Dali Museum + Tapas + Slow Travel = Weekly Love

Last Updated: September 25, 2020

After working remotely from Hawaii in March, I was a little worried that following up with a month in Florida would be a bit anticlimactic. That’s the beautiful thing about expectations though…

I loved living less than a mile from the beach, and just like anywhere I’ve ever been for more than three weeks… I started to see myself in how I would live there (… of course, once I did, I’m sure I’d promptly feel like leaving). Slow travel is like a little window into another version of what your life could be like. And the more you travel, the more you see how many different lives you could live — and still be equally happy. So just like the Cyclades islands in Greece, and New Zealand, and Marseilles, and Kailua, and Morocco… I loved this little experiment in Olivia’s life “the Florida version”.

This Week:

Buddy Brew Coffee – I like to think every city has at least one decent, er awesome coffee shop. It just took a bit more time to find in the Tampa Bay area. Finally, a lovely latte — from Buddy Brew!
Dali Museum – The Dali museum in St Pete is $10 after 5pm on Thursdays (usually $21 — yikes!). The building itself is a masterpiece. We also caught the second half of the free guided tour, which was a nice way to learn about some of the pieces. I’m not the biggest Dali fan, but totally worth $10.
Ciro’s Speakeasy & Supper Club – let’s start with discussing required valet parking. Dislike. So after parking across the street, and feeling much smugger, we were on with our evening. When they slid open the little window on the door and asked if we had a password, saying “no, we’re just here to get a drink” seemed to do the trick. Sooo mysterious. ;) The drinks were good though and a fairly chill, but friendly atmosphere (I imagine this place gets a little slammed on weekends though). I got a sazerac & we split the duck fries (no not fries made of duck, just cooked in their delicious fat). Maybe I should change my blog name to Powered by Duck Fat?
mid-day swims – there was a pool at our condo building in Florida. We finally got into the habit of going for a swim at lunch during our last week. Took a while, I know.  :)
tapas party – yay tapas!
blue cheese & caramelized onion burgers – for our last supper living on Treasure Island, we made my favorite burgers. So good.
Goodbye, Florida – I will miss the evening walks & runs to the beach at sunset, and the weather, and new friends, and the beach, and exploring a new [to me] city.
Hello, Portland – As much as I love traveling, nothing beats coming home for a while. I love my city. I love flying in and seeing all the green and the Columbia, and the rain. It’s also nice to wake up in my own bed, and cook in my own kitchen (hooray for lemon zesters, blenders, and juicers!), and getting a decent latte (sorry Tampa). And I’m looking forward to riding my bike, trying to visit all the new restaurants that sprouted up in the last couple months, and laughing at my kitty! :)

What are you happy about this week?