By Herb Hiller
The big pink Don CeSar Beach Resort separates the two sections of St. Pete Beach. North up Gulf Boulevard stretch the motels, hotels and condominiums of a vacation world acutely attuned to visitors. Friends sent me to Skidder’s where, about to slosh through a bowl of pasta, I asked for extra napkins. The hostess smiled and said, “I love a man who can admit he gets a little messy when he eats. Would you like a bib?” Sure.

Different at the foot of the narrow peninsula below the Don is Pass-a-Grille, where the Intracoastal Waterway becomes Pass-a-Grille Inlet, sweeping into the Gulf of Mexico. Adventurers once fished the near offshore waters and, like the natives, grilled their catch on the beach. Dirt lanes recall the mid-1880s when the first beachgoers began vacationing here. Flower boxes, picket fencing and a historical museum suggest enduring residential community. A mile of beach below where houses face the gulf stands open, and the post office closes for lunch.

This is a walking place. It’s only two streets wide and two miles long, most of the way lined by sidewalks. Along Pass-a-Grille Way beside the Intracoastal, families grill supper in their yards. An outdoor sculpture shows children dancing. A woman carries a sack of groceries out of locally run Shaner’s Market.

At the Wharf bar, I schmoozed awhile with fisherman Gary Feigas, who told me something I’d never heard before: that when we wash our hands, we should take as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday to ourselves. “Haven’t had a sniffle in 12 years,” he said.

Who can resist overnighting at Mile Marker 0? Island’s End supplies a handful of kitchen-equipped cottages and private beach the size of a tent flap. Guests show each other “finds” — ceramic flip flops from the Nature of Arts Gallery and art objects from jeweler Evander Preston. Before leaving, they book for next year.

This story is excerpted from The Islas Pinellas, Standout Small Towns, in Florida's Beach, the 2006 Visitor Guide for the St. Petersburg Clearwater area.