Remote (love) Lyfe in St. Pete, Florida

Remote Lyfe! It all began in a 199 sq ft. “cozy” Airbnb in beautiful St. Pete, Florida. We arrived late at night for our month stay and immediately took in our new ‘storage cube’ of a unit. Pidge began weeping. Our cats looked at us like “is this all we can afford?” Turns out $2500 doesn’t get you much anymore these days. On the positive side we could high five from the toilet to the bed, it had a cute little porch with a swing, and we had access to Season 18 of Survivor on Netflix which somehow we ended up watching all of in our time there. Also, important to mention is that we had access to THE OCEAN!!! I mean it wasn’t at our doorstep, (a park with live gators was), but the ocean was only a 13.4 minute drive away.

Pidge and I put our stuff down, got the cats out of their negative mindsets with some deep breathing and affirmations about how we can make this beautiful together, and then we went down the street to a Mediterranean restaurant to reflect on our life choices. Our Remote Lyfe adventures had officially begun! What happened for the next month no one really can recount. We did make this (<—) MTV Cribs-esque video to capture the memorable humble beginnings.

The Remote Lifestyle in St. Pete Florida – Quips, Comments, and wild thoughts from David

Ah St. Pete. On one side of town, there is the 1970s style of mostly low-rise low-key ocean front hotels, Kava Dens, sea-themed restaurants and some beautiful sand + crystal clear turquoise waters (who knew that the word turquoise was spelled that exquisitely!) I put a toe in that sparkly water and it immediately froze off. For two Detroiters though, that 65 degree sunny day felt like a 90 degree beach day but that water was a polar plunge for only the bravest on the beach/the kids who ran in like it was a heated wave pool!

On the other side of town was the gorgeous St. Pete Pier. It truly is beautiful and showcases the oceanfront with community interaction opportunities for recreation, strolling, running, shopping and such. It was the perfect boardwalk to stroll while eating a gelato! And 4th street of downtown St. Pete is poppin’ with some snazzy places like a bar called the Laundromat, where you enter by calling a pay phone and then pushing on one of the laundry machines in the wall that opens up to a swanky speakeasy. And a place called the Dog Bar, where we witnessed dog heaven, dogs running everywhere and sniffing butts as adults drank cold beverages. It was at that bar that we witnessed a first date between what seemed to be a dog loving woman and a guy overdressed in a suit who must have said that he loved dogs too. With a dog’s ass in his face for at least 85% of the date, it was just quality entertainment.

We loved the hip, fun-loving people of St. Pete, and the calming ocean waves at our feet by the end of a workday. One day after we finished work, we quickly got some picnic accoutrements and made our way to the sparkly beach only to be feasted on by a hangry group of seagulls, one of which ran off with Pidge’s favorite cookie. Pidge will be commenting about the lay of the land of coffee in St. Pete, and I wanted to share a bit about joining a co-working space called the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. Conveniently located downtown, with free parking, I found Mary from the center to be the most amazing welcome guide for St. Pete. The center was very affordable for a month membership and I could do my meetings from board rooms with views of the whole city. Plus with the free parking outside me and pidge could park there and I could do some meetings at the center and then join her at a coffee shop or take a walking phone meeting by the water. St. Pete was sunny, somewhat warm, and quirky cute and it was really a great month to kick off our remote lyfe! We also had a great time fitting in a few day trips to nearby Tampa, which we went to for a Jazz Festival and a Theatre of the Oppressed event, and down south to Sarasota and Siesta Key for some more beach adventures! Now to the coffee round up with Pidge!!

Coffee Shop Round Up by Pidgette

St Petersburg was the luxury escape for sun deprived, remote workers very accustomed to the dull Midwest winter. For the Midwest in January, there is little to no option to remain outside further than necessary to scurry to the next enclosed locations,so for St. Pete to offer any amount of extended time outside is a new experience. 

Doors were left open at midday for the fresh air. People would fill the outdoor table seating to enjoy their lunches. Faces lit up by sunlight while conducting their meetings. Absolutely unknown to us. 

Not only does offering the outdoor office option create the best fight against seasonal depression, but the overall energy of the coffeeshops. People seemed lifted in a way that not only were most days met with beautiful sunshine, but the reminder that the beach, ocean, parks, downtown pier were all a quick 20 min drive for the after-working hours where we could enjoy the remaining sunlight in January. 

Overall it seemed like a smaller remote working community that contributed to the daily coffeeshop traffic. 

Some of Pidge’s favorite St. Pete Coffee Shop Locations:

Book + Bottle- 17 6th St N

A bookstore, a wine shop, a creative meeting space, a coffeeshop. Easily best combo with best energy. 

Black Crow Coffee Co.- 2157 1st Ave S

Definitely one of the remote worker hidden hotspots. The open large garage doors offer such a great open space on sunny days. Very inclusive and inviting for all genders and identities. 

The Kava Shack-201 150th Ave

Listen, a 24 hours coffeeshop with dope vibes-couches, ping pong tables, smoking/vaping area in the back, videogames on a tv-kind of like your own little modern That 70s Show basement. 

Paradeco Coffee Roasters- 111 2nd Ave NE #101

A whimsical step back into a 60s vibe for a coffeeshop, but with very healthy snack/beverage options. Bright and pastel colors created such a great space.