Article by Terry Glavin, Business Editor, Sarasota Herald Tribune, 24 October 2018
Conde Nast Traveler, one of the most high-profile and high-end of the mass-market travel publications, consulted 429,000 responses to its Readers Choice Award survey to rank Sarasota No. 5 on its 15 Best Small Cities in the U.S. list for 2018.
“Sarasota is booming,” the magazine said in its blurb, “and our readers are noticing.”
“Not only is the Gulf Coast-side city home to attractions like the Sarasota Opera and Ringling Circus Museum, it’s also ushering in exciting new hotels that are far from generic beach resorts.”
No surprise, Conde Nast mentions “the elegant Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota” and its upgraded pools but it also plugged the Art Ovation Hotel, “where you should spend at least one afternoon (if not a few) by the rooftop pool overlooking Sarasota Bay.”
Also extolled was Sarasota’s “ever-growing food scene,” mentioning “the aromatic mushroom bisque at Indigenous, the cinnamon roll pancakes at Station 400, and the savory crepes at C’est La Vie.”
Which small burgs did the magazine rank higher?
No. 1 was Charleston, South Carolina, followed by Santa Fe, New Mexico; Savannah, Georgia; and Alexandria, Virginia.
Among the small cities lower on the list were such notables as Sedona, Arizona (No. 6); Key West (No. 10 and the only other Florida place on the small cities list); Napa (No. 12) and Palm Springs (No. 13), California. No place in Florida made the magazine’s Best Big Cities list this year.
Yes, the article was glowing in its praise of Sarasota, but the editors seemingly were unable to resist a final left-handed compliment after talking about its great food.
The blurb concluded: “With meals like these, it’s easy to see why so many people decide to spend their golden years in Sarasota.”
