By Caron Schwartz
As a native New Yorker, I grew up with public transit. You can get pretty much anywhere, fairly quickly, at a reasonable cost. I’ve relied on public transit wherever I’ve lived, worked, and visited…except here. Until now, my car (or bike) has been my primary transportation.
Imagine my delight when the Sunrunner, Tampa Bay’s first BRT (bus rapid transit), launched October 2022. What a thrill to breeze past cars on First Ave. North or South in a sleek hybrid-electric bus that flies from downtown St. Pete to St. Pete Beach in less than 40 minutes.
For an afternoon jaunt, my sweetheart Lenny and I parked near the stop at Pasadena Ave. and Gulfport Blvd. The elevated platform made it easy to stroll into the bus, no sticky handrail needed to hoist aboard. (Also convenient for bicycle riders and people in wheelchairs to roll on and off.)
Six stops later we were at 22nd St. S, gateway to the trendy Grand Central District. The station is right in front of Tombolo Books, where we browsed contentedly. We’ll return to GCD for Black Crow Coffee and shopping Pieces of A Dream soon.
Lunch at Pete’s Bagels, just a block away at 2361 First Ave. N, was awesome. The sandwiches on New Jersey-style bagels were tasty and filling, and the strong coffee powered our afternoon exploration. Next up was Par Bar, a mini golf course for adults complete with adult beverages, packed with revelers enjoying the Christmas spirits.
Our last Sunrunner stop was Third St. S and Third Ave. S. We strolled through Pioneer Park, past the St. Pete Yacht Club and along Bayshore Dr. and over to the St. Pete Pier. Then we wound our way back to the Fifth St. N station, dipping into Beach Drive’s Kilwin’s for ice cream.
Too tired to shop, we skipped our plan to stop at West Central Shopping Center at 66th St. N and explore Craft Kafé, Bark Life and Earth Origins.
FYI SunRunner buses arrive every 15 minutes from 6am to 8pm, every 30 minutes from 8pm to midnight, every day. www.psta.net/riding-psta/tickets-and-fares