Back on Clearwater Beach

The journey ends, appropriately, as it began, on Clearwater Beach.  Strolling up the beach brings yet more great experiences and views of this fabulous vacation area.  We walk over the Sand Key Bridge from Sand Key into Clearwater Beach and view the city on one side and Sand Key County Park on the other.

 Crossing from Sand Key County Park to Clearwater Beach

 Sailing school heading out under the bridge into the Gulf of Mexico

Entering Clearwater Beach, we spot a great seabird, just hanging out on the land near the bridge.

Hanging out

Passing by the beautiful beaches, we head over to Pier 60, the fishing pier on Clearwater Beach.  The pier offers great views back toward the beach, and friendly pelicans standing by, waiting for the people fishing to catch something (and share it).

 Pier 60

Friendly pelicans on the pier

 Views back toward Clearwater Beach

At the entrance to the pier is a great playground, with slides and all sorts of other inflatable delights.

 For play

In the Pier 60 Park, at the entrance to the pier, there is a statue to Theodorus Griego, "the first Greek in America,"  who, on April 14, 1528, arrived in the Tampa Bay area as part of a Spanish expedition.  He did not survive the journey, but was followed in later years by many Greeks, including Greek sponge divers in the early 1900s.

Theodorus Griego

Just past the pier, the beach continues, with volleyball, dining, drinking, and soaking up the sun.

 More beach

One the main street through Clearwater Beach, the original Clearwater Taffy shop is still making taffy and we must have some.

Clearwater taffy

One more great experience is yet to happen:  dinner at Columbia Restaurant, a Spanish restaurant owned and operated for over 110 years by 5 generations of family.  Originally a corner saloon in Ybor City (in 1905), Columbia is the oldest continuously-operating restaurant in Florida, the oldest Spanish restaurant in the US, and, with 6 locations and 1,700 seats, one of the largest Spanish restaurants in the world.

We start with their special Manhattan and it is great!

Two Manhattans

We share Empanadas de Picadillo and Queso Fundido to start, with tetillo cheese baked in a rioja tomato sauce, followed by Fideua de Mariscos, a Catalan dish of fresh seafood, prawns, shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, garlic, white wine, and chili pepper in a spicy tomato sauce, and Roast Pork "a la Cubana", with a delicious marinade and served with beans, white rice, yucca, and plaintains.

Empanadas de Picadillo and Queso Fundido

 Fideua de Mariscos, Roast Pork "a la Cubana"

We're full after all this (we can't believe we ate the whole thing) and add yet another great dining experience to our list.

The Clearwater area has been fabulous to explore, lounge on the beaches, and dine in the tremendous restaurants.  We have to come back here!

Downtown Clearwater

Clearwater is the county seat of Pinellas County in Florida and was first settled in 1842, after the Second Seminole Indian War, when the Federal Armed Occupation Act of 1842 offered 160 acres (.65 sq km) to anyone who would cultivate the land and bear arms in defense of the U.S.  After the arrival of the Orange Belt Railroad in the 1880s, Clearwater grew rapidly and was claimed to be "the healthiest spot on earth."

Coachman Park in Clearwater is on the Intracoastal Waterway and next to the downtown district of government offices, residential streets, and the Church of Scientology, which has its headquarters in downtown Clearwater.

Coachman Park

Cleveland Street starts at Coachman Park and extends across the city, with fabulous old architecture, shops, restaurants, galleries, and offices.  The Capital Theater opened in 1921 for vaudeville and movies and reopened in 2014 to host concerts and other live events.

 Capital Theater on Cleveland Street

Cleveland Street

Situated along the street are works of art and sculpture.  And, randomly scattered through the town are statues of dolphins, each done differently, over 80 of which are  are located in the city on the "Dolphin Trail."

Artwork scattered around

 Random dolphins on the Dolphin Trail

Along the street are beautiful small courtyards, parks, and alleyways.  Station Square Park is located at the site of Clearwater's first train station, operating from 1888 until 1960.  Gas Light Alley is dedicated to citizens who worked to improve downtown Clearwater

 Station Square Park

Gas Light Alley

Park alongside the Fort Harrison Hotel

The buildings are historic and beautiful, including the old post office, a Mediterranean-Revival style building dedicated in 1933 and constructed of limestone quarried in the Florida Keys.

 Great buildings

Post Office

South of Cleveland Street, much of the city is filled with government offices and Church of Scientology offices.  The old Pinellas County courthouse was finished in 1918, a great example of Neo-Classical Revival architecture, and offers quite a contrast with its modern replacement.

Old Pinellas County Courthouse (1918)

New Pinellas County Courthouse 

Near the old courthouse is the worldwide spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology in the Flag Building, the largest building in Clearwater, occupying a full city block.

Flag Building

Back at Coachman Park, I walk along the water, enjoying the views of the causeway to Clearwater Beach, the harbor, the piers, and the beautiful scenery.

 Back at Coachman Park

Clearwater is primarily a county seat and the Scientology headquarters, but also has a lot to offer for a relaxing day.