Seeing The Sarasota Sights, Part 1

...Continued from yesterday:   
      I arrived in Sarasota last Thursday around noon,

...and on the ride  from the airport to Lido Key I fell under the spell of the Florida palm trees, the most common of which appeared to be of a  different variety, smaller and spikier, than the palms I've seen in California and Hawaii.

     I love palm trees,

...and I wonder if they ever lose their charm,

...for the people who live where they grow,

...and see them everyday?

     We arrived at Lido Key where Romaine had rented a bungalow for us on Lido Key Beach (see yesterday's post) and, as lunch time was fast upon us, decided to make procuring some nourishment  the first order of things.
     So we drove directly to the island's beautiful town center,  St. Armands Circle,

...which, thanks to this being the off-season,

...wasn't crowded.

    A Lido Key resident had told Romaine about a good Caribbean restaurant called Columbia, which turned out to be a really cute place,

...with really good food.

     Romaine had the original Cuban sandwich made with layers of ham, salami, marinated roast pork, swiss cheese, and mustard pressed between the freshest, most delicious warm  bread, slightly crisp on the top but soft in the middle, served with a side of thin, crunchy, yummy plantains.  She also had a side of  fresh gazpacho, which is a thin tomato and vegetable soup served cold.

     I had the Mahi Mahi Cubano made of grilled Mahi Mahi, sauteed mushrooms, peppers, and onions and topped with melted cheese between slices of the same wonderful bread and served with a pile of the same wonderful plantain chips. Mucho yummy!

     After lunch we drove back to the mainland,

...through downtown Sarasota,

...then about 15 miles north to Bradenton, a pretty town on an ocean inlet,

...where we walked along the waterfront,

...looked for (but, alas, didn't see) manatees,

...except for these arty critters,

...admired some of the local flora,

...stopped for ice cream,

...then stopped into the police station to use the bathroom, as we were told that was where the public restrooms were.

     I'd never before heard of public restrooms in a police station, but I for one think it's an excellent idea on so many levels.
     We then returned to Lido Key Beach and our bungalow at the Beau Lido from where we walked to the beach to catch the sun set,

...which we did catch.

    Then we walked back towards the town center, St. Armands Circle,

...which is actually an island joined by a small bridge to Lido Key Beach.

     St. Armands Circle.

     We did a couple of turns around  the Circle,

...tried to decide if we were hungry and, deciding that we really weren't after our gargantuan lunch followed by gargantuan scoops of ice cream,

...then walked back to Lido Beach and the Beau Lido and called it a night.

     To be continued...

"Equal And Opposite Reactions"
         by Patti Liszkay
is available at
http://www.blackrosewriting.com/romance/equalandoppositereactions
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