Farewell my lovely.

When it comes to the Florida condo complex, there's much to be said for Village Gardens.

I moved into Village Gardens two and a half years ago under duress. I needed a place in a hurry, and it was the first thing I came across that seemed adequate--covered parking, full-size washer/dryers, and they allowed dogs. Still, I hoped I wouldn't be there very long--it just wasn't "me." Now that I'm leaving, it is with great reluctance, for it turned out to be a lot more "me" than I thought.

Sarasota has hundreds of condo complexes--the perfect word, by the way-- but Village Gardens occupies a special niche. It is the least expensive of the eminently respectable ones. You can live here on a very tight budget with no loss of social status. This is particularly important in the arts, and Village Gardens has been home to many of the town's arts people over the years. We have Asolo people, we have opera people, we have museum people. When you ask Howard Millman how he expects you to live on what he's paying you, he has a two-word answer: Village Gardens.

But to imply that Village Gardens is a bohemian enclave would be misleading. It is a sedate, quiet, proper enclave where bohemians can live as long as they don't drive a pick-up truck. In addition to the arts administrators, there are graduate students from New College, computer programmers, even a realtor or two. And though they are allowed, there is a blessed lack of children. The day I moved in a little boy rang the doorbell, desperate to know if I had any kids he could play with.

Of course, like any Florida condo, Village Gardens is really run by its retired residents; and I must say they do an exceptional job. The place is impeccably maintained and the retirees are conviviality itself. At first they kept inviting me to all sorts of activities up at the clubhouse, apparently under the impression that I, also, was a retiree, but I soon made it clear that no, I was one of the arty young professionals. Since then we've gotten along great, except for the one who turned me into the police for speeding along the winding 15-mph road.

True, the architecture at Village Gardens is undistinguished, even a little shed-like. But inside the units are comfort itself: well laid-out, well proportioned, bright and sunny (unless you live directly under a tree, as I did). And the price is certainly right. Most units run between $60,000 and $70,000 and for that you get a standard Florida condo: two bedrooms, two baths, one lanai. The smart people enclose their lanai, giving themselves a den. I personally kept all my exercise equipment out on the lanai, where it fell apart from severe rust when I finally tried to move it.

But if the architecture is undistinguished, the landscaping certainly isn't. It's got to be one of the best-landscaped places in town, putting newer and fancier places to shame. I keep thinking they ought to bring in bus tours. They managed to keep an enormous amount of trees, and the whole place is covered with a canopy of oaks, pines and palms--a real Southern hammock. Add to this the neat lawns and masses of tropical plants and the place becomes quite special. I'll never forget the morning I opened the front door to find myself face to face with a fox.

Village Gardens' biggest drawback is its location. Among the closest neighbors are a trailer park, low-income housing and a big vacant lot where truckers leave their semis overnight. You can literally walk to the airport ticket counter--though anyone who lives near the airport will tell you that being that close is no problem whatsoever. There are so few planes these days that when one flies overhead it's rather exciting. People run out to watch.

My fondest memories of Village Gardens will always be of walking Peanut late at night. You can see the stars through the trees dripping with Spanish moss. A faint breeze rustles the elephant ears; and in the distance, the sound of barking dogs can be heard. (Yes, Village Gardens borders the dog track. I knew two days before the kennel cough epidemic broke out. I could tell just from the barking that something was wrong.) I look up and think: Ah, the condo lifestyle. No lawn to mow, a beautiful pool, your own tennis court and everywhere you look, active retirees. Imagine. All this. And starting from the low $60s.