Written by Nisheet:

What’s the first thing you do if you have to fly from Michigan to Tampa Bay in the dead of winter?  Go to da beach, of course!  After landing in Tampa at 5pm, I was pleasantly greeted with the 70F temps which was almost the double the temps that I had experienced just 3 hours ago in Grand Rapids. After quickly changing into shorts and t-shirt and getting a rental car, I made a beeline to the world famous Clearwater Beach which was recently rated as one of the top beaches in the country by USA today.  Along the way, I took in sights of palm trees and warm breeze coming thru my open car window…almost shuddering at the thought of what would happen if I did this while driving in the arctic winds of Michigan.

After parking my car on the street, I went straight to the water as the sunlight was quickly diminishing.  It was a sight to behold as people were walking, jogging, and just strolling by the water barefoot.  Clearwater beach has one of the best sands but it still wasn’t as fine as the Sarasota beach which I had the pleasure of visiting in 2012.  I found the beach to be very clean and vast with a countless number of beach-side resorts overlooking the gulf.  I couldn’t help but lay down on bare sad while soaking the sun rays and breathing in the warm air.  Now it was time for dinner and after I quickly gazed at the restaurant that was right behind me, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was Frenchy’s!  Before leaving MI, I took tips from a work colleague on the best places to eat, and he said that no matter what you gotta checkout Frenchy’s, and he sure was right about it.

The atmosphere of Frenchy’s was lively and fun even for a Monday. Folks were drinking coronas and frozen drinks while sitting under the umbrellas enjoying the ocean breeze.  I took a seat at the bar and ordered a bowl of the lightly seasoned and creamy She Crab Soup which was one of the best crabs soups I have ever had.  For the entree, I got the signature grilled Grouper Sandwich which was super fresh and delicious and came with a little flag that said “Positively Grouper.” After having a few frozen concoctions, it was time to call it a night and head to the hotel.  With warm weather forecasted, I was already getting excited for the adventures that awaited tomorrow!