Chihuly collection tops St. Pete visit

A mustache. Boats. Blown-glass art. What do these have in common? We saw then during our visit to St. Petersburg, Florida.

Our main reason for visiting St. Pete was to check out the Chihuly collection, which is on the waterfront. That led to some nice views of boats and water. We ended with a view of the Salvador Dali art museum.

The Chihuly collection was impressive. Upfront, there have been complaints that it’s too small and expensive to visit (adult admission is $15). However, in talking with a staff member, we learned that about $5 million have been spent in collecting the pieces. They’re not donated. The admission helps offset the costs, as well as helps with possible future purchases.

Let’s get to the collection. More than 20 pieces are on display. Each piece is beautiful and amazing.

The art collection is housed in a building that befits the style presented by Chihuly. The building has a unique architecture design.

Near the front of the building, is a nice piece of artwork. It pops in the sunlight with a blue sky behind it.

The art center had a small temporary exhibit featuring other artists’ blown – glass art. Each artist displayed some impressive works.

We’ve seen Chihuly pieces in museums and other places, but to see so many pieces in one place was worth the admission.

We saw a piece that was a red ice chandelier.

The colors that Chihuly creates are truly breathtaking.

The center had designs we haven’t seen in his works before. Glass balls in a wooden boat were pretty cool.

A large exhibit had several colors and designs. It reminded me of a garden.

Following our Chihuly visit, we checked on the main street near the St. Pete marina. Lots of shops and restaurants dotted the street.

We found some public art along the way. Interesting sculptures were perched on benches. An “elephant man” was on one bench.

Lisa suggested I pose for a pic with it. I suggested pushing with the “alligator.” I ended up with no picture. I have no idea why.

Since it was midday and we planned a late dinner, we thought we’d try a root beer float. The ice cream/bakery shop apparently cater to some super heroes, as we saw some “Superman” ice cream behind the counter. Kind of glad I didn’t see Batman’s version.

As we enjoyed our mid-afternoon treat, we (ok, me) noticed a squirrel scampering about. It found its afternoon snack and was enjoying it along the safety of a tree.

Following our snack and show, we pressed along on our walk near the St. Pete marina.

We took in some views of the boats in the marina.

Our walk took us along a route that would eventually take us to the Salvador Dali art museum. Along the way, we saw some interesting spots.

We liked a water fountain that was across the plaza from Dali Museum and a theater.

We arrived at the Dali museum near the end of their hours, and it wasn’t feasible to go inside (next time). However, the building’s exterior is a piece of art. The dome siding was impressive.

Near the entrance was a decorated dolphin sculpture. It’s part of a public art project on the area.

The really cool attraction was a giant black-painted wooden mustache. We posed for pictures, of course. I figure it’s the closest I’ll ever get to having a mustache.

By the way, the reason for the mustache is that Dali has a huge handlebar mustache.

Not to be outdone, a bird grew his own ‘stache. Ok, it was a statue.

As we headed back to the marina to take off for our next stop, we did have to check out a couple more items.

We checked out the field (pitch) for the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League.

Near the marina stands a monument to the pioneers of the area.

We had a fun time in St. Pete. We barely scratched the surface as to what the area has to offer, but we had a good time doing what we do. Based on our experience there, we’d recommend checking out St. Petersburg.

For more information on St. Pete and its attractions, please visit www.visitstpeteclearwater.com.