I stood on the 16th floor balcony after setting my bag down. As if out of a Hollywood romance, two pelicans flew by close enough for me to see the details of their feathers. The various shades of blue sparkled just behind them, I could hear the powerful crashes of the waves and the familiar smell of salt filled the air. “This was going to be a fantastic weekend”, I thought.
On our way to check into the Radisson, we picked up food at Paisley Vegan Kitchen. Everything on the menu looked great. I could not resist the fried green tomato sandwich and the deviled potatoes. My girlfriend Chrissy got the breakfast sandwich – she raved about the “bacon” even days after eating it.
Sandwiches come with a choice of side and we both chose the avocado slaw and we were not disappointed – such a neat combination of flavors.
We were so happy to be able to get a beachfront room at the very top floor of the Radisson in Melbourne Beach. The suite was nice, but your eye goes right to the big windows that reveal the reason you drove all the way across the state of Florida.
On our very first morning, Chrissy woke me up early to watch the sunrise. We sat on the balcony looking at the most amazing view as the sun reached up to touch the sky.
After a lazy relaxing morning (and a dolphin sighting), we decided to check out Crane Creek Promenade. Supposedly, it was a good place to see manatees, but I strongly questioned that, given the time of year (September). It was a neat little place with possibilities of kayaking in one area, parking your boat in another and a short little stroll connecting the two ends.
We came across The Wet Spot, listed as a lesbian bar online, and we simply had to check it out. It was pretty obvious upon stepping into the bar in the early afternoon, that there was nothing lesbian about it. But, we stayed and had a drink – very strong drinks I might add. Then I had another and then I won a drink (they have a free drink raffle on the hour every hour). The Wet Spot turned out to be a local bar with a fun atmosphere, several TVs, billiards tables and all kinds of neat stuff on the walls. They did not go light on the alcohol and the entire bill came to under $20!
After frolicking in the water and dodging the waves of the Atlantic, we were ready for dinner. We ordered take out from Anna’s Vegan Plate. To start, we got the summer rolls – I loved the crunch of the jicama in them! We tried the pad Thai, chick’n Alfredo and eggplant parmesan. All of them were very flavorful. We ordered the flan and the cheesecake for dessert. I would absolutely both again! What a delicious way to end a great day!
On the final day of our weekend getaway, I awoke at 5am and decided to sleep on the balcony until the sun rose. We dragged out some fluffy blankets and pillows to make the hard cement more comfortable. I watched the stars for a little and after seeing two shooting stars, I fell asleep. I awoke awhile later to what seemed like the beautiful orange, pinks and reds of an impressionist painting.
We headed back across the state to Clearwater, at times dodging the always-present traffic on I-4. Since we were passing by the Hard Rock Cafe anyway, we decided to stop in and try our luck. We were up $200, so figured it was time to leave.
I realized that I had the opportunity to cross off one of my bucket list items – to watch the sunrise on the east coast and the sunset on the west coast of Florida in the same day. I cross my fingers that the weather would cooperate with my plan. We drove to Honeymoon Island State Park and set up our chairs at North Beach and let nature do her thing! And as always, she did not disappoint!
I found it so amazing that the weekend getaway began and ended with pelicans, one of my favorite birds!
Vegan Vixen Ventures 
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