from the Everglades to Ybor City

Alright, my original plan was to actually go into the national parks of the Everglades, until I got up and felt the humidity.  It's not the humidity itself that bothers me; I can handle that.  Walking in the Everglades requires a couple things: long pants and very strong bug spray.  I have only regular spray, not super spray.  After sundown in North Carolina, I was out for only 30 minutes and my feet were absolutely EATEN ALIVE.

Seriously, the swelling from all the bites had just begun to go down these last couple days.  Peak season for skeeters ends in November.  That is one reason.  Now the reason the humidity would get to me is because when walking through the parks, you should wear long pants and boots to protect yourself from the snakes.  Yeah, long pants tucked into boots while swatting monster mosquitoes in humid air did not sound like a pleasant afternoon!  But I did not want to just pass by the Everglades either, so I took an airboat ride.  The ride was given by Wootens Airboat Tours and it is the only ride that is allowed to take people through a national park- Cypress National Park is the one we saw.  It was grandfathered in because the land was bought in the mid-1940s and rides given since before it was made national park territory.

The ride was so fast and fun!  We saw a lot of mangrove trees- you can be fined $5000 or spent 6 mos in jail for cutting these things- and other plantlife and reeds.  It was midday, so not too likely alligators would have been out (they're seen in morning) but I got my fill in Orlando anyways.  We did end up seeing one out there, as well as an alligator nest. 
And tons of birds all throughout the Everglades during the drive on the Tamiami Trail.  It was a cool drive.  At night, drivers have to reduce their speed greatly in some areas due to panthers crossing the road!
The smallest post office in the US is also along the Tamiami Trail... it's tiny!  I couldn't believe it- didn't even know it was here, I just stumbled across it (literally! haha). 

Along my drive I stopped at a beach in Naples, right at the end of a shopping street lined with palm trees.  It was a nice area and a really pretty beach.  Just stayed for about an hour.

For the evening, I took a walk through Ybor City, a couple miles south of downtown Tampa.  This area is small, but way cool.  A lot of restaurants and bars, hookah shops, tattoo places, and hand-rolled cigar shops.  I watched a guy roll cigars and browsed the gift shops while listening to the low bustle of few people who were out on a Wednesday night.  Hamburger Mary's was hopping though- that's always a fun place (I've been to the one near Andersonville in Chicago).  This main strip is decorated with white lights strung over the street.  A very festive atmosphere, even on a weeknight.