playing hooky with ryan
/
This post should have been posted months ago. Like in June. I still have more photos to edit but I wanted to just get this posted.
Ryan's fifth grade class had a trip to Busch Gardens. Ryan didn't want to go. The rides make him nervous even if he is not riding. He wouldn't tell me what he wanted to do instead so I finally made plans to ride the trolleys. He chose to go to the aquarium first.
We got to the aquarium just before 10. It wasn't crowded which was nice. It seems like there are less and less fish each time we visit. And I am noticing more birds. Since it is so difficult to get good shots of the fish, I focused on the birds. Still, my ISO had to be cranked up to 800 to get any speed.
We tend to go through the aquarium quickly. Ryan only looks at the fish and fowl briefly before checking another spot off on his map. We were done before 11 am.
They have built up quite the water play area for pre-schoolers. A few ran around as we walked through the misting fans. There are several areas to sit in the shade while the kids play in the water area. There is even a cantina for those dads who need a drink and check up on the sports scores.
We got our trolley tickets and waited for the trolleys to start running. They start at 11 am. Only two run passing each other along the middle of the route. We soon saw both motormen several times as we traveled and got off to walk around.
We ate lunch at Tampa Bay Brewing Company. I have a thing for their veggie burgers. But this was a mistake. Ryan does not like to eat out. And it's been several years since he has been anywhere but a fast food restaurant. The thirty minutes we were there must have seemed like hours to him. He did try the chocolate milk though it was served in a box. It wasn't very cold so he only took a few sips. He wanted fries and I like their steak fries. But they were too hot and "too big" and Ryan only ate one.
We got back on the trolley and back to the car so Ryan could grab a thermos of milk. We rode the trolley to Dick Greco Plaza. The motorman suggested we ride the glass elevators in the Embassy Suites. We did. The hotel is 20 stories but Ryan pressed 15 when we got in the elevator. The interior is set up like a courtyard. Vertigo! And their pool is long and narrow too. It looked more like a foot bath.
We got back on the trolley and back to the car. I stopped at Wendy's for fries that Ryan knew he would like.
Ryan's fifth grade class had a trip to Busch Gardens. Ryan didn't want to go. The rides make him nervous even if he is not riding. He wouldn't tell me what he wanted to do instead so I finally made plans to ride the trolleys. He chose to go to the aquarium first.
We got to the aquarium just before 10. It wasn't crowded which was nice. It seems like there are less and less fish each time we visit. And I am noticing more birds. Since it is so difficult to get good shots of the fish, I focused on the birds. Still, my ISO had to be cranked up to 800 to get any speed.
We tend to go through the aquarium quickly. Ryan only looks at the fish and fowl briefly before checking another spot off on his map. We were done before 11 am.
They have built up quite the water play area for pre-schoolers. A few ran around as we walked through the misting fans. There are several areas to sit in the shade while the kids play in the water area. There is even a cantina for those dads who need a drink and check up on the sports scores.
We got our trolley tickets and waited for the trolleys to start running. They start at 11 am. Only two run passing each other along the middle of the route. We soon saw both motormen several times as we traveled and got off to walk around.
We ate lunch at Tampa Bay Brewing Company. I have a thing for their veggie burgers. But this was a mistake. Ryan does not like to eat out. And it's been several years since he has been anywhere but a fast food restaurant. The thirty minutes we were there must have seemed like hours to him. He did try the chocolate milk though it was served in a box. It wasn't very cold so he only took a few sips. He wanted fries and I like their steak fries. But they were too hot and "too big" and Ryan only ate one.
We got back on the trolley and back to the car so Ryan could grab a thermos of milk. We rode the trolley to Dick Greco Plaza. The motorman suggested we ride the glass elevators in the Embassy Suites. We did. The hotel is 20 stories but Ryan pressed 15 when we got in the elevator. The interior is set up like a courtyard. Vertigo! And their pool is long and narrow too. It looked more like a foot bath.
We got back on the trolley and back to the car. I stopped at Wendy's for fries that Ryan knew he would like.