Some virtual wanderlust for you, in case you’re looking for an escape, be it virtual or IRL (in real life).

I love Saint Petersburg. We’ve spent a month there, right before the pandemic began and before we crossed the bridge and “settled” in Tampa. That wasn’t planned as a “permanent” move, but little did we know back then that life was about to change for the foreseeable future. Had we known this at the time, we would have made a bigger effort to explore its restaurants and other things it has to offer. Looking back, we thought we had all the time and chances in the world…

Of course, we have visited this city several times since then, including touring The Salvador Dali Museum. Frankly, we spend more time visiting Saint Petersburg than our own city.

To me, Saint Petersburg feels more sophisticated than its neighboring cities. That can be attributed to the fact that it’s surrounded by water mostly, and has much better beaches than Tampa. While the downtown is fairly small, it’s beautifully nestled between water and parks.

There, we usually explore the outdoors more than anything else, lately. Saint Petersburg is a popular city for tourists, hence, can be pretty crowded, especially in the area downtown, and other attractions. And you know I don’t like crowds, especially these days.

The latest attraction of the city is St. Pete Pier, which generally, is bustling with people from all over the world. Case in point, in one of our recent visits, I have heard several languages being spoken by passersby.

The pier is like a city of its own, boasting restaurants, a museum, a discovery center, art, beach, and the list goes on — there is plenty to discover there. My favorite part is the view of the Downtown, of course, especially if it includes the Vinoy Resort, a pink building, which just screams “Florida”. The downtown itself is very walkable, and, if you get tired, you can always hop on The Looper).

Enjoy the views!

xo,

Em