It was pouring down snow this morning in East Tennessee. We made it to the airport all right, but the plane that was coming to get us from Clearwater, Florida, was inexplicably diverted to the Tri-Cities (Blountville, Tenn.) due to the weather, causing our Allegiant Air flight to leave Knoxville four hours late. This was inexplicable and frustrating because none of the other airlines were diverting flights, and the runway was clear, leading Tom and I to delcare Allegiant Air the Greyhound of the sky.
We finally arrived at PIE, the St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport, at 7:00 p.m., after dark, rendering our hotel room on the beach useless. Well, not completely useless, because we did sleep there, but we didn't really need to be on the beach for that, did we? We had better luck with the rental car than the flight, being happily surprised when Budget handed over keys to a sexy red Mustang.
Sweet ride!
It was a short drive over the Pinellas Bayway to the Travelodge in St. Pete Beach. This hotel had REALLY BAD reviews on the Internet, but it was perfectly fine, and for 90 bucks on the beach, it couldn't be beat. Norman's Liquor right down the street has a great beer selection, and we had a fantastic dinner at Agave Mexican Restaurant right next door to the hotel.
After dinner, we grabbed our flashlights and walked out to the water. The air was cool and the water was cold, but at least I got to dip my toes in the ocean on our first night in Florida!
Courtyard of the St. Pete Beach Travelodge