Fun in the Sun on Siesta Key

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I decided I needed a long weekend far, far away from northeast, so I started doing some research. I knew I wanted to stay in the country and I've always been a big fan of Florida, but I've never really strayed from the East Coast. This summer, I thought I might try something new.

I had been hearing rave reviews from friends and family about a cute little west coast Florida town called Sarasota. Being a dedicated Seinfeld fan, I remember Jerry's parents mentioning Sarasota fairly often, so I finally decided to check it out.

This place literally blew me away. I was expecting to spend my three short days in Sarasota baking on beautiful Siesta Beach, home to the world's softest and whitest sand. That fantasy definitely came true, but there were so many things to do, that I only ended up getting one day in at the beach! Guess I'll have to come back again sooner than planned!

When I got into town, I checked into Hotel Indigo. For those of you that aren't familiar with this little gem of a hotel, it's a self-proclaimed "boutique" place in downtown Sarasota complete with hardwood floors, bright colors, and a great deal of class and style. I was going for something really unique and relaxing and this place was definitely it! I wanted to head into town right away. I figured since I was stayinig downtown, I could soak up everything there was down there later in the evening.

Obviously, I headed straight for Siesta Key. It's about a 15 minute drive from downtown Sarasota, depending on traffic. The view the whole way was breathtaking. To my right was the gorgeous marina. I wasn't surprised to see there were so many boats out on the water-everything from little fishing boats to beautiful sailboats to yachts. I noticed a little place on my way called Metro Coffee and Wine, so I decided to pop in. This place is a great alternative to Starbucks. I got a steaming hot mocha to go and it definitely topped anything I've ever tried from one of those basic chains. I loved the vibe I got from the place-funky yet laid-back and filled with businessmen and students alike, flipping through copies of local magazines as they lounged around on sofas. On my way out, I noticed a flyer in the window for a band's performance later that night. This place is really cool. I think it's refreshing to see so many privately owned and completely original businesses and shops in this town.

I finally made it to Siesta Key without getting in an accident, which was almost miraculous considering how many times I craned my neck to see one of Sarasota's many beautiful sights. Parking was easy--and free! Can you believe it? The sand was everything I imagined and more. So white and soft. It was a far cry from the cigarette butt-ridden, coarse sands of Atlantic City that I'm accustomed to. I wanted to roll around in the sand, but I reminded myself that I'm a mature adult, so I took a walk by the water. The gulf was beautiful and turquoise. There were a lot of people tanning, playing beach volleyball, or having picnics with families, but it was surprisingly quiet and serene.

After taking a dip, I flopped down my towel to dry and ended up laying there for six hours. Oops. After all the sunshine, I was starving. It was a bit of a walk, but I decided to stroll down to nearby Siesta Village, where other sand-covered beach bums like myself were roaming around, popping into cute touristy stores, grabbing ice cream at the very delicious Big Olaf's, or eating in one of the many outdoor restaurants. It was a tough choice, but I went to Daiquiri Deck for my late lunch. The firey buffalo shrimp and rum runner were excellent choices. I was surprised to see the age range, just on Siesta alone. There were families with young children, young twenty-somethings drinking and laughing at the bar, and older retirees having an early dinner. I could already tell that this wasn't the typical Florida town.

I took the long walk back to my car and headed back to my hotel to change and get ready for the night. A few friends from Tampa, which is about an hour and a half north of Sarasota, came down to meet me and we went out. Believe it or not, in the short time frame, I managed to work up another appetite. We went to Selva Grill for dinner, which was actually in walking distance of the hotel. That's a great thing about downtown Sarasota-you can walk the whole thing if you're up for it! That's not saying it's small-it's actually pretty big, which really surprised me-but it resembles a smaller, low-key New York City in a way. There are so many restaurants, shops, galleries, attractions, bars, and even a Whole Foods mart within walking distance from hotels, condos and homes downtown, that you really don't even need a car! I'd suggest one, however, because you just can't walk to Siesta Key.

Selva was crowded, but we were seated right away. We started with a round of martinis (chocolate covered cherry and almond joy) and Selva mojitoes. Incredible. Instead of doing the entree thing, we decided to order a bunch of ceviche and sides to share. We got yucca, sweet plaintains and my favorite-tuna ceviche. They put slices of tuna between large chunks of juicy watermelon and doused the whole thing in the spicy sauce-completely original and delicious. It's a gourmet Peruvian place that has a lot of flavor-not just the food, but the decor, the presentation, and the people. We noticed another little room within the restaurant and it turns out it's a place of its own called the Martini Bar. It's a great bar scene because it manages to maintain a lot of class. The people are well-dressed and well-fed and there's a great deal of mingling going on.

The Martini Bar was fun but we noticed a lot of people filtering out and heading in various directions. We noticed a bookstore and cafe next door called Sarasota News and Books and I immediately fell in love! I love little bookshops and their apricot croissant made the perfect dessert. We grabbed a little table outside to catch some fresh Sarasota night air and caught a beautiful view in the process. The people outside were so friendly! A lot of people brought their dogs to sit outside and they immediately struck up a conversation with me and my friends. We were surprised to meet several Sarasota residents that were originally from Philadelphia or the northeast, as well!

We're young and the night was, too, so we decided to talk a walk down Main Street to find out what else the town had to offer on a weekend night. Turns out, quite a bit! We popped into an upstairs bar called Esca (downstairs, there is a very nice Italian restaurant) and we walked right in and grabbed a spot on the balcony. The view was, of course, breahtaking. Seeing the city all lit up from the top, you'd almost think you were a big town! The streets were quiet and peaceful, but the crowd at Esca was lively! There was a band playing very well done covers of upbeat and funky Aretha Franklin songs and everyone was laughing and talking in little groups scattered across the place. I like that Sarasota offers a bar that ISN'T smokey and claustrophobic. People are actually relaxing and enjoying the night instead of skeezing around. Once again: refreshing.

When we left Esca, we saw something very lively happening at a place called Horse Feathers. We were wiped, so we made a mental note to come back the following night.

Early the next morning, we woke up and headed into the Rosemary District, an up-and-coming part of downtown Sarasota. We grabbed some breakfast out on the sunny patio at Sierra Station. Afterwards, we headed out for the day to try and experience some of Sarasota's culture we heard so much about. First stop: Ringling Museum. I hate to say it, but it definitely came close to the Philadelphia Museum of Art! Not to mention, the adjacent property-the Ca d'Zan, former winter home to circus guru John Ringling. After exhausting ourselves trying to look at every piece of beautiful art, we stumbled upon a restaurant in the museum called Treviso! It was so wonderful to find a little, modern restaurant with good food smack in the museum!

After our trip through Ringling, we decided to head over to Mote Marine to look at their exhibits. The giant squid was incredible! I found a very terrifying lime green fish that I absolutely love. It was so much fun looking around in there. I didn't even know Sarasota offered something like that!

Tired and smelling a little fishy, we were afraid, we headed back to the hotel to wash up and change. On the way we noticed some really cute art galleries along Main and Palm so we decided to browse through them! Good stuff! I love this place! Moving on, we went back and decked ourselves out and headed over to Pacific Rim for dinner. This place is GOOD! Top notch Japanese and Thai food and some of the best sushi I've ever had! Try the Mt. Everest roll. You'll thank me!

WOW, I'm running out of time here-I've got to get going. I'll finish up about my second amazing night in Sarasota (and wait til you hear about Sunday!!!) STAY TUNED!

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