Sun, Sand, Surreal

Until the late 19th century, Tampa was an isolated, yellow fever plagued area. But in 1883, phosphate, a mineral utilized in the production of fertilizers, was discovered and the area's fortunes changed. Soon a railroad connecting Tampa to Jacksonville was built to enable phosphate and fish transport to the north, but it also brought the first visitors, Thomas Edison and John Ringling (of circus fame) among them. Nowadays, the Greater Tampa Bay area, also encompassing the cities of St Petersburg, Clearwater and Sarasota, has over 4 million residents.

Tampa was once called "Cigar City" after many cigar manufacturers moved in from Key West in the late 1800s to take advantage of railroad transportation. A group of cigar manufacturers led by Vicente Martinez Ybor brought in mostly Cuban and Spanish immigrants to work in the factories, and created a town that came to be known as Ybor City. At their peak in the late 1920s, the factories were hand rolling some half a billion cigars annually. But the Great Depression of the 1930s and later the US embargo against Cuba led to the end of the cigar era. Ybor City turned into a collection of empty factories and deserted sidewalks, remaining so until the late 1980s when artists looking for inexpensive studios began converting vacant spaces into galleries. Ybor City is now a National Historic Landmark District and an entertainment, nightclub and shopping area.

Further west is Clearwater, a place (in)famous for two things: the birthplace of Hooters, and the worldwide spiritual headquarters of Scientology, in a building that used to be the Fort Harrison Hotel and dominates the downtown area. Clearwater's namesake beach stretches for 3 miles along the coast, is very popular and very commercial, with a Hooters right in front of the main entrance area. Yuck. If you want something less spring-breaky, head to Honeymoon Island State Park which has the same white sand and turquoise waters plus a short trail that leads to osprey and eagle nesting areas.

Siesta Beach near Sarasota stretches for half a mile and is hailed as one of the best beaches in the US, in large part due to its very fine white sand. So fine in fact that it is claimed that Siesta Beach has the "whitest and finest sand in the world". Exaggerations aside, it is indeed soft and supposedly remains cool underfoot even on the most scorching days due to its mineral composition. But remember...it is the sand that stays cool, not you. Don't turn into a swollen lobster like many I saw roasting themselves down there.

Lonely Planet has compared Florida's Gulf Coast to "an impressionist watercolor painting". But the must-see paintings are those in the Salvador Dalí Museum in St Petersburg where the largest collection of his works outside Europe is found. He used extensive symbolism in his art and the museum offers free docent tours every hour where you'll gain some insight into his genius. Just as an example, in the slideshow there is one of his paintings showing a woman looking out the window. Pause there, move some 5 to 7 steps away from the screen, look again and you'll see something totally different. Surreal.