So, I'll just begin with talking a little bit about Tampa. And then the classes I took. And, finally, some of the absolutely fantastic work (and some less than fantastic work - eeks) that I saw there. So, the easiest first - a bit about the little corner of Tampa that I was in for the Conference.
The Tampa Convention Center, where Convergence was held:
Palm tress are interesting beasties, aren't they?
Here's the view from my hotel room (I stayed at the Westin Harbor Island):
And, to get to the Conference Center, I took a short walk over the bridge...
One of the days, during lunch time, I poked around a bit in the business district of Tampa. It was sooooo HOT. Unbelievable, actually - mid-90s and crazy humid. I could never, ever live in a climate like that, I'd melt. (Made me remember one of the reasons why I was so gung-ho to move away from Texas all those years ago, Irish girls from New England literally cannot take the heat!)Carlos (Mr. SkiingWeaver) says it sounds a lot like Puerto Rico in the summer, which makes sense.
Very neat fountain, reflected in a building. What completely cracked me up were these guys:
Check him out! Isn't he neat?? I kept seeing them meandering around downtown. I'm sure to Tampa/Florida people he's just like a pigeon, but I still thought he was pretty cool. Crazy tourist lady taking pictures of the pigeons. LOL (Is it an ibis? I'm not sure!) Hey, warm climate people take pictures of snow after all...I took the trolley out to Ybor City (an older neighborhood, it used to be full of Cuban cigar factories), but didn't take any pictures - it's mostly restaurants and college bars now with just a few interesting shops thrown in, so it was a little disappointing. I was hoping for a little bit more of an ethnic vibe, but, no dice, rats. (To be fair, I am a tough customer - I lived in Mexico City for six weeks one summer, and we've spent a lot of time in Spain, too...)
OK, now that I've gotten started, I'll keep going. Stay tuned, I'll post about the classes that I took next (they were quite good - and now I wish I had signed up for more of them!).
7 comments:
Love your arty fountain picture! A great take on the "typical" office building. -Lexi
I'm Cuban-American and if you were looking for us, we're in Miami, haha. Tampa nah! I'm glad you had fun.
Hi Lexi!! Must get the fam down to Brooklyn - big work deadline for Carlos in August, maybe after that?
And - Hi Deep End! I've always wanted to visit Miami, it looks like such a cool town, with great Deco architecture... Some day! :)
Nice start! I'm waiting to hear more since I was not able to attend.
and that (heat and humidity) are the reason folks from Florida come to the mountains of western North Carolina for the summer!
since you were able to get to Ybor City I will assume you saw the "Weave and Resist" exhibition? any photos? Comments? I'd love to see what the exhibition looked like!
I'll stay tuned!!!!
Don't leave out any details!! I wasn't able to attend this year. Did you get interviewed by Syne Mitchell of WeaveCast? Try out any looms? Take your time, I want to know what you didn't like and why. Thanks for this vicarious adventure!
Totally an ibis :) I was in St. Pete a few years ago for a conference and had fun spotting parrots and other unlikely characters.
If ever you're back down that way, there are some really amazing places to see wildlife close by (Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in particular).
Another world, eh?
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