[wysija_form id=”1″]
Surprise!
I ventured down to St. Petersburg, FL for a very quick Mother’s Day trip. I still can’t believe I pulled it off in such a short amount of time (and money-my last-minute flight was $135 nonstop RT), but I definitely feel like I got a good feel for the city. I’m still partial to the Naples/Marco Island area, but St. Pete is a fun little change of scenery, and definitely has a younger vibe.
My sister and brother-in-law recently moved to St. Pete and were fantastic tour guides. I’m impressed by how much ground they’ve covered, when they’re only really lived there for a few weeks.
A left BWI on Saturday at 5:30 PM and was drinking a margarita in St. Pete with my sister, BIL, and mom by 8 PM.
Saturday
I landed at 7:30 PM. Since I was there for such a short amount of time, I packed what I needed in my purse. Plus, I was flying (kill your) Spirit Airlines, and they pretty much charge you for breathing, and I didn’t want to spend more to bring a carry-on bag.
Stop 1: Changed and dropped my stuff off where we were staying, the Vinoy. I like this hotel because it definitely captures the spirit of “Old Florida,” while including pretty, modern touches. I loved that there were so many Chihuly pieces in the the foyer.. Gorgeous. I, of course, forgot to get pictures of the interior, but here you can get an idea of the vibe.
Stop 2: We walked to dinner at Red Mesa: This place was awesome. I loved the outside dining area, and the live music, and the prices (so reasonable!), and the food was incredible. Also, the margaritas were made from scratch (no mix), so that totally enhanced the evening.
Then we walked back to the Vinoy and went to bed. Even though I had slept plenty on Friday night at home, traveling is always so exhausting! It was nice to be in bed before midnight.
Sunday
Stop 3: I woke up Sunday, got ready,and embarked upon my journey to church. On the way, I stopped at Starbucks to feed my caffeine addiction (venti unsweetened iced coffee, black.. because I’m kind of a badass…). Nothing noteworthy there, except for the adorable pirate cake pops.. Not sure if these are unique to Florida Starbucks, but how cuuuute is this? Sorry for the glare…
Stop 4: Onward to church! I would not necessarily recommend walking to St. Mary Our Lady of Grace from the Vinoy.. I’m sure there are ways to avoid it, but Google Maps took me through a kind of shady neighborhood. I Ubered back :-/. The church is so pretty, though, and is the oldest in St. Petersburg. It’s run by the Franciscan Friars T.O.R, who also run where I went for undergrad. Small world!
Stop 5: Birch and Vine at the Birchwood for Mother’s Day brunch. I guess everywhere outside DC is “reasonably-priced,” but I was pleasantly surprised by the tab at this place too! The food and vibe were fantastic. I especially loved how you could customize your “benedict.” There were so many options!
Stop 6: The Chihuly Collection. OMg, so freakin cool.. I loved seeing the artistry of glass. Soo fun. This museum is not cheap, especially to someone who is used to paying nothing for museums (#DCproblems), so chalk it up to a donation to the arts. It’s definitely worth seeing.
Stop 7: Shopping in the neighborhood around the Chihuly Collection (which I’m sure has a name). This area is hipster-central, and is soooo cool. I loved all the old buildings and the artsy feel. All of the shops were locally-owned, and many were super cute. I loved the antique stores and trendy little boutiques.
Stop 8: The Hyppo Gourmet Ice Pops. I had “gourmet ice pops” for the first time in Nashville a few years ago, and really hope this trend continues. I love how there are so may flavors to choose from (avocado chocolate, cucumber basil, blood orange, just to name a few…), aaaand you can have yours dipped in chocolate. My choice? Peanut butter pie pop dipped in chocolate… Obviously…
Stop 9: Cycle Brewing Company : If you blink, you’ll miss this place.. It’s teensy tiny, but definitely worth the stop. I had the “Ryerish Red” Red Ale, which was fantastic.. My sister had the Peloton (she’s obsessed with her exercise bike), and that was great too! 
Phew! Tired yet? After Cycle, we went to Hofbrau House, but I didn’t include it here because, if you’ve been to one Hofbrau House, you’ve been to all of them… In other words, it’s not unique to St. Petersburg. We then went to my sister and BIL’s apartment to visit with the doggies and tour the grounds.. Amazing. Finally, we had dinner together at Bella Brava. I also did not include in on here because I wasn’t crazy about it. The ambiance and presentation were great, but my Italian friends have made me incredibly snobby about Italian food.. In my opinion, it was way too Americanized.
I took an Uber straight from dinner to the airport, and was back to work bright an early Monday morning.
I would have liked to have spent more time in St. Pete, and look forward to getting back. It’s no Marco Island, but certainly has its fun and trendy merits.