034 - Tampa Power Plant

023 - Tampa Theatre

When it opened in 1926, the Tampa Theatre was one of the most elaborate movie palaces in America. The ticket price on opening night was 25 cents! It is on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored to it's original glory in 1978. Today they host over 600 events per year, making it one of the most used venues of it's kind.

015 - "Strawberry Festival"

We went to the Plant City Strawberry Festival today. Our taste buds were all ready for a yummy strawberry extravaganza. Sadly we were very disappointed. The "Strawberry Festival" seems to have little to do with strawberries. Yes, there were a few booths selling jewelry shaped like strawberries, a couple obligatory FFA displays of how strawberries are grown, and you could buy strawberries if you were so inclined. Personally, the thought of walking around for the day carrying a flat of strawberries seemed quite inconvenient. We did buy a strawberry shortcake which was very good.

Really what this event should be called is heart attack waiting to happen. The majority of the fairgrounds were taken up by carnival rides and deep fried food. Deep fried butter...really? How about a deep fried Pepsi to wash that down? Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely turning my nose up at the art of deep fried sweets. I personally have a soft spot for deep fried Oreo's. However, this was the STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL! Fortunately, I do know where to go for yummy delicious strawberries...the grocery store.

013 - Carnival Inspiration

Cruise ship in port at Channelside in lovely downtown Tampa. It's a cool 48° tonight, not exactly tropical cruising weather. Hopefully they find warmer weather as they travel south!

007 - Ybor

Ybor City on a Friday night...in winter. Summertime would bring triple the amount of people. Still fairly busy and always very cool to drive through. One of these days we will actually park the car and explore the little shops and clubs that line these streets.