Fish & Chips at the Blue Moon Under Water
Trip Start
Apr 02, 2010
1
15
36
Trip End
May 01, 2010
Where I stayed
Same as last night
Saint Petersburg, Florida
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Greg's Version:
Today I wanted to see Historic St. Petersburg. One of the first things I found out was that there is no Historic St. Petersburg. There are all kinds of historic buildings but back in the 1960s the redevelopment people pulled down a lot of the old buildings and put up nice new buildings. What a waste.
We drove to St. Petersburg using the Garmin GPS to guide us to the History Museum. It took us down a long wharf and before we could follow all the instructions (it was taking us to the museum) we turned if off thinking it was taking us to the wrong place. We stopped and talked to a security guard who directed us to the museum. The front door to the museum was open so we walked in. About a half an hour later someone came up to us and asked if we were part of a party. We said no and he explained that the museum was closed to clean up after last night’s private party. We left quietly.
We hopped on a shuttle bus and learned that for twenty-five cents we could get a tour of St. Petersburg. We spent the money and enjoyed the tour. During the tour the driver was forced to detour from the normal route because of a car show. Not just any cars but very very expensive cars. We avoided the show because we were here to see St. Petersburg not expensive cars.
During the tour the driver pointed out a place called Blue Moon Underwater and said that it had been voted the best fish and chips in town. We couldn’t turn down a chance to see if their fish and chips were better than the ones we had in Williams Lake, BC. The fish and chips were good, about a 9.5 compared to what we remember about Williams Lake. The real highlight of the meal was the teapot. How to describe it? The teapot looked like a normal clear glass teapot filled with hot water and tea leaves. But, when you put it on top of a glass full of ice the bottom of the teapot lifts and lets the tea flow out the bottom into the glass. We ordered a second pot just so we could watch it fill the glasses again.
Comfort Station Story. According to city legend, the architect for St. Mary's Cathedral was not paid for his work. In response he designed and built a out building called the Comfort Station that looks exactly like the cathedral for revenge. Of course the real story is nothing like that. At the time the cathedral was built, in the late 19th century, there were no good ways to test the design. The architects built the Comfort Station as a model of the cathedral to see if the octagon design would work. The reason for to octagon design is so there would be no corners inside the cathedral so the devil could not back a soul into a corner.
New Boy Story. The St. Petersburg Independent Newspaper is free every day that the sun does not shine in St. Petersburg. Of course that does not happen very often but when it does circulation more than doubles. The paper makes more money on advertising than it loses on circulation.
Mostly we wandered around, did some shopping and started to fill the car back up with tourist stuff.
I wanted to visit the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, FL. I thought with an address of Parrish, FL it would be near a city. I guess it is near a city but the route we took was almost ten miles east of I-75 in the middle of farm land. As we approached the museum I could see police cars and patrolmen directing traffic. I was happy to see the museum so well attended until I learned that the reason was that Thomas the Tank Engine was visiting and all the visitors were kids with parents in tow. I talked with a person from the museum and was told that there was very little chance to see the collection. I took a few pictures of the pieces next to the parking lot before heading back to the hotel in Tampa.
Mary's Version
It was fun indeed, touring St. Petersburg. The weather was perfect, and The Pier was fun, too. I bought a pair of earrings and a matching necklace. The center is pink shell and the surrounding area is probably rhinestones. They are sparkly and pretty.
The whole day was just cool. And, as Greg said,the food was great, too. We both wanted the contraption that strained the tea, and all you had to do was put the thing on the top of your cup, and the tea drained into your cup! I still want one!
On the way back to the motel, we tried to find the Florida East Coast Train Museum. Oh, the GPS found it all right, however, when we got there, there was already a HUGE crowd! We parked the car and thought how cool! It must be a big museum! Well, it might be but, the reason for the crowd, (and there was a carnival too!), was because, the real train, Tommy the Tank Engine, was there! There were hundreds of parents and kids! And, the train ride cost $18.00! We decided, never mind and we headed on back to our hotel. We needed to do laundry, and so we did so, and ordered pizza in. A restful and productive evening.
