Greenwich South (aka Sarasota)

You know you are in a fancy marina when it has valet parking — I guess so you don’t wear out your Manolo boat shoes lugging your Coach boat bags from the parking lot.

We wound our way down the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Tarpon Springs, past Tampa and into Sarasota, where we foumd ourselves at plush Marina Jack, right downtown. It was another one of those head-turning Memsahib’s Voyage moments — from Greek pastry and sponge fishermen to ultrasophisticated Sarasota. Downtown was great — scores of restaurants, Starbucks, bookstores, a beautiful library — and A GIANT WHOLE FOODS MARKET.

We spent a day in a rental car doing all the chain retail basics that we’d been away from for a long time — Publix, Home Depot, PetSmart, Kohls, Cheeburger-Cheeburger, then had a great Mexican dinner after a long stroll through town. Sarasota has its share of high rise development, but it’s tastefully woven in with cultural attractions and low-rise retail. Downtown was totally packed every night we were there. Someone has really thought the zoning through in Sarasota.

And we did something that we hadn’t done since Thanksgiving — slept in real beds. We didn’t want to miss the NFL playoffs, so we spent a night with Sparta at the cheap, pet-friendly LaQuinta Inn. Sparta had never been in such a large space in her whole life and had a great time exploring every nook and cranny when she wasn’t watching football.

Hate to say it given the weather situation at home — but it’s been beautiful. Breezy so you have to watch yourself in open water, and cool — but cool in Southwest Florida is high 60s.