Welcome to Stuart: Many jellyfish welcomed us to the marina! It looked like a fireworks display off our bow!
In general, people in Stuart were cautious about Covid-19 -- distancing and wearing masks. Dockhands wore masks, and visits to the office/marina store were limited to one person at a time. Most restaurants were reopened at 25% capacity while we were there.
Right at the marina, we enjoyed dinner at Sailors Return. Espresso martini and cheesecake were delicious!
The next day, Ray and I walked the boardwalk several times -- for lunch and dinner overlooking the St. Lucie River, and again to see the boardwalk lights. Sushi at Stuart Boathouse was refreshing!
Bustling Boardwalk: The lights along the boardwalk and pier were elegant. Many people were out enjoying pleasant weather. The Stuart Boathouse restaurant is on the left of the River Walk Stage (blue tent).
Bicycle Shopping/Touring: The next morning, Ray & I had breakfast and fancy coffee – again right at the marina – at Gilbert’s Coffee Bar. Then we rode bikes less than a mile to Publix for a few groceries.
Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the farmers market that is normally downtown, by the boardwalk, had been moved to the fairgrounds – as a drive-thru. We decided not to trek out that far on our bikes, with intermittent showers expected all day.
Notice, I’m still wearing a headband/visor most of the time – still need to get a haircut.
For lunch, we got on the bikes again and rode almost 2 miles to Ocean Republic Brewing.Ray liked the beer selection, and we both enjoyed the “Shrimps in a Blanket” (blackened whipped potatoes and shrimp in pastry with sweet coconut dipping sauce).Yum!The owner said his daughter gave him the idea. 😊
I liked the clever logo – an octopus creating an orb (ORB – Ocean Republic Brewing).
Later that evening, another walk downtown for dinner at the Sneaki Tiki – a cute outdoor seating pub. We were really taking advantage of dining options after being locked down for two months!
We were entertained by this silly-looking fish in an adjacent tank.The waitress said it was a Tilapia.Both waitresses said he was being mean to the other fish in the tank, and that he had eaten another fish in the tank last week.I called him Mick Jagger – with those pouty lips. 😀
We spent the next 2 days mostly on the boat – avoiding the rain. That’s OK. Both museums I was interested in were still closed for Covid-19. We also took care of a few preventive maintenance items on the boat.
To celebrate our 35th anniversary, we donned our raincoats for a long walk to dinner at Spritz City Bistro. Delicious! (Yes, we ate actual food, too.)
Stuart Wildlife: We saw lizards everywhere! Curly tails, and these “red-heads” – African Rainbow Lizards, according to my Google search. (We never got a good photo of them. 😐Their heads were bright red, and their tails were broadly striped with about 3 colors.)
This colorful Little Blue Heron was fishing in the same spot, beside the boardwalk, every time we walked by.
It was great to see children enjoying the playground near the boardwalk! 😊 I hadn’t heard the squeaky rhythmic song of the swings in a while.(Even though parks were beginning to open in Ft. Myers when we left, the playgrounds were still closed – wrapped in orange construction fencing.)
Ray was able to get very close to this White Ibis. He was hanging out at the Pelican Café – now closed. 😊
We’ve decided to head north to Palm Coast, FL. Stay tuned for a post about that 4-day cruise.
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