Last weekend, on a rainy Sunday, we were contemplating things to do inside. As you know from our many restaurant posts, we love walking to local establishments and sitting along the water if we can. We couldn't do one of our other favorite pastimes either, ride our bikes on the Pinellas Trail. So, we batted ideas around. We settled on people watching at the Countryside Mall.
Aric grew up in Plant City and therefore frequented Tampa's malls growing up. I was raised in St. Pete, so Tyrone was our mall of choice. Now that we live in Tarpon Springs, the closest mall to us is Countryside Mall, which is located less than 10 miles from our house. I had been there once and Aric had never gone at all, so we decided to check it out.
It turns out that the Countryside Mall has pretty much any store you could think of: Macy's, Dillards, American Eagle, Auntie Anne's, Foot Locker, Kay Jeweler's, Piercing Pagoda, etc. It even has a Cobb Movie theater and - at this time of year at least - an ice rink. We hit the jackpot. What better place to watch people than an ice rink?
Some kids were clearly practicing skating for hockey, as they were in full pads and helmets. Others were clearly regulars as they zoomed around the ice. One family was probably out there for their first time, and were the most fun to watch. Ice skating is difficult.
After about an hour, we tore ourselves away to go get some lunch and watch the Master's at BJ's Brewhouse, which is also located at the mall. The service was good, the food was good, and the TV watching was great.
Although Pinellas County has many, many sunny days, we do get the occasional rainy one. I would recommend Countryside Mall for people watching. Although we didn't shop, it's a great place to do that, too!
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