Of Course it Smells Like Fish--It's a FISHING Pier!
I really like this pier because it's old and funky. That's how piers should be---wooden, creaky, fishy smelling, with lots of bird crap and fish blood and scales stuck to the wood. A good pier needs old men with big bellies and beer breath, hairy arms and necks, loud voices, but with a gentle manner and lots of patience. The fish are in no hurry.
And birds. Every pier needs lots of hungry raucous birds flapping and squawking and hopping all over, ready to grab any fish cast aside by a fisherman. The Redington Long Pier has lots of birds--long-necked herons, goofy pelicans, pesky seagulls, flighty terns, and confused pigeons. Being close to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary adds to the bird population quite a bit.
Take a Walk on the Pier
The pier isn't crowded because it costs $3 just to walk out onto the pier, and it costs $10 to fish. But if you ask me, its worth $3 just to get out over the Gulf and away from all the condos and resorts and traffic. Out on the pier you can catch the breeze, smell the salt water and really breathe.
Had a tough day? A tough week? A tough life? Just walk out onto the pier on a warm sunny day. Take something to drink. Sit in the shade on a hard wooden bench and just sink into the wood. Pretend you are a whacky pelican with no place to go. Just sit there and get into the zone. Don't move for at least an hour. No one will bother you. Real fishermen respect your quiet space. That's why they are there too, most of them.
The Closing of the Pier (not)
The Redington
Long Pier was closed for 4 days in summer 2006 because some wood from the
pier was seen washing up on the shore after the passage of a storm. It
was declared unsafe until engineers could inspect it. There was some fallout over the City closing the pier and
making demands on the owner: The "Redington Long Pier" became the "Dubai
Long Pier," which has now become simply "The Long Pier" as the owner
distances himself from the city that gave him a hard time.
