Waiting For Fay...

Good evening everybody!

So, here we are, my first time in Tallahassee, our State Capital.

It's been a very nice day right from the start, and trust me, I'm not surprised about it as the weather forecast hardly gets anything right these days! LOL

Our first stop of the day being in Tallahassee has been the Florida State Capitol

Now, how many of you know that Florida has two Capitol Buildings?

Well, now you know, Florida has an old, restored, pretty Old Capitol; and then it has a modern, ugly, new Capitol.

Here's a picture of the historic sign with some facts about the Capitol and Florida history in general:

And here is the Old State Capitol in all its glory, with in the background, the new ugly one!

Another nice postcard picture taken from one side:

And the Old Capitol rotunda:

The new capitol is so ugly and so tall that it didn't fit in a picture!

As you enter the main building (that by the way people compare to a huge phallic symbol), you'll notice the seal of the State of Florida right in the middle, with the Florida Motto, "In God We Trust":

The one good thing that this modern Capitol building has, is that it boasts a 22nd floor panoramic view of Tallahassee on all the four sides.

In the picture down below for example, you can enjoy the view from the windows facing East at the Apalachee Parkway.

It was very interesting because downstairs there's a picture on display showing visitors what the are looked like when they built the first State Capitol.

It is possible for visitors to go on a self guided tour of both buildings, and see where the legislative body of the State of Florida create the law.

This is for instance where the Senate meets:

We also tried to take a picture of the other side at the house of representatives, but the lights were off (saving money on electricity?).

Left the Capitol"s" after roughly two hours, we headed to the Tallahassee Museum:

One thing about the Tallahassee Museum is that it's a privately funded, non-profit corporation, which means basically, no Federal money.

The stated purpose of the Tallahassee Museum is "to educate the residents of Florida and visitors to the Big Bend area about the region's natural and cultural history, from the nineteenth century until the present", and they do that in a wonderful way.

Admission is only $9, or $8.50 for Students and Seniors, and it's absolutely worth every penny.

It's not a museum as we all picture one, and it is not a zoo, again, as we might picture one.

It's a mix of a lot of things, and you'll end up spending at least a good two to three hours inside the Museum premises.

You can get a map at the entrance once you get your tickets, and then you're off for your self guided tour.

As soon as you start, the animal in the picture down below on the right hand side is the first one you'll encounter, be careful, they'll smile and wave at you, but these creatures are wild and can bite if provoked:

Here's another one:


One the nicest encounters at the park, has been the one withe "Bald Eagle". It just stayed there, minding its own business, being the regal bird it is...

And the one in the next picture is one of my favorite animals:



First time I've seen a Bobcat:

And absolutely first time I saw a Florida Panther!

The nicest feature of the Tallahassee Museum in my opinion, was the wooden skywalk that enhances the level of a close encounter with one of these Florida native animal species. It almost felt like flying through the exhibitions:

For instance, take a look at the next picture, I was so close to this sleepy black bear.

The Museum totally reflects what Florida used to be like before "We" came and here's proof of it:

Once we left the park around 4.30PM, we drove down to Gainesville where we're currently spending the night. This is so far the best deal we've found on this trip, a suite at Best Western (I would say one of the top BW in the country looking at this place), for only $58 plus taxes. You see, sometimes it pays to drive through Florida off season! LOL

The restaurant we had dinner at this evening is worth to be mentioned.

It was so good that if I were to live in Gainesville and I had someone to impress with something sophisticated but plain good at the same time, well, I would take them to this restaurant.

The name is "Dragonfly", in downtown Gainesville.

Service was top notch, both the manager and the owner came and stopped to talk with us. Our waiter was also very knowledgeable and helpful, he certainly knew how to deal with customers, how to make them feel at ease, and enjoy this wonderful dining experience.

The food was delicious, prepared in a timely manner, and just about enough to feel "right" about dinner. This has been one the most pleasant dining experiences of the whole trip.

Tomorrow we will decide what to do next, we've had thoughts about driving back to Fort Lauderdale because of the weather, but we want to reflect about the pros and cons before acting.

Now I need my beauty sleep.

Good night folks,

Nico