Despite the "cold" it's good to be back in St. Pete

After being away six years it's good to be back in St. Petersburg, Fla (not the other one!). I have been coming to what Snowbirds call "Paradise" (though locals may demur somewhat) for well over a decade. I've stayed on the beach strip and then downtown (top photo) close to the restos, clubs and galleries scene in a very pedestrian-friendly core (so unlike the concrete canyons of Tampa across the Bay) until the family that ran the small group of vintage 1920s cottages sold out to a developer and the block is now one of St. Petersburg's latest new condos (photo below). In fact St. Pete is booming like I've never seen it. Post-Covid it's like half of America has discovered this sun-drenched, warm (well, not over the past week) and bucolic urban oasis with its mixture of amenities, parks, historic neighborhoods and of course miles upon miles of beaches. A recent Saturday was so clogged with traffic that I simply decided to stay in my car than trying to find a parking space, and then

crawled in bumper to bumper traffic all along the Central Ave. spine, the city's entertainment district that has now expanded by blocks upon blocks of new restaurants, cafes and pubs. Driving back to the beach strip, where I'm staying this trip, was like a reprieve. I used to stay on the beach but got fed up that it was too touristy and that my rental had the world's worst internet, so moved DT to feel like a regular. But back on the beach - actually across the street - is really pretty good and I've booked a similar place a few blocks away for next winter. There are some restos and cafes - even a nature preserve - and of course you can just cross the street to the sand, as opposed to having to drive miles and compete for parking on hot beach days. I got bumped to this place after a similar suite a few miles south got sold. Prior to that a suburban house I'd booked also got sold and the alternative was less than adequate. It seems real estate is the top industry here. A neighbor in this complex, from Colorado, owns six vacation rentals. Signs abound for properties for sale or rent. Realty offices are everywhere. My current complex was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in 2024. My apartment was apparently among the least damaged and other properties are still in a state of repair. But prices aren't cheap. I used to love shopping at grocery chain Publix but not anymore, when so many items - dollar for dollar - are just as expensive as back home or amazingly even more so, and then add the exchange rate. Wal-Mart cuts the cost by about a third. And restaurant prices are insane. A hole-in-the-wall Grouper joint up the street charged $35.41 US ($47.85 CAD) for an otherwise bland sandwich and a beer. Forget about dining out! And did I tell you about the cold? The past two weeks have been weather-crazy, with overnight lows in the high 30s - snowflurries were spotted inland this weekend - and daytimes getting into the 50s. There have been beach days of 70-plus but just a few. Still, sunshine almost universally abounds, the pristine white sand beach is wide and stretches forever, and despite the "cold" it's a hell of a lot better than sifting through the drifts back home.