Team Red Mascot

 
Reporting live from St. Pete's Beach on the steamy/rainy Gulf Coast of Florida.  Would I normally choose this time of year to be here? Likely not .. but in the interest of reporting my travels, I am here attending a very large convention.  To keep this writing neutral, I am attending Team Red's big pre-"Super Bowl" gathering.

Team Blue Mascot

  

Just so you follow my drift, Team Blue's gathering is next week in Charlotte.  Of course the big game is November 6th....  And, of course, just getting here from L.A. was a wait-and-see-what-Hurricane-Isaac-may-or-may-not-do experience.  Loved getting that email from AA the day before departure that the flight was cancelled (LA-Miami-Tampa).  Rerouted LA-Dallas-Tampa.   Other than the JOLT during our descent (even the hubby was a bit alarmed) into Tampa, it was a pretty unremarkable journey!      

Pre-Hurricane Isaac

Now back to the trip at hand.  Our hotel is right on a stretch of beach in St. Petersburg at the Tradewinds Island Grand.  We opted for larger accommodations (son Sam is here with us) instead of staying in Tampa proper (smaller accommodations offered) even though it means more daily commute time to the convention center -- some 30+ minutes into Tampa. Most anyone  who has been to a gathering of this size and scope knows hotel space is at an absolute premium.  It's not uncommon for folks to stay 40 miles away just to get a room with "proximity" to whatever is going on.   We did have the added bonus of celebrating son Sam's 23rd birthday the first day with a wonderful meal at Maritana Grill in St. Pete's. 

About to reveal what's inside!

Cheers!

This is my second time in Tampa.  The first was back in the '90s when we came to experience Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.  Yes, that is a family tradition; I have been to a total of 35 MLB parks and must say the one in Tampa is probably the worst (the old Kingdome in Seattle comes to mind as well).  Still remember the fan spitting chewing tobacco in front of me.  Love the team a lot but they need a new stadium! 

Love him or hate him, the big guy has presence ...

 A major part of the fun in attending these events is meeting people from literally every state in the country.  The outfits are quite extravagant and deliberate -- meaning folks work hard to be noticed.  The same is absolutely true whether at Team Red or Team Blue; enthusiasm, patriotism and spirit is abundant everywhere!



  One more comment about the weather -- I applaud anyone who isn't bothered by humidity.  Wish that were me but, as a lifelong resident of So. Cal, I am undeniably spoiled weather-wise.  When you have to stop and let the glasses de-fog when going from indoors to outdoors, that's just not right!

Veal with peppers and tomato sauce

Thankfully Isaac was a no-show and we're all safe and sound.  Dinner the second night was at Donatello, an old-style Italian restaurant where the entrance walls are covered with a who's who of visitors.  The place was packed, food was delicious and it was the day's second sighting of the NJ Gov who is obviously a foodie ...

Included here are some photos from this quite amazing experience.  Hope you enjoy. 

Downtown Tampa

That is CNN's Campbell Brown on the ledge

Beautiful building; had a dinner event in the atrium

Those are all security boats in the water

About to go in for the first night's speeches

Not just yet ... waiting for Thursday.