Dinner in Gulfport, Key Lime Pie at Sunset Beach

Pete and Joe have out of town visitors for the week, so scheduled a whirlwind day for them.  I caught up with them at 5:30pm Saturday at Pia's Trattoria in Gulfport.

 Pia's has changed a LOT since I last ate there with Wayne.  Seems like they annexed the building next door.  Amazing, the difference!

 The older part.  I arrived just as the guys were arriving and got a parking space right in front.  Pete and Joe were joined by Jim and Will visiting from Lawn Guyland, and Arnt and Linda.

 One of the private dining rooms.

 Another private dining room.

Larger 'wine cellar' dining room.

The bar room located in the front of the new area.

 We had a table on the back patio.  This is a view from my seat.

Pete and I had the scallops and lobster ravioli.

We let Tinker Bell out of her prison cell while we were making our selections from the menu.

Joe's penne.

 Orchids hanging nearby.

Pia's is known for the lasagna.

 Jim, Will, Arnt, Linda, Pete, me and Joe.

 Our server, Valentina.  She was super!  She told us she got her name from being born on Valentine's Day.

Lots of bikes parked there.  I think maybe a lot of the employees there ride their bike to work.  Gulfport is described as an "artsy" community, and it is!

Wall on the side of the building in part of the patio seating area.

We went for a short walk afterwards, over to the Casino and beach front.  There was a wedding celebration going on inside.

We headed over to Arnt's condo on Sunset Beach to have some key lime pie and watch the sunset.  These vagrants were hanging  around the parking area.  I just waved my hand to dismiss them.

Joe relaxin'

 Pete relaxin'

Cruise ship in the center heading out into the Gulf.

The people on this sunset cruise boat were all shouting as the sun was setting.

Watch for the green flash.
:-)

Such a nice breeze.  Ooops!  Dropped my mojito!

Ray and Iz Visit St Pete

It has been really nice to have my brother Ray and my sister-in-law Iz visit me for the past two days here in St. Petersburg. I took them on a whirlwind tour of the place! They are now back in their room resting comfortably!

On Sunday night after their arrival we took a quick tour from downtown up to Old Northeast neighborhood where I live. We went to dinner at Cafe Nola downtown. It was a first visit for us all. The service, although pleasant, was a bit bizarre. We were served one at a time, as if each dish was prepared separately. (Perhaps only one small pot in the kitchen?) The food was decent, although we were a bit disappointed.

Our beignets.

Next a trip a couple of doors down to Paciugo for gelato. What's a trip to St. Pete without a stop there!!!

We started Monday with a trip over to Sunset Beach. The sky was very overcast then, and there was a cool breeze blowing in off the Gulf.

Fortunately, the day passed without any rain. And the sun managed to poke it's head out every now and then.

LOTS of beach erosion going on there.

Then we drove up to John's Pass for some coffee and shop browsing.

These pelicans took over a dock that is up for lease. They're not very good housekeepers! I think their floor needs a cleaning.

Next, a stop at Mazzaro's after a short drive around the Kenwood neighborhood to see some of the bungalows.

Had a fun time at Mazzaro's. Here are our lunch selections . . .










I had wanted to take a snapshot of Ray's rum cake dessert. I turned to get my camera and when I turned back, the cake was all gone!

After a brief respite at my place, we drove thru Roser Park and then down to Gulfport.

Then back to my place. Ray and Iz had to make a stop at Just Jack's.

For dinner we headed over to Valentino's. We started with an antipasti.

Next was the Valentino Chips.

Followed by the Lasagna Pizza.

Back to the gym tomorrow!