Sunday, July 4, 2021

Go Bolts


Surprise! I'm in St. Petersburg! My stepsister's husband is running a race today on and around the city pier. We drove down yesterday from North Tampa and checked into the Hilton. The plan is to spend a couple of days here -- they have approximately 500 friends in town from all over the state and they're going to be visiting with all of them. I'm going to absent myself from some of that socializing, because even though I'm vaccinated I'd like to keep my exposure to different people to a minimum, but I suppose it will inevitably be a bit of a whirlwind.

That is NOT the Hilton in the picture, by the way. It's an apartment building for senior citizens near the St. Pete waterfront called Presbyterian Towers. The building itself is a bit grim -- and what's with all the tiny windows? Those apartments have a waterfront view! You'd think they'd take better advantage. But I do like the zippy paint job and I've always been a fan of that somewhat mysterious sculpture on the wall. It brings to mind Neptune's trident, whether or not that's the intention.


So here's a random story. My Dad used to keep a pencil cup on his desk at work that I'd made in kindergarten or thereabouts. It was a juice can wrapped in blue finger-painted paper, shellacked with glue. After he retired he brought it home, and it sat on his desk there. My stepmother, who has been cleaning things out, gave it to me the other day, and although I appreciated her saving it, I honestly didn't want to haul it back to London.

But I was curious to see the juice can underneath the wrapping. So I peeled off the paper and washed off the remnants of the glue, and was left with this -- an example of Minute Maid packaging from 50 years ago! I kind of like the logo. Maybe I should put it on eBay?


Some of you asked in comments yesterday whether I am aware of the hurricane churning toward the state. Yep, I know all about it. The forecast, last time I checked, has it passing as a tropical storm right over Tampa and Jacksonville at mid-week -- just about the time I'd planned to drive up to Jacksonville myself. So, yeah, I'm not thrilled about that timing. The rule with hurricanes, though, is that anything can happen. We never really know what they're going to do until they're doing it. I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

There's also some big excitement about the Tampa Bay Lightning, our hockey team, which is on its way to some kind of championship. Hence the "Go Bolts" graffiti above. Wig Villa isn't boarded up for the storm -- it's just boarded up because it's closed. I had to take a picture because I'm always a sucker for a wig store, even a closed one.

St. Pete is very different now from the way I remember it in the '80s and '90s. Central Avenue then was quiet and somewhat derelict. Now it's thriving and lined with bars and cafes and quirky little shops. It's been quite a transformation.


There are lots of groovy murals everywhere. Apparently St. Pete has a regular mural festival. This one is by Dasic Fernandez, whose art I used to see in New York when I lived there more than a decade ago.


Here's the view from my hotel room -- Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, our baseball team. It's just a few blocks away. I know as much about the Rays as I do about the Lightning -- in other words, nothing -- but I like the way the dome seems to reflect the cloudy evening sky.

36 comments:

Cheryl Seaman said...

I grew up in St. Pete during the 60's - 80's. Central Avenue might have been quiet but the area had Maas Brothers for class, Webb's City for interest, Haslam's book store (where I worked for several years). Lots of little antique stores where you could find great things relatively inexpensively. Now I live in a small town in Inverness where there is no reason to try to shop ... other than groceries.

Colette said...

I'm charmed by the orange juice can pencil holder idea. Do you have a picture of it before you disassembled it?

Debby said...

Lol. I think every parent had a juice can pencil holder. Is the paper worth saving? Perhaps to frame?

Marty said...

The sculpture on that building looks less like a trident to me and more like a typically 50s dash of decor. Betcha that’s when it was built.
We did make it to a Ray’s game pre-COVID - the closed roof is a really bad design. Makes it hard to see a fly ball. And perhaps it’s a factor in the team’s notoriously bad audience attendance.
Don’t let that hurricane get you.

Mary said...

Here's hoping the rest of your visit is not badly impacted by Elsa...or any of her other unfriendly weather compatriots. You might want to buy one of those plastic rain ponchos that fit in your pocket for emergency downpours...just in case.

Anonymous said...

Go Bolts! They're quite a team.

Hope the storm passes through without any trouble.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Never realised that you were into wigs. How many have you got? If I were folically challenged, I would like to think that I would embrace my baldness with pride and not go scampering off to wig stores to check out the latest afro designs.

Dave R said...

Florida? I do believe there's a storm heading your way.

Steve Reed said...

I was so happy to see that Haslam's is still here! I used to go there all the time. We may have met! I'm going to stop in this afternoon, I think, even though I need more used books like I need a hole in the head.

Steve Reed said...

No, I don't, unfortunately. I didn't think that far ahead!

Steve Reed said...

Nah. There wasn't much to it. Just some blue smears!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, it's definitely some mid-century artwork! Fifties or '60s, I'd guess. I've been to games at Tropicana too, but it was many years ago. I think they went for a dome so there'd be some climate control.

Steve Reed said...

To think that I actually debated bringing an umbrella and ultimately chose NOT to! I don't know what I was thinking.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, my stepsister's husband is a fan and he's all pumped up about this championship!

Steve Reed said...

I didn't say I BOUGHT the wigs -- just that I'm always amused by them! :)

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, tell me about it.

Ms. Moon said...

I used to spend time in St. Pete, visiting a friend of mine. I always loved it. I have a friend now who moved there for her retirement and I envy her life. She can walk or bike to waterfront parks, lives in a very cool neighborhood near the Dali Museum where she volunteers. And actually, now that I'm thinking about it, Hank lived in St. Pete for awhile.
May Elsa not bother any of us. I haven't checked the forecast yet this morning. Welcome to Florida, indeed!
And oh boy- did that juice can bring back memories. Whoo.

Bob said...

That apartment building looks like a mid-century prison.
And when they shutter the Wig Villa, they mean business.
Stay safe and dry!

Anonymous said...

I love that your stepmom held on to that pencil cup all these years. I can't imagine holding something in my hands that my little hands made a half century ago. Very cool.
Enjoy your journey, and I hope that the storm doesn't do much damage or turn into a hurricane. Stay safe there.

Ellen D. said...

Hope you stay safe!

Corinne said...

Welcome to Florida! Maybe you should buy an umbrella - especially if you're coming to Jacksonville. It has rained here every single day for at least the past 2 weeks and more in the forecast for the next week! It's keeping the temperatures down and that's a good thing.

Sharon said...

That Minute Maid can looks very familiar to me. Plenty of those made their way through our house while I was growing up. That's an interesting mural. Stay dry!!

jenny_o said...

Yeah, the Bolts ARE in "some kind of championship" - *only* the Stanley Cup finals, and I'm not even a hockey fan, but the Montreal Canadiens are on the losing end of that competition, so if there's anything you can do to give them a boost ... oh, what am I saying, you'd be on the OTHER side, wouldn't you?! lol

When did Minute Maid change their look? That's the kind of can I'm used to seeing! It may have been awhile ...

Linda Sue said...

Truck boobs! I have always been envious of truck boobs, having VW bug boobs myself. The senior home with tiny windows looks like a cartoon too, Florida is cartoony from what I can tell. "The Florida Project" is my all time fave!
It is ridiculously DISNEY on the deck today- All color and cute wildlife.
Stay safe, I mean around people , the hurricane will just slip by you because it just will. People are more damaging.

Margaret said...

I had forgotten about those pencil holders until you posted this. It also brings back memories of making orange juice from that squishy concentrate. :) I love murals and enjoy visiting places that have energetic and quirky downtowns.

Edna B said...

Imagine saving that can for all these years. I think I might have saved it. That elderly high rise building looks so severe to me. Just no personality to it. Plus it's too tall for me. I don't like being in really tall buildings. It sounds like you're really having a wonderful time. Happy Fourth of July! Hugs, Edna B.

The bike shed said...

Love the mural - less so the tower block which looks a little soviet to me - ironic it's in St Petersburg

Moving with Mitchell said...

I do like that building but, like you, not the windows. The mural is a stunner! Haven’t been in Tampa/St. Pete since I was 14. I was planning a return trip, but not if Wig Villa is closed! Do you have a photo of the still-decorated orange juice container? How touching that your father (and then stepmother) kept it all these years.

Catalyst said...

The Rays are doing much better than our Diamondbacks, only 4-1/2 games out of first place in their division. Perhaps you should walk down and take in a game.

Catalyst said...

Ha! Just looked at my comment and it said 7:50 p.m. Then I looked at my clock and it said 11:50 a.m. here. My initial confusion was cleared when I realized your blog remains on London time no matter where you are. Duh!

Anonymous said...

Good to know there are lots of murals around. Some parts of the US don't seem to have any at all. Tiny windows in the building but worse, no balconies.

Michael said...

I am enjoying seeing your photos from Florida. The weather in London sure is different! Loved the dog video in your previous post!

The Bug said...

Oops - we're pulling for the Maple Leafs (partly because Tampa Bay knocked out our Carolina Hurricanes). But things aren't looking good, so I'm sure your folks will be happy after game four tomorrow night.

Janie Junebug said...

You're coming to Jacksonville and haven't made reservations at The Lake Junebug Resort & Rumpus Room? What is wrong with you? It's so exciting here, what with baking dog cookies and . . . well, I can't think of anything right now but give me a couple of weeks and I'll come up with something. I visited St. Pete a few years ago and also stayed at The Hilton. It's very nice and a fun place to go. I love the Dali museum. I'm not exactly enthusiastic about Elsa's arrival. We're waterlogged as it is and don't need more rain.

Love,
Janie

ellen abbott said...

love the mural. too bad people park in front of it and obscure the view. sounds like a busy visit.

Barbara said...

That juice can had me thinking of Anita Bryant singing about the Florida sunshine tree. I love St. Pete, a good friend has just retired there.
Xoxo
Barbara