Beyond the Beach in Sarasota

January 13, 2002

By ROBERT PLUNKET


WHENEVER I suggest a Sarasota vacation to my friends in New
York, I get very little enthusiasm for the idea. They still
think of the city as some sort of retirement center for
Republicans, and I grant you, it certainly has that side.
But things have changed dramatically since I moved here in
1985. Sarasota has become younger, richer and infinitely
more stylish. Hip people can successfully vacation here.

If you're unable to place Sarasota geographically - and
don't worry, most people can't - it's on the gulf coast of
Florida, about 50 miles south of Tampa Bay. This is the
very northern edge of what is generally considered south
Florida. The hills have flattened out and the vegetation is
starting to look tropical and, frankly, a little scruffy.
But all is forgiven when you see the beaches. There are 35
miles of them, many with pure white sand. These are
Caribbean-style beaches, with languid blue-green water set
against palm trees. They are Sarasota's pot of gold.

But unlike many beach destinations, Sarasota feels like a
real city. It has a colorful past, a busy downtown with
sidewalk cafes, impressive residential neighborhoods, lots
of concerned citizens. There's another side, of course;
keep in mind this is where John D. MacDonald, the creator
of the Florida roman noir, lived. This is also where
Pee-wee Herman was arrested and where Ralf Panitz was
charged with shooting his ex-wife after they appeared on
"The Jerry Springer Show." Mr. Panitz is now in the county
jail, awaiting trial. But the weirdest part is that Jerry
Springer lives here, too, out on Bird Key.

Bird Key is one of several barrier islands off the
mainland, nearly all reachable by bridges, and the largest
of these function both as places for Sarasotans to live -
the wealthier ones, anyway - and as places for the tourists
to stay. The southernmost is Siesta Key. It has famous
powdery white sand and is the most family-friendly. Lido
Key and St. Armands (the two are separated by a canal but
most locals consider them as one) are marginally more
formal, and Lido has particularly lovely beaches at each
end. Longboat Key, the largest and northernmost, is the
most manicured and upscale. I suspect it has nice beaches,
too, although I can't remember ever having been on one. The
Longboat residents have arranged it so that there is
virtually no public parking.

The classic Sarasota vacation consists of two weeks in a
rented condo, preferably right on the beach. There are
hundreds of such places, from high-rises to villas to
cottages. Refreshingly, most of them are not brand new but
date back to the 60's and 70's. They have been impeccably
maintained and are finally starting to cross over that line
from "dated" to "picturesque." And by all means, bring
Grandma and the kids. Sarasota's specialty is the
multigenerational family get-together. While much of
Florida saw a big slump this fall, Sarasota came through
just fine, with its offering of quality time for families
suddenly a big plus.

Sarasota would also make a good choice for couples,
particularly those who don't need constant distraction from
the angst of being alone together. For these a hotel might
be better than a condo; there's no housekeeping involved,
the pools are fancier, and you don't have to get in your
car to find a bar. Sarasota has two luxury beach resorts
that fill this bill perfectly, the Resort on Longboat Key
Club and the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort. The Resort is
spacious and sedate, the Colony livelier and famous for its
food; the Colony, by the way, recently earned a footnote in
American history as the last place President Bush got a
good night's sleep. He spent the night of Sept. 10 there,
in town to make a speech.

But the big hotel news in Sarasota is the brand-new
Ritz-Carlton, not on the beach at all. It's the centerpiece
of a flurry of downtown development that is adding nine new
luxury high-rises to the skyline in a three-year period.
The Ritz, which opened Nov. 16, has become an object of
intense curiosity in the city; the latest thing is to go
over and check it out. There has been criticism over how
far the restrooms are from the dining room, but in general
people are enchanted with this new and exotic creature set
down in their midst. Every night the elegant wood-paneled
bar hums with local residents delivering their opinions.

My New York friends worry that there won't be enough to do
in Sarasota, and while it's true that we don't have the
attractions of, say, Orlando, that can be a blessing in
disguise. There is one must-see: the John and Mable
Ringling Museum of Art. The Italian Mediterranean-style
palazzo houses a collection put together by the circus
king, who, back in 1927, moved his winter headquarters here
and began to develop modern Sarasota. The collection has a
strong and showy personality - a gorgeous set of five
Rubenses, each about 20 feet wide; one of the best
Velázquez works in the country, the portrait of Philip IV,
King of Spain; even the music room and dining room of Mrs.
William B. Astor. Ringling bought the rooms when the Astor
mansion on Fifth Avenue was scheduled to be demolished, in
1926.

Sarasota's other attractions tend to relax rather than
stimulate, and all function in some way to improve the
local quality of life. There's Marie Selby Gardens, the
botanical garden that graces the downtown waterfront, and
Mote Marine Aquarium, a working research aquarium, with its
shark tanks and sea life exhibits. Next door to Mote is my
own favorite - the Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary. Injured
seabirds are brought here and nursed back to health, then
released into the wild. The ones that are permanently
disabled get to stay, and there is something about the
sight of all these one- legged pelicans and ducks and
herons living in pampered retirement that warms the heart.

I'm almost afraid to bring up Sarasota's famous cultural
scene. To outline it in even the sketchiest detail invites
disbelief; it sounds like the inflated résumé of a
desperate job seeker. Let's see. The city has its own
ballet company, its own symphony orchestra, four
professional theaters and its own opera company, not to
mention galleries, chorales, concert bands and a city-owned
performing arts hall that brings in everyone from the
Warsaw Philharmonic to Wayne Newton. Sarasota's arts groups
have had some shaky moments in the past, but they are
finally maturing into major cultural institutions that can
hold their own with any in the Southeast.

And this year's season looks terrific. The Florida West
Coast Symphony will perform the world premiere of the full
orchestral version of Ravel's "Miroirs," the Asolo Theater
Company is doing Georges Feydeau, Agatha Christie and
Charles Busch, and the Sarasota Opera will open Feb. 2 with
"Le Trouvère," the French version of "Il Trovatore." During
certain weekends in March you can see four operas in three
days, and people fly in from everywhere just for this. I've
seen some of them afterward, and I can say that is one
exhausted group of opera goers.

Sarasota has many festivals and special events offering the
visitor the perfect opportunity to observe the natives
close up. The fourth annual Sarasota Film Festival starts
Jan. 19; it has grown by leaps and bounds and if it's
sometimes hard to detect a theme, the stars do appear and
the parties are great. Then there is Circus Sarasota, a
European-style one-ring circus that begins performing Feb.
1. It's produced by members of several of the great old
Sarasota circus families, most notably the aerialist Dolly
Jacobs, whose father, Lou, was the famous clown who
invented - right in Sarasota - the immortal gag in which
all the clowns pile out of the tiny car.

And Sarasota is restaurant crazy. Many residents have only
the most cursory knowledge of their kitchens; it's much
more fun to go out and get caught up in the whirl of the
restaurant scene. You'll certainly want to try one of the
classics - Michael's on East, the Colony Dining Room or the
Café l'Europe. But keep in mind the more informal places,
like Fred's (the new hangout) or Pattigeorge's on Longboat
Key.

And don't forget the indigenous cuisine. Surprisingly,
Sarasota is also a big Amish resort. Hundreds of Amish -
along with their Mennonite cousins - come down from
Pennsylvania and the Midwest on chartered buses each
winter. And it turns out that the Amish do have a weakness:
food. My favorite Amish restaurant is the incomparable
Yoder's. After lunch there, you might drive around
neighboring Pinecraft, with its tiny handmade bungalows and
old Amish men playing shuffleboard. It may well be the most
charming corner of Sarasota.

If Sarasota has one minor flaw as a destination, it is a
lack of something in the air, that thrilling frisson that
permeates Cancún and Key West, promising that right around
the next corner is a mad romantic fling. No, what's more
likely to be around the next corner in Sarasota is your
grandparents, and they need a ride back to the condo
because they no longer drive after dark.   

ROBERT PLUNKET lives in Sarasota.