I really really love living, working and playing here in downtown St. Pete, Florida. Why? Is it because I was born and raised here? Is it because I’ve traveled to over 35 countries on 5 continents and have a global perspective as to what truly makes up a great city? What makes up a wonderful living experience? Certainly some of both.
(NOTE = Since first publishing this blog, we’ve updated our name from I Love DTSP to Downtownstpete.com)
Yes my Espanol esta muy mol. I should have been more focused in high school Spanish classes, something that is easy to do, focus in high school, right? Raging hormones, distractions galore, no clue how mas importante your lessons could be, would be, in future Michael’s world. Well here we are, spending a day as true tourists, in the lovely, bustling city of Buenos Aires, and working our way through a verbal translation blender. Deliciously a sucio mess!
After the 6 1/2 hour flight from Bogota to Buenos Aires, arriving at a lovely 3:30 am in the morning, after a lot of choppy weather, I was ready to hit a soft mattress and get some sleepy. However, I had yet to find that mattress. I tried AirBnB to get a crash pad for a 5 am early check-in but no bueno. So I went to the hotel where we are scheduled to stay the NEXT few nights with my amigos. They’d have a room for uno, correct?
After spending five lovely days in Medellin, truly surprised at the excellent quality and quantity of their street art, graffiti, murals and yes outright vandalism, I wondered what Bogota had in store for me. Well, compared to Medellin, the amount of pure trashy vandalism here in Bogota was so disappointing. It seems that every idiot with a pair of arms and access to spray paint decided to “tag” and RUIN so much of it’s charm and beauty. Yes there is also incredible world-class street art here, and that’s the focus of my story today.
Hola from the capital of Colombia, Bogota! As I’m making my way south to Buenos Aires for a friends wedding, I’m spending a few days in the center of the Colombian world. It’s a busy city, with people scurrying to and for, taxis swerving, honking and certainly keeping you PAYING ATTENTION, buses spouting auto exhaust and unfortunate vandalism style graffiti everywhere – though with some excellent street art peppered in to give the city artistic hope – Bogota is definitely alive and kicking! But this story isn’t about the street art, this is about the city as the capital of a friendly, growing major city withing South America, and about the fabulous Museo do Oro, the Fort Knox of Bogota. Well if Fort Knox was a museum…maybe it is, I’ve yet to visit..
Today, Saturday November 15, 2014 brings to me three words of beauty. No Mas Lluvia!. No more rain. I was up early with every intention to work for a few hours, exercise a bit then take a taxi down to the Museo de Arte Moderno, and spend a few hours enjoying Modern Art here in Medellin. I double checked with the gods of Google, and yup, the gallery is open today until 5:00 pm. Muy Bien. So I NYC whistle down a passing taxi, yes I’ve got a world-class whistle, and we are off to the Museo, about a brisk 20 minute ride.
I arrived in Medellin, Colombia on a Thursday afternoon, November 13, 2014 to be exact. Rain falling from the sky onto a beautiful green countryside. Many of my friends, amigos, were wondering why I’d pick a city in a country known historically for violence and kidnappings. Well, I’m on my way to a wedding in Buenos Aires, yes a wedding, I know, I throw weddings every week here at my venue NOVA 535 Unique Event Space in downtown St. Pete for a living. One more wedding, really? On your vacation Mike? Si. See the fact is that my best pal Drew Edwards, fellow world traveler extraordinaire, is the kind of guy, if you’re smart, and I try to be, you listen to what he has to say. If Drew says, “Mike come down to a wedding in Argentina during Thanksgiving” then I do whatever I can to get down there. Hence my blogging from here in Poblado, Medellin, Columbia.
I had just a long weekend left available to conclude my Northwestern Adventure. Started in Calgary for the Sled Island Festival (read my Calgary blog- wow), 3 weeks ago, then roamed for about 2 weeks throughout Alaska (read my Alaska Blog – breathtaking) a bucket lister, for sure. I asked my pal and guru Drew Edwards to suggest a final nearby city to explore. Seattle and Portland are the two regional heavyweights, since Vancouver has already been plundered. (VC is great!) Seattle projects a cool image but, head to head, Drew says go visit Portland. Drew’s the smartest guy I know, nicknamed T$. So I buy my tickets and make my way south.
MONDAY – TUESDAY JUNE 23 -24 2014: Anchorage
About 24 hours ago I decided to leave Calgary, parting from my best pal Drew Edwards as he made his way southwest to Bellingham to spend time with his brother Frank. Uncle Frank, now that’s another story for another day. Ask me sometimes about R-9 scallops and Grande Marnier at 11 am in Whistler….. Anyhoo, my path leads me northwest, heading further into the wild tundra called Alaska. The Sled Island Festival, held every June in Calgary, just wrapped for 2014, so now it’s time to ramble on. [Check out my blog about Calgary’s Sled Island Festival 2014]
So Welcome to Alaska. It’s cold, there are bears, gold and glaciers. That’s about all I know, except this will be the just the kind of adventure I’ve been yearning for. So after a good “night’s” rest at a delightful B n B out on Goose Lake, owned by an equally delightful Susan. There are really nice people renting out their homes and apartments to be found on AirBnB. (“Night’s” because It’s never really dark here in Alaska during the summers…odd at first but it’s growing on me). So I catch the early morning train towards…
When my vacation opportunity door opens, I quickly scramble to find somewhere to escape to. Running a 5 Star wedding and event venue, NOVA 535 Unique Event Space, means that every client and guest experience is critical. Just a bit of pressure. So with only a week or two available to roam, I touch base with my best pal Drew Edwards to collaborate. Drew, among other things, is President of Comedian Ron White’s business empire, and is always up for an adventure. He adds “check out their festivals” to my suggestion of visiting Canada. Stampede, Calgary’s most famous, isn’t until July…so
