Just got back from the IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg over the weekend. The race takes advantage of Albert Whitted Airport's position along the eastern edge of downtown to create a circuit using one of it's runways, up 1st St., around Pioneer Park, and back down Bayshore. I got in a day early so I headed in on Thursday to visit the Dali Museum, which is on the infield of the track and closed during the weekend as a result, and attend the weekend kickoff party in North Pinellas Park.
St. Pete covers a lot of area but the downtown core is really kind of Providence sized. There's quite a bit of parkland along the eastern shore, including a beautiful pier with great views, plenty of pelicans, and several places to play, sit, and eat. The Dali Museum is incredible, and it shares a plaza area with the Mahaffey Theater that acts as the main GA area for the race. North of there is their own Museum of Fine Arts, which was also a great visit. The downtown area is just west with plenty of restaurants, including Kraft Cafe, a fully gluten free place that I wish existed around here. Still lots of construction and more buildings going up. We'll see what happens to the area if something happens to the Rays, since Tropicana Field is still damaged from the hurricane last year and may not get fixed anytime soon. Regardless, an amazing place to visit and I'd recommend it even without IndyCar (though IndyCar makes everything better).
St. Pete covers a lot of area but the downtown core is really kind of Providence sized. There's quite a bit of parkland along the eastern shore, including a beautiful pier with great views, plenty of pelicans, and several places to play, sit, and eat. The Dali Museum is incredible, and it shares a plaza area with the Mahaffey Theater that acts as the main GA area for the race. North of there is their own Museum of Fine Arts, which was also a great visit. The downtown area is just west with plenty of restaurants, including Kraft Cafe, a fully gluten free place that I wish existed around here. Still lots of construction and more buildings going up. We'll see what happens to the area if something happens to the Rays, since Tropicana Field is still damaged from the hurricane last year and may not get fixed anytime soon. Regardless, an amazing place to visit and I'd recommend it even without IndyCar (though IndyCar makes everything better).
