All kidding aside though, we've had a great time in Tampa. We hit up a couple more "must-see" spots around town since the last time I posted. Well for starters we spent a weekend in South Beach Miami which I know isn't in Tampa but hey -- we had to see what all the fuss was about. First note, be sure that you start a swear jar or a Roth IRA before traveling down there 'cause it's expensive with a capital "$". Secondly, don't waste your time paying vomit-inducing cover charges to any of the clubs or bars. All you have to do for entertainment is stroll up and down the A1A or S. Ocean Drive.
We took in a drag show that set up on the sidewalk next to the restaurant we were having dessert at. Fleets of trophy trucks and cars with names that I can't even pronounce cruised the over-crowded streets on Friday and Saturday night. We were never without about a thousand people watching opportunities and they all paid off.
I kinda felt like I was in high school and all the cool kids had been invited to some party that I didn't even know about. Aside from a little insecurity though we had a couple of great meals and the picture to the right here is what the inside of our hotel, the Penguin, looked like. We spent the afternoon on the beach on Saturday and poolside with our friends Mary and Jon on Sunday before we left.
Back in Tampa I should note a rather unusual attraction. On the east side, just outside of the city limits, is a coal burning power plant. Tampa Electric, just north of Apollo beach, expels water that's used in the production of electricity into Tampa Bay. During the winter months when the Gulf of Mexico is a bit too cold, manatees that would otherwise graze there shuffle over to a small inlet that hugs one side of the plant. This inlet is where the ejected water, heated after being used to cool machinery inside, comes out. The manatees take full advantage of this and loll about lazily and graze in what amounts to a several million gallon hot tub. There's a wooden walk way built up across from the plant and it's free for anyone who wants to stop by and check out about a hundred or so sea cows.
Oh and I almost forgot -- there's a Yuengling brewery in Tampa! I took a tour of the brewery with my dad when he visited. The tour is pretty standard but there's a small bar next to the gift shop with free samples of every brew that they make. I tried a double bock seasonal that I'd never heard of before, it was great!
That about does it. We've had a great time warming our thick blood down here but we're ready for more temperate climes. Next time I see you it will be on Pacific time.
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