Day 3 – It might be easier to jump off the bridge!

---

Wednesday we planned an ambitious day. From our encounters with locals, we were told it was possible to bike to Lido Beach from where we were staying. We had driven it and I personally was a little nervous but willing to challenge myself.

We wanted to make sure we got a good breakfast, so we stopped by the Toasted Mango Café. We opted to sit outside which was an experience of its own. We were sat next to a couple who decided it was completely appropriate to decide to skype with their daughter while they ate and have her on speaker phone as well, so pretty much we were all part of that conversation. It was so ridiculous all we could do was laugh.

With a good breakfast to fuel us up we headed for the bridge. It was all going good until I got about ¾ of the way up and I felt like I was only creeping forward inch by inch, so I gave up and walked the rest of the way up to the top and then we hopped back on the bikes and coasted down into the St. Armand’s Circle Area and then down to Lido Beach. I am really glad we attempted to ride the bridge all the way up and we got as far as we did, I did think my heart was going to explode out of our body, but we survived, of course we still had to make it back over the bridge, but I put that out of my mind once we got to Lido Beach.

Since we didn’t see any bike racks we pushed the bikes onto the beach and set up a little area to hang out. We planned on swimming but it was super chilly and while Jay braved the water I opted to watch him turn a lovely shade of blue from the shore.

I have to say, even coming from the Bahamas, Lido Beach is beautiful, the water doesn’t compare to the islands, however the sand is so soft I now understand what they mean when they say sand that is like powder. It was so smooth and easily brushed off your skin. It was really amazing.

After about 2 hours we had the call for something cold and shady. So we rode the bikes back to St. Armand’s Circle, locked up the bikes and walked around. This area is just so nice to spend a couple of hours, lots of places to eat, shop and benches everywhere to just sit and people watch.

Some of the favorite spots we hit included the Spice and Tea Exchange where I bought a lot of stuff for friends and family and ourselves. Two stores sold Life Is Good T-shirts so I stocked up on the new designs and we sampled hot peppers and salsas at the Pepper Shop and of course to give us the energy for the bike ride back we visited Big Olaf’s creamery again which I am going to say after trying it twice, serves the best Rocky Road ice cream I have ever had.

So the return trip to the hotel was upon us and rather than try, we just opted to go ahead and push the bikes up the bridge instead. While I felt slightly wussy for this, I am kind of glad we did as we saw some amazing views of downtown Sarasota and Long Boat Key. Once over the bridge we stopped to take a photo of the iconic statue of the soldier kissing the nurse which is larger than life in the middle of a great bayside park.

I have to take a minute to give credit to the City of Sarasota, there are a lot of waterfront parks and trails that allow residents and visitors access to the water views. Rather than taking this prime real estate for condos or retail development, they have protected a good portion of it for public access and I feel that we as visitors have benefited greatly from it. So props to their urban planners!

Needless to say by the time we made it back to the hotel, we were sweaty messes and the pool was our mandatory destination. We jumped straight in and cooled off for an hour.

I believe Jay has been waiting for the moment it was time to finally go to our dinner destination. Surprisingly, Sarasota has a large Amish community and that goes hand in hand with good Amish cooking for those of us who just love their reputation for home style meals. Yoder’s is known for their southern comfort meals and more importantly for their extensive selection of pie. So much so they have t-shirts, hats, car stickers and to go bags printed with - I (heart) pie!

Jay was giddy, as Amish places like Yoder remind him of growing up in NJ and visiting Lancaster and he said the food on the menu reminded him of his grandmother in Ohio. Since he was so excited about the visit, I followed his lead and I have to say all of the food we got was good. I preferred the roast beef, but the fried chicken was decent. We found out on our visit that Yoder’s was highlighted on Man Vs Food and has made a number of best places to eat lists and I can see why. The food is filling, tasty and served with a smile. The pie was good, unfortunately they were sold out of Lemon Meringue L but I opted for a pineapple cream pie and Jay went for the peanut butter cream. Both great pies that would have us returning again.

In a way I was super grateful for having tackled the bridge because it sure made eating at Yoder’s less guilt inducing.

I can’t believe Day 4 is around the corner – however we are loving the time we are spending in Sarasota and we are looking forward to exploring Robinson’s Preserve which faces the Skyway Bridge and is suppose to be an amazing experience for bikers.

Places we visited



http://www.toastedmangocafe.com/



http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34618-d1065861-Reviews-Lido_Beach-Sarasota_Florida.html



http://www.spiceandtea.com/locations-ezp-1.html?chapter=1



http://www.yodersrestaurant.com/

---