I remembered, from a previous trip, that the west end of Bradenton holds a tiny fishing village called Cortez.   Cortez was founded in the 1800s, if memory serves correctly . . . primarily by Cubano fishermen who built fishing “ranchos” along the coast and worked the Gulf a few months a year.    Eventually, commercial fishermen of the American persuasion called this tiny but beautiful spot home, and today, a small village of modest homes, fish houses, one dynamite museum complex, and marinas is what constitutes Cortez.

I love to go to lunch at Star Fish Company, which is the best of Olde Florida.    The fish is right off the boats (there’s an adjoining fish market) and once you order at the window, you sit at picnic tables overlooking the back bay and the docks.   It’s almost a guarantee you’ll make some new friends while you have a cold beer and wait for your box lunch to appear.  

I got lucky and ordered delicious crab cakes – HUGE – with the yummiest conch fritters I’ve had in a while, and some unbelievably tasty cheese grits, thick and creamy.   With each bite, I thought I had surely died and gone to heaven, and I was quite happy about my newfound situation!  LOL 

While you eat, you’ll sit and watch a little boat traffic come and go, and watch locals and tourists pouring in to stand in line and order.   It’s just a super relaxing hangout, sooo low-key, very laid-back.   A perfect spot you’d likely not find.   Just dip south of Cortez Road on any side street, just east of the bridge to Annamaria, and you can’t miss it.  

The museum is one of the better ones I’ve ever been to, and makes a great place to explore before or after lunch.   The nearby Sea Hag is also a don’t-miss shopping experience:  it’s an historic bldg crammed full of nautical antiques, mermaids, and more.

I had gone up to check out the Sarasota Fringe Film Festival, running concurrently with the renowned Sarasota Film Festival.   I really enjoyed “By Hook or By Crook,” a documentary about two brothers who made movies at all costs.    I also caught a few of the works created by students at the Ringling School of Art and Design.    Then I went next door and caught two Sarasota Film Fest features.

After my movie marathon, it was time to take a loooong walk, and downtown beckoned.  It was a beautiful night.   Imagine my surprise when I stumbled onto Rosemary Rising, a street party / open house event promoting the arty Rosemary District.    Galleries were open and serving hors d’oeuvres;  DJs and live bands kept the music pumping, while models strolled about in near-full body paint, or simply danced and posed in sexy fashions.

There was a tight-wire walker from the circus school.   And tons of inspired and inspiring folks milling about, soaking up the art, eating, shopping, meeting new friends, running into old friends …. it was a celebration of a neighborhood worth noticing.

I particularly enjoyed meeting Forrest Shaw, whose electric delivery  car is the iconic mascot on wheels for Project Green Machine.  Mike Love of the Beach Boys had just driven the car prior to a local concert, and Forrest was about to embark on teaching a class on car conversion.   Forrest’s wife Alex filled me in on the family bakery, Pastry Art Bakery Cafe, which will be using the delivery car.

Frary Gallery was THE place to be, for great art, and great company.   Everything But the Girl boutique stunned me with its artful inventory.  The owner has an eye for design, and a penchant for cool vintage clothes.    PURE Salon looked worth another visit.   Could have spent a fortune;  somehow held it to one purchase at MadeBy, the gallery and gift shop for the Ringling School.

The evening also manifested WSLR’s Joe Hendricks, who was interviewing peeps for his news show.   WSLR is a hyper-local low-watt FM station serving metro Sarasota, 100% listener-supported.   (I listened a few days later, online).

Next time you’re visiting Sarasota, remember that downtown does not end at Fruitville Road.   Head north on Rosemary.    Park.   Walk.    Be happy.

I’m happy to announce that Rosemary Rising is now going to be happening 4x a year;  the next one will be in July.    Check their Facebook page if you want to know when to show up.  http://www.facebook.com/rosemaryrising I’ll be there!