Unconditional Sarasota

February 22-24, 2023

If there’s one thing we have learned in this post-Covid, post-climate-change world, it’s that travel is more complicated and less predictable than it used to be. When we have an important date with a cruise ship, being late is not an option. We used to arrive the day before a cruise, but after a flight out of Alaska was 4 hours late and we missed our connection, which happened to be the last flight out of Seattle that night, we realized that a relatively minor delay can quickly morph into a delay of two days or more. Now we build in a minimum two-day cushion. Even if we don’t experience delays, we are able to avoid some of the stress of worrying about problems while we travel.

Like this time. Our first flight left 35 minutes late, but we had allowed ourselves a solid 4-hour layover, so our first flight was free of anxiety. Our second flight was on time, and all of our luggage arrived with us. 

You know you are in Florida when there is a fish tank in the terminal, with live fish inside.

Flamingo fun in the terminal

And by the way, our flight from Anchorage to Seattle had an all-female cockpit crew. In other words, the captain and first officer were both women.

Our plan was to spend some time in beautiful Sarasota and environs, where there are malls, outlet malls, good restaurants, and great places to walk. We were able to work on recovering from jet lag at the same time.

We did the Downtown Sarasota volkswalk, following a 6km route that showed off some of the highlights and amenities of Sarasota’s downtown.

I would like to try these — but maybe not in a “downtown”

This whole block was occupied by a modern high-rise/parking garage/restaurant complex, but one little corner of the block retained a historic Spanish-style structure

Mermaid fountain in a pocket park

Burns Square celebrates murals and sidewalk art. Burns Court is a charming little street that would have been easy to miss. It’s tucked away off Burns Square in the shadow of tall commercial buildings. Cute little bungalows from the 1920’s line Burns Court and they are pure nostalgia.

Spanish moss on a tree at the Selby Botanical Garden

Who doesn’t love pelicans?

The Art Deco entrance to Bayfront Park

The highlight of Bayfront Park, in my opinion, is “Unconditional Surrender.” It is one of a series of computer-generated statues created by Seward Johnson, the grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, a co-founder of Johnson & Johnson.

The statue is based on an iconic photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt called “V-J Day inTimes Square.” One of many controversies to  arise in connection with the statue was copyright infringement of the Eisenstaedt photo. Johnson claimed his work was based on an uncopyrighted photo by Victor Jorgensen.

The Jorgensen photo

Other controversies included the accusation that it was kitsch, to concern that it represented a sexual assault. Nonetheless, I liked it a lot. I appreciated the history lesson as well as the art.

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Sarasota is a city that knows what it wants to be. Sarasota is unconditionally committed to public art and to the performing arts. Sarasota is unconditionally committed to interesting public spaces that celebrate the past and the future and challenge the present. Here’s what the city leaders have added to Sarasota’s home page: 

Our vision is to be a world-class community and treasured destination, with enduring natural beauty, charm and diversity.

Yes, Sarasota!

Today’s color is white, to honor all the nurses out there, working so hard to help others.