We have been in Sarasota for four days now and are blown away by the facilities and choices of things to see and do! We are on a mooring in front of Marina Jack, right on the waterfront of downtown Sarasota. Main Street runs perpendicular to Bayfront Drive heading straight inland from the docks. The Marina has a free pump out boat (to evacuate our holding tanks), great showers, a very bright and cheerful laundry, and a helpful staff.
The first afternoon we arrived, we walked up to the bus depot to get a schedule of routes. As Senior Citizens, we are entitled to Gold Cards and with those, we pay half-fare to ride anywhere -- $0.60! We also visited the visitors’ center (makes sense, right?) and told them the kinds of things we might be interested in and we were laden with brochures, magazines, ticket information, etc. There literally is everything here that one could choose to do, from repertory theatre, to musical performances, to Opera, to baseball (Sarasota is the winter quarters for the Orioles), to a Classic Car Museum. One magazine, dealing with the arts, is a four color glossy production with each day of the calendar included and at least a half-dozen performances, shows, symphonic productions, etc. each day. There are more restaurants than one can shake a stick at – and that is on Main Street alone.
Where to begin? We contacted a friend from Vermont (Ned P.) who has a home here to see about getting together, but his Lauren is away, then they have grandchildren visiting at times when we do not have company, etc., so a get together is not in the cards. However, Ned gave us the names of about 8 restaurants to try. (So far, we have enjoyed dinner at Bijou, and only got a reservation there because they had a cancellation. Most of the patrons – eaves dropping my dears – were going to the Opera or to the Symphony, or some other event after dinner.) On another occasion, we visited the Classic Car Museum and saw some cars from our childhood, including the Pontiac version of the Oldsmobile Super 88 on which Van started driving. (The museum is a bit dated and musty, but a treat for those who like cars.) Included in the collection was Paul McCartney’s Morris Mini, John Lennon’s Mercedes Coupe, and a variety of other vintages and makes. Oh to have those cars! The best part occurred after we left the museum proper – Van spied an all red 1959 Buick convertible out back and, from that vantage point, noticed an open bay garage packed with cars for sale where the opportunity to fulfill that dream was made available. There were the usual Porsches and such, but a wide variety of ancients like a beautifully restored Cord. Alas, Lauren made Van leave his checkbook outside.
While walking back to the Marina, we noticed some particularly lovely pieces of art going up in a sidewalk display and we both commented how beautiful they are and how like … Ohmigosh, they are pieces by Ed Loedding from Brandon, VT! So, we stopped and chatted and dreamed. It turns out that Lauren did Hospice volunteering and Trillium singing (a Hospice group) for Dorothy’s mother as she was failing. It was just another demonstration that the world indeed is smaller than we imagine.
We have friends, Carol and Alberta, from home joining us this afternoon for a week of vacation. We intend to take in shows and more great meals (both onboard and ashore) here in Sarasota. Stay tuned!