beach gear. It is a smart feature of both Postcard-owned properties that I have had the pleasure to stay at—this St. Pete property and the Islamorada property in the Florida Keys, that both have kept the older motel-style where the rooms open directly to the outside rather than into an air-conditioned hallway. When you are wet from the pool, or sandy from the beach, you don’t want to be trudging up and down long hallways and riding in chilly elevators. And we, like all of our neighbors, left the ost each of o r elongings the oats sandals and kid’s pails—outside our door when they were not in use. Having a door that opened to the outside, especially onto the pro d oor gave s another enefit a right green, grassy, postcard-sized personal lawn. This tiny bit of greenery got a ridiculous amount of use from our kids, who rolled on it, played on it, snacked on it and read books on it during our stay. Most of our neighbors enjoyed their small private kingdoms as well. A friendly co ple a few nits down were o t on their ini-lawn o and-on all da . The safe space let the trade o caring for their very young baby, while the other parent got to nap. It was nice of the parents to welcome my daughter’s curious visits, and interesting to talk to the husband, who turned out to be a world-renowned “shark-tagger” who spends most of the year at sea. Of course, the beach is divine. It is a huge, almost endless expanse of soft, perfect sand that leads to the happy Gulf waters. The Gulf of Mexico is almost always gentle and warm, among the best beach experiences in the world. The resort’s pool is also enormous and was a centerpiece of activity and energy all day. And, at least while we were there two happ f n-filled weddings were underway — ceremonies on the beach during the day, and festive, evening parties after the sunset. An amazing synergy has formed between a nearby start-up business and the resort. Right beyond the gates to the par ing are the o ces of eachfront ggies where your vacation can be expanded to include the rest of t. ete each. eachfront ggies o ers ggies for rental, which are something in-between a road-legal golf cart, and a futuristic space pod. The egg-shaped vehicles can co forta l carr fo r people and o er a roof and a windshield, but no doors. It’s an open-air wild ride in which you self-drive and putter your way up and down the island, exploring while the wind whips by and the s n ea s. The sta is incredi l enth siastic a o t the service and cares that their customers have fun, including o ering tips on places to go and things to see on the island. e set o down the road. irst whipped past o r favorite must-return lunch spot in all of St. Pete— The arrac da eli afe which is wal ing distance to the resort. arrac da is a s all nass ing fa il resta rant with the est an sandwiches o will find an where. The kids hooted and cheered as we headed North to ohn s ass illage oardwal a lovel collection of
shops and restaurants arranged along the eponymous boardwalk. The view from the windows of the Friendly Fisherman Restaurant is half the joy of lunch—boats, seagulls and gorgeous Florida waterways—and the Halfo nd l e heese r nch rger anaged to satisf even my son’s growing-boy appetite. fter filling p on fries and so e reall e cellent clam chowder, we took to the boardwalk to explore. Right on cue, just as the warm air and post-lunch torpor set in, we stumbled across The Sandbar, an ice cream shop that had st added a delicio s cold- rew co ee over ice cream option to their menu. The sugar perked up the ids and the ca eine per ed p the ad lts and with that we remembered the advice of the concierge back at the ostcard nn on the each. e had een told that we ight find alligators sna es and other wild ani als near . The Alligator Attraction must be seen to be elieved. l ensconced on the second oor of an outdoor shopping center is one of the quirkiest and ost f n places o ight ever find. here there should have been a sunglasses store and a clothing boutique, is now a quintessential roadside attraction where you can kiss baby alligators, hold scaly pythons, continued on page 133
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