Longboat Key, Florida - Day 2

For my birthday, I wanted to get out of town. I've always wanted to stay in Anna Maria Island about one hour south of Tampa. Florida's gulf islands were recently featured on Traveller Magazine and they are becoming more popular. I couldn't find a place in Anna maria but I found one in Longboat Key. This is just a few miles south and it has the same beautiful sand. I'm so happy that we found this place. We want to make it a family tradition. A weekend at the beach. The hotels in the area are not sophisticated and the area has more private condominiums than resorts. Since the snowbirds are not here yet, we felt like it was our own private beach. 

We went to the beach right after breakfast and walked back for lunch. My mom and my sister made my favorite lasagna the day before and it was amazing. This was a big surprise for me. 

After lunch, we returned to the beach. Emma didn't want to nap and I thought that it was going to be a difficult afternoon. Emma wanted to get back and play in the water as soon as we got back. I had extra clothes just in case and we had fun seeing her so happy. I didn't even try to put her bathing suit on again. 

This was definitely one of my best birthdays. I can't wait to return to this beautiful place. The following day we had to be out of the hotel by 11:00 AM. We went towards St. Armands Circle. This used to be one of my favorite places a few years ago. I got lunch for Emma but unfortunately we were not hungry and we decided to drive back and let Emma sleep in the car. Life with kids is planned around their naps. A kid without a nap is not a happy kid except when they are at the beach.

Sunset from Longboat Key, Florida

Last Friday, it was the first time that I watched a sunset from the beach in over 2 years. It was hard to go because Emma is usually eating dinner by 6:00 PM and in bed by 8:00 PM. That night, she ate dinner early that and we headed to the beach. This sunset was special because it was the last sunset before turning 33. I felt like it was a good bye to a good and also difficult year. 

Emma loved the sand and even the cold water. She started to eat the sand and after the air started to feel a little cool we took her out of the water and dressed her with dry clothes. She enjoyed every second. We left right after the sun came down. We had a hotel for 2 nights to celebrate my birthday. Our hotel was right across the street and we couldn't wait to spend the following day on this beautiful beach. 

On Giving Thanks...

Thanksgiving is not an important holiday for me. I've lived in the United States for almost 13 years and turkey is not my favorite food. However, I like the idea of giving thanks and the 2 paid days off are always welcome. I usually travel abroad since November is low season for international travel. Last year we went to Ecuador. This year we had plans to go to Peru. Since I am 8 months pregnant, I am not allowed to get on an airplane anymore. I'm Tampa bound and I plan to enjoy the days off doing the best thing to do this weekend: Shopping!!!!

Black Friday is probably the craziest and busiest shopping day of the year. I'm not planning to join the masses on this day. I am planning to go during the weekend to an outlet mall since they have great sale specials during holiday weekends. 

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The only choice we have to make is which of the 3 nearby outlet malls we should go to. There are 2 in Orlando and one in Sarasota. It takes about the same time to get to both. The only difference is that the Orlando Outlets have more stores and that since it is a tourist destination they are always PACKED! Black Friday or not, parking is impossible and you feel like they are giving away everything for free because of the excitement of the shoppers. 

One of the things to do when you come to the U.S from other Countries is to shop!! My friends from out of town always ask me which outlet is the best. They are all great, but it depends what you want to buy. They all have Coach, Ninewest, Lacoste, Polo, Banana Republic, Gap, Jcrew, Michael Kors, Nike, Guess, BCBG, Ann Taylor and many other stores. 

Ellenton Premium Outlets

This outlet is typically my choice when I don't want to go to a massive place and I don't want to spend all day shopping.  There are over 130 stores with a great selection and not many tourists. Parking is easy and I love the drive to Sarasota. The only store that is different here is the Saks 5th Avenue that has a great selection of shoes, dresses, designer jeans and all other amazing Saks merchandise at great prices. 

Photo Credit: www.premiumoutlets.com

Orlando Premium Outlets - Vineland Avenue

This is typically my choice when it comes to shopping in Orlando. Probably because it is closer to Tampa. Traffic getting in the parking lot and even out can be tricky. There is only one main exit road and unless you are familiar with the back roads you will be in traffic for a long time. There are over 150 stores in this mall. Some of my favorite stores that are not found in the other outlets include: lululemon, Prada, Burberry, and Tory Burch. My sisters like it because there is a Toys r us outlet store for their kids. The 7 for all mankind store is always a must for me, but you can also find one in the International Drive Outlets. 

Orlando Premium Outlets - International Drive

There are over 180 stores in this Outlet and you don't get to see all of them in one day. I usually plan what I want to buy before I go. Some of the stores that can only be found in this Outlet are Victoria's Secret, Champion, Forever 21, Aldo, and Ugg. There is a Pinkberry to take a break. There are a few better options for food apart from the food court. This is the newest Outlet mall in the area and in my opinion the best option. 

Sunset from Anna Maria Island, Florida

This weekend started with a trip to the beach with the excuse of having dinner somewhere different. I haven't been to Anna Maria Island many times. I forgot how nice the sand is here. The sand is soft, white, and powdery. We didn't get a spectacular sunset because it was a too cloudy. It looks like every time that I take my camera out, is a cloudy day. I was happy to be at the beach watching the seagulls at the end of a long work week.

Anna Maria Island

Can I live in one of those houses?

The sun was gone behind the dark clouds

Seagull foot marks

Andre's turn with the camera...

After taking a lot of pictures, we walked towards the Sandbard Restaurant to have dinner. I found a recommendation for this restaurant in a local beach rentals website.

Sandbar. Anna Maria Island, FL

While we waited for a table, I noticed that the birds were flying in a single line. It lasted for at least 5 minutes. I tried taking a few of pictures, but it was already dark. 

Can you see the birds across the water?

Anna Maria Island is located about one hour south of Tampa. After our nice dinner, I am sure that we will be back.  If you are looking for a nice place to eat and watch the sunset, the Sandbar restaurant is a great place. We waited at least one hour for the table. There was a live band and the view from the waiting area made it feel short. We were not too hungry so we just ordered a couple of appetizers. Next time I want to have some of their fish dishes after spending a whole day at the beach. 

Things to do in Tampa Bay

Recently, I've been thinking about what I can do on the weekends around town. Tampa has been my home for 12 years, but I have to confess that the only time that I do touristy things is when I have friends visiting. I usually just go to the same places and eat at the same restaurants. I want to change this and get out more often.

I like living in Tampa. I love the weather and having my family here.  I always said it was nice to live in Tampa because I didn't have many distractions while I was in college. That means there isn't much to do. During the week I usually work until 6:30 PM, and after work I've been going to spinning class. After that I'm exhausted and ready for a shower and my bed. However, on the weekends I want to have more options. I wanted to move for a long time to Miami or to the Northeast. After spending many days in Miami, I don't think I could live there. The North East is absolutely beautiful and full of excitement, BUT I can't live in the cold.

I have some ideas of places that I would like to see. I've always been curious about the Ringling Museum in Sarasota. The pictures of the Gardens are gorgeous. I love Sarasota, and I haven't been in a long time. Sometimes we drive to Anna Maria Island for the beach, but there other things to do in there. Thanks to Groupon I always see new places in the area that I've never heard of. I will keep an eye on this to get discount tickets or restaurant coupons.

Most weekends from March to October I go to the beach. My sister and my nephew love the beach. They always call me to pick me up. Andre is not a beach person, but sometimes I convince him to come with us. We always avoid the always crowded Clearwater beach. This beach is actually the closest, but traffic is bad and parking is always hard to find. My favorite beaches are Sunset Beach, Fort de Soto Beach, Tarpon Springs, and St. Pete Beach. 

Sunset Beach, Fl

Ft De Soto Beach, Fl

Honeymoon Beach

Last year we got the Disney annual pass. We have been once to each of the theme parks: Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. My favorite Disney them park is Epcot. We decided to get the pass to have more things to do on the weekend. I hadn't been to Magic Kingdom in over 10 years, and I had never been to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom. We had fun visiting all of the theme parks. Unfortunately, we don't go often enough to renew it for another year. We haven't been to any of the parks since October and we have to use it before April when it expires. We will probably go to Epcot tomorrow. 

Last week, I almost bought a ticket to a concert to go ALONE (again)! This time was to see Juan Luis Guerra. He is the best merengue singer in the world. I learned how to dance when I was a little girl with his songs. I went to Miami to see him in 2005. I never expected a merengue concert to be so good. I love dancing and going to this kind of concert alone is completely different than going to see Luis Miguel by myself. Andre and I have opposite tastes in music and he agreed to come with me if I bought the tickets. The real reason why I gave up on the idea was the price. The tickets are $200 each plus the trip to Miami. I'm crossing my fingers for a concert in Orlando. I could convince my sisters to come with me and just pay for my ticket. There is only one concert scheduled in Miami and one in New York City. I would really rather spend that money going somewhere else. For my amigos who don't know who he is, here is a video of one of his best songs:

Last year, I started doing a post every Sunday with sunset pictures. This was a good way to get me in the habit of writing in my new blog. Also, I was planning my wedding and had no travel plans except our trip to Colombia for the wedding and our honeymoon. We got married, went to Hawaii, and also went to Ecuador. I blogged about all that and one year later and now I'm back with no travel plans. Maybe I will start making "sunset sunday" posts as a way to find new/local places and at the same time learn how to use my camera. I'm getting ready to go to a place in South Tampa where last year I watched one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. I only had my iphone to take a few pictures. Hopefully today will be one of those memorable sunsets.

Sunset Sunday

This picture was taken at a sandbar close to Anna Maria Island, Florida. One thing I love about Florida's west coast are the sunsets. This day was one of the prettiest sunsets I've seen in my life. The colors of the photo are not retouched.