Florida Spring Break

So, the monkey took off to Florida for Spring Break because, why not? Everyone else goes to Florida at this time of year. Actually it really was Spring Break for #3 Granddaughter and her academic parents so Mr. and Mrs. Kongo jetted across the country to Tampa to spend a week in the Florida sun. Or not. For the first few days the monkeys actually froze their little tutus off. We huddled around a fire, bundled up in sweaters, and wondered why the weather was colder here than home in L.A. Then it warmed up for the full range of…

Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Distance

August 30, 2013 Categories: TravelTags: Ailsa's Travel Theme · landscapes · New Mexico · New York · Paris · photography · San Diego · Tampa · Travel14 Comments

Ailsa’s Travel Theme this week is DISTANCE so Kongo has included a few distance images from travels over the past year. See more distance photos at Ailsa’s Where’s My Backpack blog and join the fun in her weekly theme challenges. The shot above is of downtown San Diego, California. Travel Safe. Have fun.

Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Beaches

May 11, 2013May 11, 2013 Categories: TravelTags: Ailsa's Travel Theme · Backpack · beaches · California · Florida · indian Shores Beach · La Jolla · Mexico · Pelicans · photography · Places · postaday · Recreation · Tampa · Travel · Tulum3 Comments

A harbor seal enjoys the beach at La Jolla, California. See more beaches from Ailsa’s followers at her weekly blog theme site at Where’s My Backpack. Read on to see a few more of Kongo’s favorite beaches.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

March 1, 2013 Categories: Florida · TravelTags: fountains · photography · Tampa · Travel · water · Weekly Photo Challenge26 Comments

This photograph reminded me of getting lost in the details. It was taken at a fountain in downtown Tampa, Florida in December 2012. The whole fountain is shown in the picture below. Learn more about the Weekly Photo Challenge here.

Unexpected Tampa

December 8, 2012December 9, 2012 Categories: Florida · TravelTags: Florida · Henry B. Plant · Henry B. Plant Museum · photography · postaday · Tampa · Tampa Bay Hotel · Tourism · Travel · University of Tampa5 Comments

The University of Tampa in downtown Tampa, Florida is host to one of the most unusual architectural buildings Kongo has seen in some time and was completely surprised to discover it during a business trip there this week. The former Tampa Bay Hotel was built by railroad magnate Henry Pant in 1888 as one of the premier anchors to his hotel line. The unique stainless steel minarets are fascinating to observe.

Ybor City

December 5, 2012December 9, 2012 Categories: Florida · TravelTags: cigar factory · Florida · photography · postaday · Tampa · Travel · Ybor City7 Comments

Kongo took a walk through Tampa’s historic Ybor City district this afternoon. Ybor City, just about a mile from downtown Tampa, was founded by immigrants from Cuba, Spain, and Italy in the 1880s. The industry of the day was cigar making and Ybor City immigrants rolled millions of cigars annually. You can still find places where they hand roll cigars even today and then sit down and smoke them with say a Cuba Libre under an umbrella on the sidewalk. (Kongo did this and it was great!)

Tampa

December 4, 2012December 9, 2012 Categories: Florida · TravelTags: Convention Center · Florida · photography · postaday · Tampa · Tampa Bay · Travel4 Comments

Kongo left chilly New York yesterday and flew down to Tampa where it was 81 degrees when he stepped off the plane. What a difference a flight makes! In NYC there was constant hustle and bustle, crowds, traffic, people scurrying about, horns honking, sirens whooping. In Tampa the traffic is civilized and sparse. When Kongo went for a short walk with his camera near his hotel (another Hyatt) he wondered where everybody was…like WHERE IS EVERYBODY? Tampa is clean and scrubbed compared to gritty NYC. The picture above is the Tampa Convention Center about 30 minutes before sunset.

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Tag: Tampa