Bright sun in the middle of the afternoon. White sand, water and the camera is not having a good time. Thanks for making me all self-concious about the white balance, Derek. :-D

This is the first time I've ever seen the gulf. I'm pretty psyched to watch a sunset over the water. I've seen that in California but never here. Note how clear and blue the water is when compared to that giant piss pool called the Atlantic Ocean. It's cold tho. Not chilly, COLD.

First order of business...food! This is Frenchy's and supposively it's pretty good. Actually, it was very good. We'll be back. It's about 3 blocks from the hotel and across from the beach.

FINALLY out of the car and walking. This is the intersection of Hamden Dr and Gulfview Blvd for you google map buffs.

Google Maps:Taken Here

This is the barrier island off the coast of Clearwater itself. Note the huge line of traffic in the lower left. It took about an hour to make the 15 minute drive from the airport to the hotel thanks to spring break, volleyball tourneys, people seeking the beach to beat the heat and accidents. Still a traffic jam in 80F weather is better than a traffic jam in 30F weather!

Google Maps:Taken Here

Google Maps:Taken Here

The airport looks almost identical to the Orlando airport. It even has a monorail system to go between the two sections. Bizarre.