Friday

I rode to Coachman Park along the waterfront in downtown Clearwater this morning.

It was my first trip since they renovated the waterfront. Before, it was just a grassy knoll and the marina.

Now they have an outdoor stage, called "The Sound." The structure looks like a giant stingray from the water side.

Covered seating with more seating on the lawn.

Clearwater marina with the causeway bridge overhead leading to Clearwater Beach.

Lots of overlooks and water features.

The lake is one of the most attractive features of the park.

Lots of concrete

Several pools that spilled out into each other down the 40-foot bluff overlooking the sound. The angle of the sun made it difficult to get a good picture.

The multiple venues were interesting. It reminded me of a sunny Duke Gardens, but without the people and all of the small details that make Duke Gardens so intricate and interesting. This development is large scale.

Concrete plaza, not sure what the purpose is.

I'm not sure what I was expecting but I found it a bit disappointing. Parts of it were interesting, but not particularly beautiful. It didn't feel cohesive. I think the biggest problem is that there was no one there, maybe seven people the entire time I was there. And they were all workers except for two.

It was a nice 15-mile round trip bicycle ride.

Coming back through Downtown Dunedin, there was such a contrast: people everywhere. A small scale quaint place full of people vs. massive scale, concrete, empty place.

I think it's the people that make a place feel alive. Downtown Clearwater was desolate, lots of empty store fronts. It's got to be one of the saddest stories in the state: a one-of-a-kind strategic location on a 40-foot bluff overlooking the sound and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. There's no other place like it in Florida. But it's also home to a religious cult that is notoriously difficult to deal with and likes to buy up downtown properties and leave them vacant.

New plantings along one of the ponds at Stirling Park