We have had a week of company (Carol H. and Alberta D.) from home and had a great time exploring Sarasota with them. We used the public transit bus system extensively (with Senior Citizen Gold Cards, all rides are $0.60, unless they are free as on Longboat Key to Anna Maria Island) and covered a fair piece of the territory, but did not do all we had thought to try.
We did go to Anna Maria Island, which is a primary tourist destination – lots of gorgeous beaches along the Gulf side, and some fun shops, but the bus rides were long because of the traffic. (Each night, during cocktail hour, we would watch the long line of slow moving traffic come across the Ringling Causeway with cars returning from the beaches.) An interesting experience was to take the “free ride” for a tip golf cart from Anna Maria back to the bus transfer station at Coquina Beach. Because the regular buses ride on the main streets, they are just as slow moving as the traffic. After having waited for a half hour for a bus that runs every 10-15 minutes, we hopped on a golf cart and made good time – through side roads and around all sorts of delays. Not only did we make good time, but we saw areas not visited by the folks on the main road. And, we got to talk to the driver who has been coming here for 47 years. His lament? Like a lot of resort areas, the property prices are being driven so high that workers cannot live here and so have to commute long hours from the mainland over the few access bridges. He suggested that the folks buying up the properties may suffocate the golden egg – there will be no shopkeepers, restaurant workers, etc. necessary to support the lifestyle the newcomers want.
Although we did not get to spend time on the beaches, we did go to the Ringling Estate, home, and art museum. A fabulous collection of priceless art that John and his wife Mable collected and preserved for posterity. She died at the beginning of the Depression and he lost everything (circus, real estate – he allegedly owned all the Keys along the coast off Sarasota – and some thirty-odd business ventures), but kept the Estate and Museum intact and protected until his death in 1936, when he willed it all to the State of Florida and had $311 in the bank. A high spot on the tour was the miniature circus and the movie of their lives together.
On another occasion, we visited the Selby Botanical Garden. Marie and Bill Selby were acquaintances of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, as well as the Ringlings (hence all have Banyan trees in their yards -- gifts from Edison and Ford who were looking for sources of latex for rubber – tires). The Selby fortune was from oil (think Selby Oil, which became Texaco) and they and their foundation have been huge, albeit much less flamboyant than the Ringlings, supporters of Sarasota. From an initial investment of $20MM, the Foundation has given out well over $60MM to various and sundry community projects.
One such project was support for the arts and theatre. We attended a showing of Jersey Boys, the Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was fabulous! We could not get tickets at first, so got on a waiting list and ended up with four orchestra seats. We really enjoyed it. The house was packed and all the white heads were bobbing along with the tunes: Sherry, Sherry Baby; Oh What a Night; Can’t Take My Eyes off of You; and so many others. All the dongs were woven together in a chronological rendering of their story – how they met, got started, faltered, and soared, only to come apart and ultimately separate – except for Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudier, who still are partners on the basis of a handshake made some 60 years ago. Indeed, Frankie Valli was here on stage a few months ago, still performing at the age of 80.
Another event was a performance of the Marriage of Figaro at the Saratoga Opera. That is not a favorite artistic medium for Van, but Lauren, Carol, and Alberta enjoyed it. Again, the performance was sold out and we ended up having box seats.
Of course, not to be missed are the literally hundreds of restaurants in the City. We had some wonderful meals out, eclectic choices and presentations, and all different. We can understand why this place is so popular with retirees. There is a lot going on and a lot more to choose from than can be selected in a few days, or even weeks, time. With that, of course, comes wealth (we have seen more Maseratis, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and Aston Martins than you can shake a stick at. Mercedes and BMWs are common. All those cars also spell a lot of traffic, but the drivers pretty universally are courteous and respectful of pedestrians and cross-walks.
After a visit this afternoon from Lauren’s second cousin Kay, we will pack up and leave Sarasota tomorrow morning, heading back to Charlotte Harbor. We have to go down the ICW to Venice and then, hopefully, go outside and sail/motor sail on the outside so as to avoid all the bridges.
It has been a great experience and we are so glad that we had company to encourage us to try out Sarasota!