Places Archive:
What $100 Worth of Groceries Looks Like – Florida vs. Hawaii
The main reason I decided to migrate down to Florida is because I am a sucker for tropical climates. I love palm trees, warm weather, and beaches more than anything. While Hawaii is the perfect place for this, I didn’t want to return to the high cost of living that Honolulu had to offer.
After doing a few cost of living checks, I learned the most of Florida is relatively affordable. However, it wasn’t until the other day when my girlfriend and I were grocery shopping that the cost of living difference between here and Hawaii really hit me.
Sunday Market at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm
Since switching over to a natural diet, I have been spending a lot more time checking out various places to get fresh produce and organic products. This past weekend I went and checked out Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, which is an awesome little farm located in Tampa.
I enjoyed the farm and market so much that I wanted to do a quick review of it and help spread the word.
Honeymoon Island State Park
Of all the places I have visited in Florida, Honeymoon Island State Park is currently my favorite. Not only is the beach amazing, but you can also hike through the tropical landscape and see all sorts of different things.
The two-mile hike takes you on a loop throughout the island where you can see all different types of wildlife. Osprey (a huge bird) seem to be everywhere and there are also a few Bald Eagles in the park. And who would have thought the park is also home to a ton of armadillos.
Besides hiking, you can also spend time on the beach swimming, snorkeling, and shelling. Not a bad place to spend a day out in the sun.
Armadillos In Florida?
While I was out hiking on Honeymoon Island, I stumbled across an armadillo along the trail. I was pretty surprised to see one here in Florida. For some reason, I never pictured armadillos hanging out under palm trees.
Weird thing is, I lived in Texas for six months without seeing one even though they are very common there. The first time out on a hike here in Florida I ran right into one. Weird.
As it turns out, the nine-banded armadillos are common here in Florida. They are not native to the state but were introduced here in the early 1900’s. They now live throughout the state and can be found wherever there is dense ground cover (read more facts here).
I’ve never seen an armadillo in person before and was pretty amazed by the creature. It sort of looks like the result we might see if the Easter bunny hooked up with a rhino.
A Quick Trip to Naples
As I mentioned in a few of my posts, one of my goals is to go check out as many beaches as I can here in Florida. So my girlfriend and I decided to head down to Naples and see what the beach was like there.
Not sure where Naples is? Naples is about as far down south as you can get on the Gulf Coast of Florida. It’s a good two and a half hour drive from where I live up in St. Petersburg.
The Perfect Morning
I woke up this morning and had the idea of taking my camera along with me on my morning run. Turned out to be the perfect morning for some photography:
The Beach at Fort De Soto Park
One of my goals for 2010 is to check out as many beaches as I can here in Florida. The main reason being that each beach seems to be unique in its own way. With that in mind, I decided to go and check out the beach at Fort De Soto Park yesterday.
Fort De Soto Park was named America’s Top Beach by TripAdvisor in 2009. It appears that they loved the “spectacular combination of soft white sand, calm, clear water and a laid-back atmosphere.”
I can completely agree with all the above, as I found it to be my favorite Florida beach so far. It really amazed me as to how white the sand was and how clear the water appeared. Unfortunately, it was still a tad too cold to actually get in the water.
Sunset on Treasure Island
Of all the reasons I moved to Florida, the ocean was the most important one. Ever since I lived in Hawaii I have been addicted to what it has to offer. Not only is the ocean an awesome place to swim and hang out, but it also creates the coolest sunsets I have ever seen. The photo above was taken last night on Treasure Island.
Watching the sun drop down below the water is an incredible experience and something everyone needs to experience in their lifetime. It’s pretty crazy how fast it starts to drop once it gets near the horizon.
Turtle Beach on Siesta Key
A few days ago, we decided to drive down to Siesta Key to check out some of the beaches there. I’ve heard a lot of good things about them and I must say they are pretty amazing. The water was a tad cold, but the weather was in the 70’s so I managed to go take a quick swim before quickly running back to shore.
How to Move Across the Country
Well it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of moving around the country. Since graduating college, I’ve moved around the country a few times as you can see in the map above.
I’ve learned quite a few things about moving over the last few years and wanted to share my advice with anyone planning (or thinking about) a big move. Keep in mind that I did not using a moving company at all so these are all tips based on moving yourself (it’s more fun this way).
