Day 14: Tampa
Welcome
Yesterday we flew on a Delta Airlines MD-80 from Savannah to Atlanta and then a 737-900ER to Tampa, Florida.
We went to Great American Bagel Panini for breakfast and I had bacon and egg on an everything bagel.
Our flight on the MD-80 was excitingly loud as we were seated right next to the fuselage-mounted engines.
We arrived to a beautiful sunny day in Tampa and headed straight to Curtis Hixon Park where Gasparilla Music Festival was being held. The festival featured four stages and a whole host of extra-curricular activities such as face painting and hula hooping.
The park was located right next to the Hillsborough river which provided me with a great excuse to head out and discover my bridge of the day, the Cass Street CSX Railroad truss bridge. It is a 152 metre (500ft) truss bascule design and was completed in 1915 as part of the Atlantic coastline railroad.
Across the river from the festival is very interesting building that is currently part of the University of Tampa but started out life as the Tampa Bay Hotel. Completed in 1891 the hotel had 511 rooms and 150 acre grounds hosting a golf course, bowling alley, racetrack, and a casino. The hotel was built by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant to cater to wealthy tourists and celebrities and cost up to fifteen dollars a room at a time when other local establishments typically charged one or two dollars.
Tampa Bay Hotel and it's Moorish Revival minarets.
Our set went really well. The team at Gasparilla were extremely professional and did an amazing job despite only getting time for a quick line check right before we played. We were feeling pretty thrashed by the end of the day and I fell asleep while I was testing the softness of the bed.
Beth of the day goes to Jonathan for managing to get the broken handle to retract back inside our merch suitcase.
Two in a row, nice work Jon!
