If It's Shaped Like a Mouse...

We'd been to Florida before and to be honest: we didn't really like it that much. Not to say anything against the state because several of my really good friends hail from there, but I think we were expecting something else. I was thinking white sand beaches, palm trees and wide open spaces, and what we got were bustling cities (Miami) and beaches with sewage warnings and strange rocky undergrowths (the Keys). Even the palm trees seemed a little less. It felt too hot, everyone was too drunk and we stayed way too long.

But this last trip, I think we really got Florida. First, we went as strictly tourists, eager to experience every bit of schtick there was in the three days we were there. The glitz of Pleasure Island, the cheeriness of Epcot's international village, and anything shaped like the mouse's head. It was pure plastic fun, even though we never did get to see Mickey himself. 

Second, we took a side trip to Tampa to visit Sean's friend Kathy, her husband Baird and their baby Grayson, who showed us real Florida. They took us to an amazing sushi restaurant (I will forever dream of that salmon bowl) and ice cream in Ybor City, where a teenager looked appraisingly at my Velvet Underground T-shirt, and said, all youth and coolness, "Yeah, I like your T-shirt." We drove around Tampa Bay, looked out over its skyline and just had a great time with people who knew and loved Florida.

I remember now that the best time we had on our last trip to Florida was while we were on Deer Key, which is inhabited by miniature deer. We stayed at a B&B that felt more like a home, with great hosts and a golf cart that we whizzed up and down the street on. The best part of all was at breakfast, where we fed the little deer (almost like little dogs) who came up to us both eager and shy, for pieces of carrot. One little lame one gently lipped the carrots from our hands and would come close for a little snuggle before limping away. 

I guess my point is, just go all out and be the tourist. Wear the ears. Ride the rides. And get a picture with a sweaty teenager dressed as a giant rodent. But if you get the chance, try to slip into the real side of the state. It's a little elusive, but it's worth it.