Because Nothing Says "Honeymoon" Like a Big @$$ Bowling Pin

On January 8, we left on our honeymoon. And it was glorious.

Well, I could have done without the whole being at the airport at 6 a.m. thing, but it was still glorious. We got on our all our flights (we flew standby, so it wasn’t a guarantee!) and we made it out to Tampa, the first stop on our cruise adventure. The cruise ship was leaving out of Tampa the next day, so we wanted to be sure we got there good and early. After checking into our hotel-the Hyatt Regency Downtown-we opted for a rest break before heading out to explore the area. Refreshed, we put on our walking shoes for a stroll around downtown on our way out to Channelside, which is the shopping/eating area at the port. But no walk for us would be complete without historical markers! Tampa was lousy with them. Lots were for Fort Brooke, which was active during the Seminole Wars.

We were also on the lookout for something fun in Channelside: my research had told me that Channelside was home to the world’s largest bowling pin. Roadside attraction-score!

After finding the world’s largest bowling pin and a willing soul to take our photo, we moved on to more pressing matters, like finding food. There were several delicious-looking restaurants about, but we settled on a Greek place over by the water. While basking in the warm weather and enjoying the squawks of nearby seagulls (Mine! Mine!-Finding Nemo, anybody?) we ate delicious hummus from a mortar and pestle and some tasty gyros, washing it down with a pitcher of white sangria. Possibly the perfect harbor meal.


We wandered around Channelside for a bit longer, partook in a daiquiri (White Russian, yum!) from Wet Willie’s, the daiquiri establishment in the complex. Check out the apostrophe in the shape of a finger—it made us think of Alec’s dad. We watched the spray paint artist for a bit until we were jealous of his gas mask (I think he could have survived mustard gas in World War I trenches with that thing), enjoyed the warm weather and sunlight, and then headed back to the hotel.

And we were passed out by 8 p.m. Eastern. For you folks who don’t convert time, that means we were asleep by 7 p.m. Oklahoma time. I guess that’s what happens when you’re awake at 4:30 a.m. to finish packing. It just meant we were that much more refreshed for the next day: Embarkation Day!