Lunch in St. Petersburg

Deserted St. Petersburg Pier

John, Trudy and the boys left early this morning for an airboat tour of the Florida Everglades. I did a small load of laundry and caught up on some chores until nearly noon. Bob and I drove into St. Petersburg by a different route (Pasadena to Gulfport-22nd Street, into DT St. Petersburg), because of the east bound lane closure on the Pinellas Byway between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Lunch at the Parkshore Grill was inside rather than out, because of a 20-minute wait. No matter. Loved my pecan encrusted blue tilapia and spinach, but Bob's salmon with lemon caper sauce and thickish angel hair pasta didn't seem very appealing. I detest capers almost as much as olives, and the dish was full of them. Bob liked it well enough.

I was disappointed to see that the St. Petersburg Pier is deserted due to structural deterioration and the interior is vacant. Plans to re-open seem vague and lacking in support. We stopped at our favorite Vinoy Park to watch the fishing. No dolphins or manatees, but plenty of entertainment watching the pelicans try to steal fish. The afternoon felt a little chilly (68F or so) by the water so we headed home toward the end of the afternoon.