This perpetually sunny city - in both spirit and weather - is on the rise, literally. With each passing season another low-rise comes down and another high-rise goes up. No wonder. St Petersburg has an easily navigable and pleasant downtown, great strolling along Bayshore Drive, a lovely waterfront park and pier, plenty of shops and galleries, an assorted collection of bistros and cafés and a major league baseball park. It also proudly serves as a gateway to stunning barrier beaches, including the famed Fort DeSoto. The culturally rich arts scene buzzes under the weight of its offerings: the Salvador Dalí Museum holds the largest collection of that artist's works in the world; the St Petersburg Fine Arts Museum has one of Florida's finest collections and the Florida International Museum's blockbuster rotating exhibitions have brought national attention.