Sarasota

Orlando is, well, Orlando. You can't move without tripping over a place hoping to catch the tourist-dribs and drabs from Disney and Universal: tiny amusement parklets, water parklets, weird museums (I wish I'd had the time to visit the Dinosaur Museum... Just down the interstate from the Holy Land Experience). Once you get out of Orlando and on the interstate, it looks much more like any other place with an interstate, except perhaps with more palm trees. We rolled in to Sarasota and arrived at New College about one, got her decanted into her room, and then she took me around the campus.

Ever notice the disconnect of what you expect of a place you've heard of and what the reality is? I tend to imagine all my friends' houses are nicer/better decorated/cleaner than mine (this is not always the case) and for some reason I imagined that all the buildings at New College would be taller and handsomer than they are. And of course, the dorms are lived in by Young People for whom order is not always a priority.  That being said: it's a big campus for an 800-student school, spread out on two sides of the Tamiami Trail and connected by a vine-covered overpass. A few of the buildings (notably the College Hall) used to belong one of the Ringling Bros. estates, and it's all pink marble and baroque flourishes, and quite beautiful (from the outside. It was closed when I saw it). The rest of the buildings are less glamorous, mostly beige stucco or cement. Still, the area down near the beach is gorgeous. We went down, the first night, for sunset, which is something of a sacrament for a lot of people--students, faculty, and administrators. Bec and I hung her hammock up and watched the slow shift of colors over the water (the beach looks across to one of the keys--I don't know that I ever figured out which one).

Before that, however, we spent the afternoon wandering around the John Ringling Museum, which includes the Circus Museum and a tour of Ca'd'Zan, the mansion built by John and Mabel Ringling. The house is full of amazing, over the top stuff: galleries and marble and painted ceilings and chandeliers (the chandelier in the photo is from the original Waldorf Astoria).

My favorite part, of which I did not take photos, was the pantry and kitchen. Looking at the things that were created for staff use--how the sinks were laid out, where the stove and ovens were, the huge "refrigeration units" that took up one wall--is somehow more interesting to me than all the tapestries and plush.  Though I will say that Ringling's bedroom, with its Napoleon III beds and the shaving stand in the bathroom (the tub was carved from one piece of marble, and God knows how they got it up the stairs), was pretty luxe.

We went out on the patio, then decided we were starving and got something to eat at the cafe.


The rest of the visit was sort of an agglomeration of errands and meals.  This happened:

Bec had been thinking of getting her hair cut, and with my moral support (and credit card) the thing was arranged. Plus: food shopping at Trader Joe's, more wandering around on campus, and a lot of cuddling. A splendid visit.

Of course there had to be a confusion. I had left the folder in which I kept all the documents I needed (reservations, car rental agreement, etc.) plus some docs that Becca needed to sign, at the hotel in Orlando. When I called they assured me they had it and would hold it for me. So I left Sarasota early, drove back up, and went to the hotel, where, of course, They Didn't Have It.  Not a world-breaker, but irritating. So I got to the airport earlier than absolutely necessary, and in due course (after a seriously bumpy flight) was transported back to San Francisco.

Already I'm planning for next year: ICFA and Becca FTW.