A few days on and a few more adventures have been happening! I've been spending some hours at the beach to notch up the old tanning time as it's clearly my last chance this year. The beach I've been going to is Fort de Soto which was voted as the number one beach in the whole of America last year and still remains the best beach in Florida.
It's not at all touristy, probably because it's quite a way out so you have to have a car to get to it. There's no sun loungers, no bars except one cafe on the whole stretch but luckily this all means that in the week this beach is so quiet it's practically your very own private relaxation zone.
On Friday I got there about 11am, found my spot and laid back to soak up the rays. I'd brought a picnic of jam sandwiches, beer and nachos... a clear winning combo so I was set for a number of hours. The only things I shared the beach with was some seagulls that instantly now when there's food in a 50 mile radius, some pelicans which never left the jurassic period and some geriatrics that make up this part of St Pete. All in all, a perfect morning and one I can most certainly get used to.
After I got back from cooking myself on both sides I decided that I wanted to go out for dinner on my own. There's a bit of a stigma attached to solo dining I guess, the 'billy no mates' theory where no one likes the whole place staring at them wondering why they have no one to at least break some bread with. But seeing as everyone I'm hanging about with just go to places that sell burgers and fries I wanted to go and have a balanced meal out for the first time in nearly 3 weeks.
As the nights are closing in now I planned to park in the multi story near where the restaurant I picked was so I didn't have to walk around the town in the dark on my own, it looked pretty easy to find on the map so best foot on the peddle and I was off.
In the centre of St Pete some 'know it all' decided it was a great idea to put loads of one way systems in to reduce traffic flow. What it has done instead has taken a 2 minute journey and multiplied it into a 25 minute journey with a few near death experiences thrown in for good measure. I must have circled the block I needed to get to 50 times before I managed to get into the garage. Up and down, back and forth, ran a few stop signs because I was looking at the map not the road and I almost ended up back at the house before I managed to park the fricking car. I left the house at 6.00pm, I parked the car at 7.05pm.... It's two miles from where I'm living, now you tell me if that's a good road system.
The restaurant I'd picked was an Italian in the Baywalk, nice Mediterranean menu, good decor and the token mood music in the background. I'd come armed with the solo diner's weapons; a book and my course work so I wasn't going to be pitied that much, well at least I wouldn't be so aware of it anyway.
When you utter the words "Just for one" you get a look, slight shock, slight concern, slight intrigue. People automatically want to know how you've got the balls to eat alone. I really don't see the big deal to be fair, why shouldn't it be ok to go and enjoy some nice food with just yourself for company?
I ordered Mussels in a white wine sauce to start and seafood linguine for my main course and a glass of merlot. All was going well so far and to be very honest, I was really enjoying it. I did have some reservations, thinking I'd feel awkward or throw the food down my throat to get out of there quickly. But it gave me a real sense of independence, bizarre as I've eaten out on my own before but here it just felt a little different.
I chatted with my waiter for a while but he was kind enough to give me the space to enjoy my alone time and there was only one waiter that kept staring at me with a look of shock and curiosity on his face, even when I smiled at him he continued to just look at me like I was an exhibit.
When I was half way through my main course a business type gent walked in on his own too and sat on a table opposite me. I think there was a moment where he thought to ask if he could join me and at the same moment the linguine splashed up in my face giving me a line of tomato sauce down my nose so I think he thought better of it. We did chat a little though and he gave me some tips of bars to go to if I fancied a drink afterwards, he then giggled...a man of middle aged giggled at me. As you can probably guess I decline the offer and continued to spatter myself with my food.
I came back that night feeling quite accomplished, not that it was a very adventurous thing to do but all the same I felt like it was!
On Friday I'd been invited out to a sports bar and a street party that happens once every month in St Pete. They put on some music and the local bars set up tables and chairs in the street and offer 2-4-1 drinks all night so it seemed like a winner to me! Unfortunately as the Baseball team where playing that night and they are on a winning streak the town wasn't that busy to begin with so we headed into one of the bars to watch the game and grab some food.
It was the stereo typical sports bar, loads of TVs, pool tables, red and white checkered table cloths, waitresses in short tops and barely there skirts but it had a really nice feel to it and even some cowbell noises to add to the atmosphere, whoop. The team won that night so by around 10pm everyone was off their rockers, including the local governor (who is gay apparently and having a fake wedding to some rich bird someone whispered to me as if they'd be struck by lightening if anyone overheard).
There was a lady that joined us with the biggest hair I have ever seen, I swear if you were playing hide and seek that would be a great place to bury yourself into, no one would ever find you! She was from Texas and had the most annoying voice ever along with blood red lipstick so not only her voice offended me but the whole the noise was coming from too!
Other highlights of the night included: high fiving the whole bar when a home run was scored (I'm so down with it) seeing some tramps scrap over a bottle of beer and telling that governor he should get a Mohawk haircut.
Tomorrow I'm off fishing so up at the crack of dawn to catch my tea, can't wait!!!
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