2005 Florida Hostel Vacation

By Mark T. Cockson

Public transportation and attractions map of Clearwater Beach, FL.

I decided to go to Florida after Hurricane Katrina kissed Miami and before she slammed full fury into the Gulf Coast. It was obvious as I made my plane, car, and hostel reservations that she was headed for New Orleans. Florida would be spared, the forecast was 70-90F, the hostel (www.clearwaterbeachhostel.com) had vacancies. I packed my summer wardrobe and flew USA 3000 to Florida, a new airline of cheap fares.

The plane was full (150 passengers plus crew). We flew into Fort Lauderdale, replaced passengers with 25 more, and flew onto St Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport. Why fly to almost the Southern Atlantic Ocean side of Florida and then head North and West to the Gulf Coast? Welcome to Florida, land of contradictions! 

I picked up my Chrysler Sebring Convertible as the airport was closing and Luis told me: “This is the most rented car in Florida and you got the last one tonight”. I drove onto the Clearwater Beach Hostel where I rented my bed for $14.00/night and linens $2.00 extra. There were 2 bunk beds in my suite with its own shower and toilet. Over the course of the next 5 nights I had room-mates from Germany, Cuba, and the U.S. 

Clearwater Beach, Florida Hostel (convertible parked in picture).

The hostel used to be a motel (built in the fifties) and has a community room with TV, VCR, Internet access, and also a kitchen. There are also private rooms for families at a slightly higher cost. Most of the socialization takes place outdoors around tables/chairs under thatched umbrellas and palm trees with Xmas lights. There is a shuffleboard court and swimming pool (open from 11:00a.m.-10:30p.m.). Clearwater Beach, consistently ranked among the top ten public beaches in the world, is within two blocks as are Mandalay Family Restaurant, Waterfront Restaurant, and Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill. 

The Florida Gulf Coast is the nation’s capital for leisure activities, ranging from bicycle and jet-ski rentals to Busch Gardens, a roller coaster and beer mecca with African animals. Florida also provides a home for the bizarre and unusual. In Clearwater Beach on Sunday, September 5th, “Money Fell from the Sky” as Kevin Shelton, a real estate mogul, shot $10,000 into the air over a beach packed with spectators. Meanwhile at the other end of the beach at Shephard’s (www.shephards.com) there was a “Cloth-Free Bikini Contest” with cash prizes of $1,500.00. The only rule: contestants could not wear anything cloth, but could use bottle caps, postage stamps, feathers, caution tape, or anything else. 

Then there are sights everywhere which are just pure Florida (read kitsch), like the full-sized dolphin at the end of a driveway or the sculpted sea turtle with angelic wings and harp. The dolphin is dancing on its back flippers and its gaping mouth and attached red flag arm reveal it to be a mailbox; the turtle is parked outside a Christian Church to draw in the faithful. Sitting in restaurants you hear constant talk of real estate, development, and web-based businesses which are the next big I.P.O./stock offerings.

Blue sky, white sands, ocean view at Clearwater Beach, FL.

Barrier islands stretch for 22 miles north and only a few miles west from St Petersburg. Clearwater Beach is reached by a brand new causeway (the old one had a drawbridge and car traffic was constantly interrupted by the sailboat traffic underneath). The causeway ends in a roundabout: going north gets you to the Clearwater Beach Public Library (free internet access for ½ hr), Beach Coin Laudromat, and the Youth Hostel. Straight ahead is the Clearwater Beach Welcome Center (great for free maps and coupons) and Pier 60 (great to rent fishing gear from and also the location for watching the sun set into the Gulf every night with mimes, stilt walkers, and souvenir stands).

Going south gets you to the Marina, Dolphin Encounter, Captain Nemo’s Pirate Cruise, and more hotels/motels and restaurants than you can shake a stick at. Going further south gets you to condominiums, condo and efficiency rentals, and the public beaches each municipality governs with parking meters. These include Sand Key, Indian Rocks Beach, Redington Beach, Madeira Beach, St Pete Beach, and Pass-a-Grille Beach. 

Other nearby beaches include Honeymoon Island State Park (which gives access by ferry to Caladesi Island), Fred Howard State Park in Tarpon Springs, and Fort DeSoto State Park in Gulfport. Public transportation is via trolley (5:15a.m.-11:00p.m.) and for a mere $3.00 you can ride all day and also connect with the bus system throughout St Petersburg.

Florida has a saying: “The further north you go in Florida, the more Southern it gets, and the further south you go in Florida, the more Northern it gets.” Think Miami Beach and Ft Lauderdale as extensions of New York City and Pensacola and Jacksonville as extensions of Alabama and Georgia and you begin to see the wisdom of this saying. Think of the stereotype of the Southern sheriff magnified 10 times in Florida, especially “driving while intoxicated” stops and you get the picture. Clearwater Beach is a nice midpoint of the saying where new high rise condominiums butt up against the Old Florida from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Think about a vacation here and an inexpensive stay, anytime of year, in the Clearwater Beach Youth Hostel.