In April, I had taken a 10-day trip to Tampa Bay to scope out areas to live and had seen this pink hotel, the Don Cesar, when I was checking out St. Pete Beach. The strange thing is, I don’t remember any of these other buildings, only the big pink hotel. I now realize that even on my “vacation” when I had no other distractions, I was in such a rush that I completely missed Pass-A-Grille and hadn’t even noticed the other motels around the Don Cesar. The ironic part is that my goal for the trip was to try and experience Tampa Bay like a “local”. I had visited the area before on vacation, so this trip I wanted to try and experience it from a local’s point of view. (This was my “make or break” trip before I gave my employer my notice to quit and move so I needed to be sure that I would still like the area when I wasn’t on vacation.) So much for a local experience – the only thing I remember is the tourist spot!
Well, today I would not make that same mistake! There were so many other amazing hotels to admire! The Bon-Aire was the quintessential 1950s hotel with tons of charm! Even the sign looks original! I can just imagine celebrities vacationing here in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The Postcard Inn is another spot that caught my attention and after looking it up online (when I returned home) I definitely want to see the inside! I was also intrigued by the brightly colored Bay Palms. I think next visit I will stop in the hotels and check them out! I still can’t believe I missed all of these great spots on my trip in April! I had to turn the car around and make another lap, just to be sure that I saw everything this time! I also added a few of the hotels to my list as I want to come back and stay the night!
I noticed a sign pointing to “Downtown” St. Pete Beach so I headed away from the coast and found a stretch of road bordered with shops. I was a little disappointed when the people working at theses businesses were not near as friendly as those in Pass-A-Grille. In fact, at the first shop I tried to greet the Salesperson but she was too busy talking on the phone to notice. In the next shop, the two employees were so engrossed in gossip that I actually felt uncomfortable being in the store with them. By the third shop, I was pretty annoyed and thinking about just heading home. I became more agitated as I thought to myself, “I have better things to do than waste my time in here. . ..”
WAIT! What? How is this wasting my time? I can look at the merchandise regardless if the staff acknowledges me! This is a perfect example of my old habits coming back. I had to take a time-out and reassess. Yes, the conversations with people in Pass-A-Grille made the trip a much more enjoyable and memorable experience. However, I can still enjoy my visit here! I don’t need to compare this to Pass-A-Grille and I don’t need to have such high expectations. In fact, I don’t need any expectations! I just need to enjoy each moment for what it is and value the experience!
After my pep talk, I continued down the street and enjoyed visiting the other businesses. I’m glad I did not leave because at the end of the road there was a great old movie theatre and a dog boutique across the street. Unfortunately, the theatre was closed but I added it to my list as I will definitely want to come back if it reopens!
I am really happy that I found another area to explore! But most of all, I’m happy I didn’t let my old habits ruin a fun experience!
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