Tallahassee and Tampa

Welcome back blogosphere! Only four days since the last posting, but there is much catching up to do! Last you heard from me I was headed Eastward after a rockin' time in New Orleans, and head East I did. From New Orleans I proceed through to Mobile,AL, but after being struck with a serious case of wanderlust, I continued on through the Southern tip of Mississippi and headed into Florida. After a bit more driving than I had bargained for, I ended up in Tallahassee (another one of those words like Mississippi with two of everything!) for the night.

I had modest expectations for Tallahassee, as it is mostly known for being a college town home to Florida State University, as well as being the capital of Florida. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Tallahassee is a beautiful locale in most areas, and has a small town charm that is completely unexpected. After arriving, I meandered into a local motel, and promptly passed out, with plans on the docket for the next day, rather than try to go explore after an exhausting 7 1/2 hour drive.

I woke still a bit tired, but nonetheless ready for a day of exploring what Tallahassee had to offer. From what I had read, the downtown area and the capitol building were the real selling points, so that's where I headed. After grabbing a delicious Florida orange smoothie at a local joint, I headed down. The downtown area has a hip small town kind of feel to it, kind of like the Old Market in Omaha ten years ago, while the capitol area was absolutely stunning. Stately, enormous buildings are surrounded by ancient oaks covered in moss -- It truly gave a sense of the history of the area (which is actually quite interesting, for more info go here).

After a nice walk around the area, I jumped back on the interstate, anxious to see the Atlantic coast and jump in the ocean. Well, it wasn't meant to be, as I entered a huge thunderstorm as I approached Jacksonville and the coast. Disappointed, I grabbed a motel room, watched a couple movies on HBO and dreamt of the beach.... In the morning, it was still raining, and deciding this was an omen, I made a pit stop in Tampa to visit a family friend and rest up for a couple days. Within a few hours I was there!

Tampa is a nice little town, with some beachfront access as well (except this was the Gulf of Mexico, not the Atlantic mind you) and a damn good baseball team. Unfortunately I arrived during the all-star break, so Sandi (the family friend) and I had to root the hometown boys on in front of the T.V. rather than in person. Tampa is also known for their world class zoo, which is gorgeous and full of interesting species. The one drawback is that 95% of the zoo is outside, so make sure you bring those water bottles for the walk. Sandi is actually a volunteer at the zoo, so I received the best tour around, and got lots of insight into what makes the zoo tick, as well as learning many of the animal's names. One of the cutest sights in the world is seeing a 2 ton elephant respond to its name, a sight I won't soon forget. 

After a couple days of resting up and seeing the sights, I hit the road again, treading on up to Georgia and the Carolinas... Another beautiful surprise....

A.S. Bloom

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