Downtown St Petersburg
There are neighborhoods beyond these boundaries that are within walking distance of downtown, but here I’m defining “downtown” St Petersburg as the area between 5th Avenue North and 5th Avenue South, and from 4th Street to Tampa Bay. Unlike the city officials, I’m including both sides of the boundary streets – how can you really say that one side of the street is downtown and the other isn’t? Regardless of where you live in the Tampa Bay area, you can claim Downtown St Pete as yours, if you like – and this is the place to find out about the area and what’s going on there.
St. Petersburg’s Beach Drive is ‘Best Place to Be’
August 18th, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg
St. Petersburg’s Beach Drive is ‘best place to be’ reads a headline in this morning’s St Petersburg Times. And they’re right!
Beach Drive in downtown St Petersburg is pedestrian friendly
An empty Beach Drive Optical shop was the trigger for us to open our own real estate office, ALVA International, Inc. on Beach Drive. We’re right in the middle of restaurants, shops and museums (and about 2,000 condo units in downtown St Pete, many of which are right on Beach Drive) and where many of our current and potential clients stroll by. Early dogwalkers, people heading out for a morning latte or espresso, shoppers, those strolling to lunch, or to the museums exhibits. The Museum of Fine Arts, which has thrived and on Beach Drive for years, is right across from our office. Straub Park has art shows and concerts and music and movies. Boats anchor in the Vinoy Basin.
We love being able to walk to lunch or to get an afternoon gelato. We love seeing the many weekend activities that are going on in the parks. We enjoy the exhibits at the museums and galleries that surround us.
In spring and fall, when the weather is balmy and wonderful, we enjoy sitting outside our office and watching the world go by, talking to passersby and yes, even working, since our iPads and iPhones keep us connected outside the office.
If you haven’t been to downtown to Beach Drive lately, make a point of coming to see all that’s going on. And if you’d like – stop in to see The Simms Team at ALVA International!
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Downtown St Petersburg Condo Rentals
July 16th, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Uncategorized
Notes from Rob:
Have been spending more and more of my time helping people find downtown rentals and it has its ups and downs. The up side is that you are helping people find a place to live and as with most real estate agents, if you take care of them now, then when they are ready to buy, they will remember you as the agent they want to work with. The negatives are that many listing agents/owners give such a poor fee that in many cases you actually lose money (time and gas expenses) to show the rental clients the many available properties.
It is a good time to rent if you are an owner of a downtown condo as the inventory is very low right now, especially in the high end units. While rental prices dipped in 2008 and 2009, as you could get a 3,000 square foot unit for as low as $3,000 a month, the prices have been rising as the inventory gets scarce and today you are looking at closer to $4,000 a month for the same front unit at Parkshore, 400 Beach or the Vinoy. And if you find one you like, grab it, as they are not staying on the market for long.
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Want an Apple Store at Baywalk in downtown St Petersburg?
July 13th, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg
an Apple Store would be great at Baywalk St Petersburg
Want an Apple Store at Baywalk in downtown St Petersburg? Hal Freedman has suggested this, according to i love the burg.
“he’s learned from connections at the computer giant that they would consider the location if there was an “outpouring of support” from the community, City and BayWalk”
so add your support to the ilovetheburg post and better yet, email Apple as well!
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St Petersburg named Top City for Art
June 2nd, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg
Mahaffey Theater at dusk
St Petersburg is named the Top City for Art by American Style magazine. St Petersburg, with its “unique and vibrant” arts scene, is now in top position for mid-size cities. Locals already knew that. We have art tours, gallery walks, and recently created an Arts District along Central Avenue. The Chihuly Gallery opens in July and the Salvador Dali Museum opens in its new building January 11, 2011. Private art galleries are all around. Art shows are in the parks. The Museum of Fine Arts has expanded twice. It’s a great place to live. Shown here is the Mahaffey Theater.
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Paint Your Shoes and help Morean Arts Center – Chihuly style
May 21st, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Events
Paint Your Shoes at Morean Arts Center
Paint your shoes and help Morean Arts Center in St Petersburg by attending one of their Paint Your Shoes sessions:
- Saturday, May 22 10-3
- Thursday, May 27 5-7
On July 11th the Morean Arts Center will open The Chihuly Collection on Beach Drive. The suggested donation for attending one of the above paint sessions is $5.
Why paint your shoes? What does this have to do with Chihuly? Chihuly is known for his glass work, but he also does splatter painting, which generally results in his shoes always being splattered.
What a great time to show your creativity. Bring in a pair of shoes, from sneakers to high heels, or even Cowboy Boots and use acrylic paints to show your style. Read Chihuly, Shoe-huly.
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Successful book signing in downtown St Petersburg
May 1st, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Lifestyle
Discussion at book signing in downtown St Petersburg FL
Savannah Law book signing in downtown St Pete
This morning’s book signing at The Simms Team real estate office in downtown St Petersburg FL was a success. At times the area was filled with people standing and talking – at others there was time for conversation. Bill Eleazer signed and autographed several copies of his book, Savannah Law. Author Nino Fabiano also stopped in.
ALVA International, Inc. is a full service real estate company – and highlighting local authors has been a lot of fun.
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The Hangar Restaurant in downtown St Petersburg
April 7th, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Places to Eat
Galbraith Terminal at Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St Petersburg
The Hangar Restaurant in downtown St Petersburg is ready to open at 8 am on Monday morning, April 12th. It will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Hangar is located on the second floor of the Galbraith Terminal at Albert Whitted Airport, 540 1st St SE in downtown St Pete. Their website has been up for a few days and now they have uploaded their menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is the third downtown St Petersburg restaurant for Steve Westphal – his others are Parkshore Grill and 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House.
Want to get an early taste? Saturday, April 10 is a reception from 7 – 10 pm, with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cash bar. Sunday, April 11, from 4 – 7 pm is Family Day with non-alcoholic beverages and complimentary snacks. Free parking for both events. $10 donations are requested for the Albert Whitted Airport Preservation Society.
Beautiful downtown St Petersburg! How many cities have a general aviation airport within walking distance of many downtown condos?
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William Eleazer book signing at ALVA International
April 4th, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Events
Author William Eleazer
William Eleazer book signing at ALVA International in downtown St Petersburg is scheduled for May 1st from 10 am – 1 pm. His novel, Savannah Law, is inspired by his years as a lawyer and law professor at Stetson University College of Law and his childhood in Georgia.
The young protagonists are young law students but the building suspense is not limited to the young. The action is fast paced and his characters are people we’d like to see in more books. You encounter a notorious national criminal defense attorney, dysfunctional faculty meetings, law history and case building and a Cheers bar.
For a first published book, this legal thriller leaves you wanting more. Come and meet William Eleazer and his wife, Jan, both St Petersburg residents, on Saturday, May 1st, at The Simms Team real estate office at ALVA International, Inc. 238 Beach Drive NE in downtown St Petersburg.
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Beach Drive restaurants in downtown St Petersburg Florida
April 2nd, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Places to Eat
Parkshore Grill and Beach Drive in downtown St Petersburg
Beach Drive restaurants in downtown St Petersburg Florida have great food, great views, and good variety. Most of the restaurants have outside seating as well as indoor dining, so you can take your pick, depending on your mood and the weather. The west side of Beach Drive NE is a mixture of restaurants, luxury condos, shops, offices and art galleries. On sunny days Beach Drive is a kaleidoscope of awnings, shading the dining tables. Starting south from Fifth Avenue north, there’s
400 Beach Seafood and Tap House outdoor and inside seating
Gatsby’s Restaurant at Grayl’s Hotel outdoor and inside seating
Moon Under Water outdoor and inside seating
NOLA Café outdoor and inside seating
Hooker Tea outdoor and inside seating
Paciugo outdoor and inside seating
Parkshore Grill outdoor and inside seating
Marketplace Express outdoor and inside seating
Cassis outdoor and inside seating
On the east side of Beach Drive NE is part of the string of parks that line the waterfront. So – when you’re dining, you can look across the parks and out at the waterfront. In the parks you’ll find the Museum of Fine Arts and the St Petersburg Yacht Club. The Museum has the MFA Café with outdoor and indoor seating and of course the yacht club has several indoor and outdoor dining choices for its members.
All of these are within two blocks of The Simms Team real estate office ALVA International, Inc at 238 Beach Drive NE. Downtown St Petersburg Florida is a great walking city. Our office, for example, has a Walkscore of 97 out of 100. It’s wonderful to be able to live in downtown St Petersburg Florida and be able to walk everywhere.
Try out all of these Beach Drive restaurants in downtown St Petersburg – some are open for breakfast, all of them for lunch and many for dinner. All but one have their own website so you can click on them for photos and often menus. Do come down to Beach Drive!
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Chihuly Collection to open in downtown St Petersburg Florida
April 1st, 2010 Categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Lifestyle
Chihuly Glass Ceiling St Petersburg Florida
The Chihuly Collection will open in downtown St Petersburg Florida and it’s scheduled to open the Fourth of July weekend! Work has been going on at their new location at 400 Beach Drive in downtown St Pete. Work is going on in their 10,000 sq ft on the corner of Beach Drive and 4th Ave North. The Morean Arts Center has been working for five years on bringing a permanent collection of Dale Chihuly’s work to the City of St. Petersburg.
When the Museum of Fine Arts presented a Dale Chihuly exhibit, people lined up along Straub Park waiting to get in. St Pete is proud to host both the Chihuly Collection and the Salvador Dali Museum, which will be opening in its new building in downtown St Petersburg on 1-11-11.
Downtown St Petersburg has a wide variety of museums, galleries, art centers and theaters. It’s a wonderful arts hub. Just think – if you lived in downtown St Pete you could walk to all these!
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