Salvador Dali Museum outing

One Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL. Tel. 727-823-3767

On January 11, 2011 the new Salvador Dali Museum will open to the public. I was able to tour the museum's beautiful and exciting new home during it's construction and again just before the paintings were transferred. The entire experience reflects both Dali's life and career and is, therefore, a fascinating place to visit. It's very different from the original site.

The cement and glass exterior is sure to be a St. Petersburg icon. The structure, its landscaped exterior and surrealist interior were all carefully designed to reflect the man and his art. As for the art work, it is still the most comprehensive collection of Dali's work in the world.

At the moment, it's best to go to the Dali website to see the list of events planned for the opening celebrations. Tickets for individuals and groups are currently on sale online.

If you plan to visit often it's a good idea to become a member for the unlimited free admission and other discounts available.

BTW can now dine at the museum either indoors or out. It you're feeling more adventurous we do offer alternatives....

Dining Out

After enjoying the Dali you'll be ready for either lunch or dinner so here are a couple of suggestions. The first is Cerviche's a tapas bar and restaurant located at 95 Central Ave. where you can continue the Catalan experience. The food and sangria have both won awards in the Tampa Bay area. The second is The Hangar located at tiny Albert Whitted Airport within walking distance of the museum. You'll be able to eat either indoors or out while watching the planes come and go. A fun place for the kids too. The food is good and you can read a past review on this blog, just look up The Hangar.

ABC Chinese Seafood Restaurant

2705 54th Avenue North #3, St. Petersburg, FL 33714
727-522-1888

It sounds crazy, but last week while I was having my birthday pedicure, I received the best tip ever for a Chinese restaurant. The woman who filled me in was decked out in Rays gear (very little interest to me) and was talking to the technician about her upcoming trip to the "orient" (slightly more interest to me.) When she looked over at me and said she loved Asian food, well she had my attention. "Best Chinese restaurant in St. Pete is ABC Seafood," she announced. People nodded politely, yet no one seemed to care but me. It's probably because I have been extremely disappointed with Chinese food in this area. It's either too greasy or too salty or just plain bad, so I've turned to the more modern fusion places for my noodle and fried rice fixes. Since it was my birthday, I told my husband this was where we would go for dinner. My son loves wonton soup so it was an easy sell. When we drove up, the phrase "hole in the wall" came to mind. How many times have you thought this and were suprised by one of the best meals of your life? Once inside, we found a very clean restaurant with a pleasant staff and many enticing smells. We had hope when we saw the fish tanks filled with future entrees much like the restaurants of our Chinatown experiences. Their slogan, "all live and fresh" was true. The mixed seafood platter we ordered was delicious and had a variety of tasty fish and crustaceans. I had vegetarian fried rice which was crunchy and flavorful, infused with some unexpected herbs. The chef uses basil in many of the dishes served, giving the meals a Thai-like twist. Of course, once I discovered this place I started talking to people about it. One of my friends had already been there and felt the bold assertion by the Rays fan (that it was the best) was true. Now I think so too.