, settled in for some lunch and a couple of drinks and then awaited our departure scheduled for 4:00 p.m. At 4:15 the Captain came over the PA system to announce that we were delayed while awaiting an ambulance for an elderly passenger who was having some significant health problems. Not surprising - we noted a number of passengers who looked less healthy than Brad's 98 year old mother, including ones in wheel chairs with oxygen equipment.
The ambulance arrived, the passenger (or corpse) departed and we were on our way at 5:00 with an assurance that we could make up the time. Less than fifteen minutes later the ship came to a stop and tugs started maneuvering her back to the pier. What now? At 5:30 we received a second announcement that yet another passenger had developed health problems requiring an ambulance. Another one bites the dust!
Finally at 6:00 we were on our way for real this time and the rest of the cruise was largely good weather, good times, fine service and food. For the price it really exceeded our expectations and our past experience on a much more expensive cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines.
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| Mariana - Boat that arrived in the Keys from Cuba in August 2015 with 24 passengers aboard |
It did rain heavily most of our day in Key West, but we still managed to do the usual touristy stuff including sightseeing (we bought an umbrella as soon as we departed the ship), some great Egg's Benedict at a funky restaurant, a couple of beers at Sloppy Joe's and some shopping.
The latter turned out to be particularly productive as we purchased a neckless with a medallion made out of a silver coin certified as having been recovered from the shipwreck of El Cazador , discovered in the Gulf of Mexico after having been lost for over 200 years.
This was the shipwreck that changed the face of America. In 1784 the Spanish troops in New Orleans had been awaiting payment for a considerable period and were ready to revolt. Spain had been bleeding money for years through wars and acts of piracy. El Cazador departed Mexico for New Orleans loaded with 19 tons of reales (Spanish silver coins) to pay the troops and keep their American colony alive. It never arrived.
In the result, within two years Spain was forced to sell their holdings there to France, who in short order sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase - roughly half of what is now the continental USA!
In 1993 El Cazador was accidentally discovered in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana by the fishing boat The Mistake, which caught some of the wreckage in her nets. Having been in the centre of a mass of coins that had corroded around it, Julie's coin is in almost mint condition. The silver placement in the medallion was made so as to encapsulate the coin, causing no damage to this interesting specimen of maritime lore.
The Return Trip to the Great White North:
With more than a little regret, at 6:00 in the morning on Dec. 21st, 2015 we departed Siesta Key for our trek back to Canada, stopping for the night after roughly 12 hours in Knoxville, Tennessee. We stayed at the Best Western near I-75, expecting to leave at about 7:30 the next morning with an anticipated stop for the night in Windsor, Ontario. However, at 5:30 in the morning our room phone rang and the person on the line claimed to be from the front desk. They stated that due to a computer glitch they had lost our credit card information and by way of apology for having to provide it a second time, we would receive a 25% reduction in our bill. As early as it was, Julie smelled a rat and after haranguing them for such an early call, refused to provide any information over the phone. We dressed, went down to the front desk and were told (as well as another guest who had suffered the same experience) that it wasn't them and that they hated when that happens! Sounds like an ongoing scam that Best Western has done nothing to either have investigated, or warn their customers about!
A couple of more things about Knoxville. Firstly, we went out for dinner at a local restaurant near the hotel and when we ordered some wine, the waitress asked for our I.D.! When we asked if she was kidding, she said "Y'all are obviously not from around these parts!" Thank God! Later, when looking around at the other patrons we noticed that most of them were missing teeth and if not much older than us, they certainly looked that way.
Brad ordered fried chicken with gravy and grits, figuring that would be safe. Well, it may have been safe (although he didn't eat much, he didn't get sick), it was a disgusting mix of overcooked chicken and flour based slop!
Our first clue about Knoxville should have come from the 'decor' in our hotel room. They had gone with a local motif, including large, framed, black and white photos of one of the areas landmarks - a nuclear disposal site! The photos depicted a rundown complex with peeling paint and cracked asphalt with the only visible vegetation for miles - weeds, sprouting through. Homer Simpson would have felt right at home.
The drive the next morning through the winding, mountainous roads of Tennessee and Kentucky was made particularly treacherous by torrential rainfall (and speeding, beat-up 4x4 pick-ups), but we made it across the border and to our hotel in Windsor by 5:00 p.m. Windsor's 'Riverside Inn' was another pleasant surprise. Our 18th floor riverfront room was well and modernly furnished and had an incredible view of the Detroit river, the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Since the entire waterfront side of the room was glass down to about a foot from the floor, that view was unobstructed even from the bed. I know it is hard to think of anything in Windsor in this context, but it was really quite romantic.
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| Detroit skyline |
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| Room with a view! |
After dinner at the Keg across the street and a couple of glasses of wine to celebrate our return to Canada, we went to bed and allowed ourselves the luxury of sleeping in until about 9:00. We had the complimentary breakfast at the hotel and departed for Cobourg, having no issues en route apart from the typical traffic slow-downs west of Toronto. Our entire two month getaway went off without a hitch and even the weather cooperated on our return trip; in fact it was an unbelievable 13 degrees Celsius on the day we returned! We arrived by 3:00 at Julie's parent's where we unpacked, started greeting family and getting ready for the Christmas celebrations to come.
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