Before living in North Carolina, I lived in St. Petersburg, Florida. You know, I really thought I had a clear memory of what St. Pete looked like but I was wrong. During the travels with my mother recently, I had a chance to go to St. Pete and see my sisters in law and three brothers. Before going to Marlon and Marsha’s house, my mother and I took a drive along the bay front. How could I have forgotten how lovely the bay approach to St. Pete is? 05/25/2012

Congratulations to Tryst, our next door neighbor on Beach Drive in downtown St Petersburg, and one of our favorite places to eat and drink. UrbanSpoon recently named Tryst as one of America's 250 most popular high-end restaurants and was one of only four named in Tampa Bay - in the company of long-time favorites Bern's Steak House and Mise-en-Place, both in Tampa. It's especially significant since Tryst is the only selected restaurant in St Petersburg and it's been open less than a year! Here's another Tryst review with food photos. Open Table reviews that rate it 4-5 stars mark it great for outdoor dining, fit for foodies and a vibrant bar scene. Inside or out it's a great setting. Tryst's inside/outside bar is a popular place to meet and greet, to see and be seen. Each of us on the Si... 05/22/2012

Downtown St Pete has movies in North Straub Park every Thursday in May. What a wonderful place to enjoy dinner overlooking the water while waiting for the movie to start. Music begins at 7 and the movie starts at dark. Bring your own picnic or buy food from some of the Saturday Morning Market vendors. Movies are free but donations are appreciated. Thursday, May 19:  Some Like It Hot (1959) Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon   Thursday, May 28: North by Northwest (1959) Hitchcock thriller with Cary Grant.   May Music and Movies in the Park   and if you're interested in a condo overlooking the park in downtown St Pete or a home nearby, please contact The Simms Team at ALVA International, Inc real estate. We're on Beach Drive NE in downtown St Petersburg. Look for the red awning that ... 05/14/2012

The Craftsman House Gallery & Pottery Studio on Central Avenue in St Petersburg Florida offers Raku Workshops on various days throughout the year. If you have never glazed a piece of raku pottery, you don't know what you are missing! Since I used to own a small pottery studio, it is a process that I have enjoyed many times and I highly recommend it! The 2 hour workshop includes instruction in the raku process. The Craftsman House supplies one small piece of unglazed raku pottery and all of the materials you need to complete the process. When it is over, you can take your raku glazed piece home with you. Naturally, since you are working with pottery that has been fired at 1800 degrees, long pants and closed-toed shoes are a must! Call the Craftsman House Gallery to check on dates for thi... 05/10/2012

Mother's Day is coming and what better place to find that special gift for her than the Craftsman House Gallery at 2955 Central Avenue in St Petersburg Florida? The Craftsman House Gallery is hosting their 6th Annual Teapot Show from Saturday, May 12 - June 30th! There are wonderful ceramic teapots for sale made by select artists from across the country! There is also a World Fair Trade Day Celebration on Saturday, May 12 at 5pm, just before the Teapot Show kicks off! They are offering discounts on one pound bags of Craftsman House organic, fair trade coffee!  On Sunday, May 13th, the Craftsman House Gallery is having a Mother's Day Brunch - reservations are required! Call 727-323-2787 to reserve your place! The cost is $18 and seating is at 10:30 am and 12 noon.  The Craftsman House Ga... 05/08/2012

Many people are overwhelmed by the practical side of re-locating to the St. Petersburg area, the old primary residence has to be sold, a new one organized, and somehow miraculously the closing on the old home and the new one should happen simultaneously. And then in reality, it's a rather big undertaking to make that happen. It is often easier to plan on a temporary home in the new location.You can rent furnished or unfurnished. For a few months or a year. Try condo living without buying one, explore a new location, try a 55+ community to see if you like it:   Renting allows the unique opportunity to test drive a new lifestyle or location, without buying the property yet!    Here is a sample of properties for rent in the Greater St. Pete/Central Pinellas area: South Pasadena 2 br/2ba co... 05/01/2012

Moving to Florida is still many people’s dream, and most people who move to the Sunshine State live here happily ever after and will tell you “The only regret we have is that we didn’t do this sooner!” But as people are trying to tackle the practical side of re-locating, they soon realize it’s a rather big undertaking. Often a major move like that is triggered by a big, significant event in people’s lives: job change, retirement, change in marital status, getting away from the cold, downsizing, there are a million reasons to move. In order to move, the old residence has to be sold, so you put it on the market. It doesn’t sell immediately, and you keep thinking about this upcoming move. You would like to organize your future now, but can’t buy a new home in Florida because you need your ... 05/01/2012

On Saturday the British Expats celebrated the Queen’s Birthday in St Petersburg Fl, and being a true Brit it was only right that I joined several of my countrymen to celebrate the Queen’s Birthday. I would have to confess that had I not joined the local British Expat Group I probably would not have even remembered it was her birthday, that is a sorry confession but true.         The party was hosted by Paul Smith and Darren Conner at the Queens Head on Central Ave in St Petersburg and as always they were perfect EnglishGentlemen. The weather also fell right into place as it rained for most of the evening, just like home, but that would hardly put off a bunch of Brits.                 It is always good to hear that good old British accent and a few home style expressions, some of which ... 04/26/2012

  There are lots of recurring things to do weekends in downtown St Petersburg, but here are 5 special things to do this weekend in downtown St Pete:  1.  Tampa Bay Blues Fest, held at Vinoy Park, a wonderful waterfront park in downtown St Petersburg. 2.  Soccer at Al Lang Field. The Tampa Bay Rowdies play their opening soccer game tonight against FC Edmonton. 3.  Theater in the Park. American Stage presents The Rocky Horror Show at Demens Landing, another waterfront park in downtown St Petersburg. You can picnic on the grass or even buy a chair onstage if you want to interact with the cast.  4. At The Mahaffey you can see Cirque Dream's "Pop Goes the Rock" theatrical and acrobatic performance. Enjoy dinner first at one of the many Beach Drive restaurants. The weather is great for outsi... 04/14/2012

St Petersburg Florida's  Hands On Museum at 1925 4th Street North is indeed a museum for kids. I took my granddaughter to the Hands On Museum - also called Great Explorations Children's Museum - yesterday and we both had a fantastic time! This is the perfect place for a five year old to explore! From the harp that has no strings but makes music if you run your hands through the area where the strings should be, to the grocery store provided by Publix, this is a fantastic place for kids to explore. Aubrey really enjoyed putting on a Publix apron and working the bakery, then scanning and checking out food for other kids. Naturally, the Sandpearl ship and tree house were popular as was the firetruck and firemen's jackets that she got to wear! This museum was set up so that a child can spen... 04/06/2012

St Petersburg Clay Company is hosting a gallery reception to coincide with the Second Saturday Gallery Walk this Saturday, March 10th from 6-8 pm at their location: 420  22nd Street South in St Petersburg Florida. The St Petersburg Clay Company is a fabulous place for potters! They offer over 36,000 sq ft of space for potters to create their works of art! Over twenty-five Brent wheels, a 22' Anagama kiln, a wood fired pizza oven, a Fred Olsen fast fire wood kiln, train kiln....and the list goes on! If you are a potter looking for a wonderful location to work or if you are interested in taking classes, call the St Petersburg Clay Company at 727-896-CLAY. Located in the old Seaboard Railroad Train Station, this is also a wonderful place to go if you are looking for a special gift for a fr... 03/07/2012

Craftsman House in St Petersburg Florida is holding their 4th annual Pi(e) Day on Wednesday, March 14th. They mention mathematics when spelling it Pi Day but are celebrating with various homemade pies that are available throughout the day! I will be stopping by for their fantastic strawberry rhubarb pie. The only other person I have ever known that could make a good strawberry rhubarb was the marmalade my mother-in-law made in Germany! Located at 2955 Central Avenue in St Petersburg, the Craftsman House is a fantastic location not only for pie or lunch but also for fantastic gifts since they sell not only locally made pottery but also jewelry, blown glass and breathtakingly beautiful wooden bowls. Put the Craftsman House on your list of places you REALLY need to visit! 03/06/2012

The Old Northeast neighborhood, adjacent to downtown St Petrsburg, has always been a popular neighborhood. Now This Old House has recognized it as a Best Old Home Neighborhood 2012: South. It's the only neighborhood in Florida to be recognized by them this year and it rates in various categories: family friendly, parks and recreation, cottages and bungalows, gardening, Editors' Choice. The varied styles of homes - bungalows, Colonials, Mediterranean, Italian, and even a few moderns - work together because of all the trees and landscaping. Many of the streets are brick and many of the sidewalks are made with hexagonal concrete blocks. Most of the garages are in the back of the homes, with alley access. Most homes have a front porch, which encourages conversations. It's easy to chat betwe... 02/22/2012

St Petersburg Short Sales | what about furniture. Excuse me?  Some things never stop to amaze me in a St Petersburg Short Sale situation. We had the beautiful condo as a Short Sale listing on St Petersburg not too long ago and it had really nice furniture in it. A few weeks down the road another real estate agent presented an offer and it was spelled out in the offer that “all furniture with an approximate value of $10,000 is included” We had to read it twice to believe it. Everybody please take a note, there is a difference between personal property and real estate. Unless for whatever very strange reason the bank gave you the loan with furniture as collateral, the lender doesn’t own your furniture and therefore can’t sell your furniture.   The St Petersburg Short Sale homeowner as wel... 02/09/2012

St Petersburg waterfront condo for sale | Short Sale Short Sale condo for sale in St Petersburg Overview Maps Photos Description $79,000 Condominium Main Features 1 Bedroom1 BathroomInterior: 823 sqft Location 4924 Beach Dr SEFSt Petersburg, FLUSA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Anne Hensel South Beaches Real Estate Professionals(727) 410-7777annesouthbeaches@gmail.comhttp://www.SouthBeaches.info Listed by: South Beaches Real Estate Professionals Our recent listings Short Sale condo for sale in St Petersburg2/1 fully furnished condo for sale in St Petersburg FloridaWaterfront Townhome for sale in Tierra VerdeWaterfront Short Sale in Treasure IslandWaterfront Condo for sale in Madeira Beach Subscribe to our listing feed ... 02/08/2012

2/1 fully furnished condo for sale in St Petersburg Florida Overview Maps Photos Features Description Neighborhood $55,000 Condominium Main Features 2 Bedrooms1 Bathroom1209 UnitsInterior: 875 sqft Location 4060 55 St N1209Kenneth City, FL 33709USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Anne Hensel South Beaches Real Estate Professionals(727) 410-7777annesouthbeaches@gmail.comhttp://www.SouthBeaches.info Listed by: South Beaches Real Estate Professionals Our recent listings 2/1 fully furnished condo for sale in St Petersburg FloridaWaterfront Townhome for sale in Tierra VerdeWaterfront Short Sale in Treasure IslandWaterfront Condo for sale in Madeira BeachCondo for sale in Seminole at Oakhurst Garden Subscribe to our listing f... 02/08/2012

Gone Fishin' - Sometimes You Need A Day and today was that day! Ronnie decided that he wanted to go fishing today and since I did not have anything pressing on my list, we took off early this morning! It proved to be a nice day as it got toward noon but did not take long for the clouds to return. Seems a cold front is moving through bringing today's high down to 'only' 78 degrees. So we enjoyed a little sun for a short amount of time. Seems the fish knew that the weather was turning and that it is a full moon (amazing how these things can influence what those fish do). One Snook did bite but it also got away again. It scaled the bait fish, that is how we knew it was a Snook. As we headed north, we ran into a little rain. Just enough to want me to take a warm shower and put on my pj's fo... 02/07/2012

At the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg will be the Festivals of Speed Staged inside an actual aircraft hanger, guests will experience a fabulous display of vintage & contemporay aircraft, the world's most exotic cars, custom created motorcycles, high performance boats and the finest luxury lifestyle product displays. Should be an amazing event!    02/07/2012

Yes, cash does matter when buying a home in St Petersburg, Florida. Historically, sellers didn't give price concessions for cash unless time was critical to them. For most sellers, it didn't matter if their proceeds came from the buyer or the lender. Today, well priced properties in St Petersburg will often have multiple offers. In most cases, the St Pete seller will accept the cash offer rather than the highest price. Of course it depends on the difference in price as well as other factors. The mortgage process is taking longer, a preapproval letter means less when "The Underwriter" adds conditions for either the buyer or the property, and too many appraisals - generally ordered through appraisal management companies - are coming in well below the contract price.    02/07/2012

The Women's Tennis Association will keep it corporate headquartersin downtown St Peterburg Florida. They just signed a new lease at the City Center, which is also home to Northern Trust Bank and is across from Signature Place condominium. The WTA was founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 and is the organizing body for womens profesional tennis. WTA governs the WTA Tour whch is an international professional tennis tour for women.  An $8.5 million renovation of the City Center, which includes a fitness center, has generated 65,000 sq ft of new leases, raising the occupancy rate from 45% to 70%. 01/31/2012