When I was moving down to St. Petersburg I needed an apartment and I needed it quick. The place I was banking on fell through and I only had a day to find a place. So on that fateful Friday afternoon I take off driving towards an apartment complex that was recommended to me. Unfortunately the complex had no vacancy. Luckily, the receptionist pointed me in the direction of a few more apartment complexes off of Gandy Blvd. The apartments were nice and eventually became what I called home.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, Gandy Blvd. was the road that led to the Gandy Bridge. The Gandy Bridge, at one point in time, was the world’s longest bridge connecting Tampa and St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg was a city built on tourism in the early 1900’s. One item of tourism that early St. Pete offered was the Derby Lane Greyhound Track. This dog track is the country’s oldest dog track.

I assume this place was off the chains in the 20’s and 30’s because it still has that vintage feel. They even play some cheesy American tune before every race that for a split second makes you feel you aren’t living in the times that you actually are.

On this visit to the track, I had the luxury of being accompanied by one of my good friends from the Bluegrass. This man is a hybrid of Bukowski, H.S.Thompson, and the Big Lebowski, so the experience felt all the much better. I didn’t understand his rhyme or reasoning for gambling but my strategy was to bet on the greyhound that took the pre-race poop. My friend left in the black, I left in the hole.

Don’t expect to see high class crowds from the 20’s at this place though. Most of the seats are unoccupied but for the few visitors this place attracts, they make a Kid Rock concert in the middle of a Nascar race feel more like your kind of people. Tactlessly, my camera battery was uncharged and I was unable to capture a photo of this rare breed of human. I only hope that you can experience this social setting at some point in your life.

I hypothesize that back in the day, Pinellas County laws were much more relaxed than that of neighboring Hillsborough County. This probably led to the construction of Derby Lanes. Furthermore, I believe the sole bridge leading into Pinellas County in addition to the dog track led to the cancer of businesses that have spread on Gandy Blvd.

Don’t for a second think that you night is complete after leaving the race track. Gandy Blvd. has one of the finest liquor stores just 50 yards from the parking lot of the track. Gandy also has a high abundance of strip clubs and bikini bars. If only I had opened my eyes a little more before choosing my apartment, I might have been more prepared for what I was in store for.