Tampa 2021: Diary – Day 2

Good thing I set two alarms! Only the second one went off because I made the age old mistake of not properly checking AM and PM on the first one. Oops.

To the Airport

We met my brother in law in the lobby shortly before 6:00am when the shuttle was scheduled to leave. The driver was there and was able to take us right away as there wasn’t anyone else waiting.

We checked our bags and made our way through security with minimal drama, though the TSA lane wasn’t open. We had to go through the regular line and take out our computers but could leave our shoes on and go through the metal detector.

Tomatico’s bag got flagged because he had our Theragun in his backpack. A Theragun is a percussive massager that we on our sore muscles. We find it very useful before and after workouts. The batteries aren’t allowed in checked bags or else we would have packed it.

The TSA agent had obviously never seen one before. I caught myself before I said the brand name. I would imagine anything with the word with “gun” in the name would be something to avoid saying out loud in an airport! The agent scanned it separately and we were allowed to pass.

We found our gate and realized there weren’t many options for breakfast. Tomatico found something but our youngest didn’t, so my wife took him back outside security to find a Dunkin we had passed.

We were plenty early so we had some time to wait. My wife used the time to check on email, though she promised she wouldn’t work (much) during this vacation. She really needed the break and had worked for almost a month to make sure things were in place for her week-long absence. We’d see if she could hold the line!

Tampa! (And Clearwater)

The flight was on time and uneventful. Our bags were even on the carousel when we arrived at baggage claim. It took just a few minutes for our Lyft driver to arrive and it was a 30 minute straight shot to the Hyatt Regency Clearwater hotel.

It was just after noon when we arrived and I wasn’t sure if we’d have to wait for our room. At the checkin desk I was happy to hear it was ready! The agent told us where all the highlights were located and gave us a schedule of activities for the week. He also offered us a welcome flute of champagne and bottles of water for the boys.

We were impressed with the suite. It was nicer than the pictures. The living room had a nice couch and gathering area as well as a kitchen with stove, microwave, full-size refrigerator, sink and even a full size dishwasher. On the way from the elevator we also passed a laundry room though hopefully we wouldn’t need it!

Finding Lunch

My brother in law had to work this week and he had a call he needed to get to, so we needed to find a quick lunch. Down in the lobby the valet recommended an outdoor bar nearby that had good food, though when we found it, it was raining and there wasn’t any dry seating so we decided to try a pizza place next door.

It was a hole in the wall place, but the slices were good. We brought them back to to room to eat them since there wasn’t much space inside the restaurant.

The boys then decided to go test the pool, even though it was raining. They convinced me to join them. The pool was warmer than the air and we had fun playing. They kept ganging up on me! I guess it’s better than them fighting each other.

Dinner

After resting in the room for a bit, my brother in law finally finished his work for the day so we went out to find some dinner. We decided to walk along the road in front of the hotel between the hotel and the beach. There were several restaurants and shops and we found a seafood/bar restaurant that looked promising.

It turned out to be excellent. They had live entertainment (!!!!) as well as excellent food. Tomatico sampled several dishes because that’s what he does. He absolutely loved the blackened mahi-mahi.

After dinner, the rest of the family ended up getting some ice cream and walking along the beach while Tomatico and I went to workout in the gym.

The gym was small, but had all the essentials. The equipment was in good condition and they even had a single Peloton bike which I’d have to try at some point.

We did some balance and body weight exercises, working on the small muscles, before doing a competition on the elyptical to see who could reach 100 calories first. It was my first pure cardio workout in awhile and it was a close race. I won at the finish line, though. He’d get me the next day as I was sure to be sore!

Back in the room, it was late and we were tired from getting up early so we called it night.