My sister Susan and I stopped at Sailor's Return, a restaurant located in Stuart, Florida's Sunset Bay Marina, this past Friday evening to have a beer and admire the view of the St. Lucie River from the outdoor patio. But I should have realized that Friday night during "The Season" (January thru March) is very much different than the rest of the year. We did find a parking spot, but when we got to the patio, every vacant table had a "reserved" sign on it, and the only seat available in the whole place was at the end of the bar. Susan took that one and I discreetly took a stool from one of those reserved tables and extended seating at the bar by one. I really like this place, but we couldn't see the water from where we sat, and that is what we go there for. Plus, it soon got crowded, and the staff seemed pretty stressed trying to take care of everyone. No friendly chats with the bartender that night.
The view from the walkway was as nice as ever, of course, and we did get to see a bit of the sunset on the walk back to the car, but when we got there, we were boxed in. Evidently on busy nights like this, the valets park the cars left with them in long rows in front of the cars in the parking spaces. I had to walk back to the valet stand and ask if they would move a car so I could pull out. I understand why they have to do that, but it is a bit irritating. One of these days we will go back on a non-weekend night and see if happy hour is a little less hectic, and if you can actually sit at a table with a view. If not, there is always next summer. During the month of August, there are lots of tables available, and the bartender is always happy to chat. What's a little heat when you have such a great view, right?
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