I flew out on a redeye to Tampa on the Monday before. While trying to get shut eye on a plane is not the most ideal situation, for those of us on a budget it certainly beats spending money on a place to stay for the night.
We popped over to the food court and chatted over some nachos while we waited to board our flights. Somehow I managed to put together about four hours of sleep in the air. This was a good precursor training for the long nights to come for the rest of this trip. Once I landed in Tampa, I managed to get myself good and lost in the airport. Somehow I had taken a series of shuttles and ended in the rental car parking lot that exited on to a remote service road quite a ways from the airport.
What can I say? From there I got a lift to the Tampa art museum to check out the Yayoi Kusama installation they had. Viewers were limited to only two minutes in the room, but it was a magical time. I was immersed in one of her infinity rooms that was covered in mirrors and rife with neon inflatable tentacles covered in polka dots.
The entire thing was beautiful. The place I was staying was a comfortable fifteen minute walk from the main festivities. Later I met up with the Seattle crew for drag queen bingo and freezy drinks in the heart of Ybor City. And I even filled my karma bank that night by letting a Fester crash at my Airbnb because his friend bailed on him last minute for a place to stay.
As far as complete strangers go, Mike was a delight and I was happy to help! Pre-FEST begins! But not till PM! Mike and I hung around the Airbnb till my friend Aaron, who I was sharing the room with, arrived. Once everyone was settled and unpacked, we walked over to registration where I ended up chatting to some folks from Pittsburgh for a while. From here Mike offered to buy us lunch for letting him crash at the Air Bnb.
