…by Tropical Storm Bonnie, that is! The morning news today updated the local weather situation pretty much every five minutes. The prediction is that the rain is moving over the west coast Friday and early Saturday, but that we should just be seeing wind and rain. I can live with that. Glad it’s not a hurricane!
Once again, though, the timing of rain could not have been more perfect! I had planned an indoor day, anyway! I would spend the morning shopping at the huge mall just down the Tamiami Trail from my Ramada:

the size of 3 football fields and 2 golf courses, i reckon!
…then I would follow that up with my drive north to Sarasota, a trip of about 1.5-2 hours, I thought.
The goal of my mall tour today? Not so much to make purchases. I wanted to complete my department store comparison by checking out:

the only prior knowledge i had of macy's is hearing of the "macy's parade" in NYC!...

the lady i chatted with on the beach at siesta keys said dillard's was her preferred dept store...

i remember jcpenney from visiting florida on our family trip when i was in grade 3!
You’ll remember I checked out Neiman Marcus at the Tampa International Mall and compared it to Holt Renfrew in terms of style and wow-factor.
So how would I rate them overall? Let’s go in ascending order, least to most impressive:
4. jcpenny – reminds me of Sears (which I did not go into today since I don’t even shop Sears at home) – caters to an older demographic, middle-of-the-road trends, lower price points.
3. dillard’s – quite lovely, just not quite the selection of macy’s or neiman marcus; again, aimed at a slightly more mature crowd
2. macy’s –Â awesome selection of styles and designers for women’s wear, age 25-50 or so; prices still a little too high for me…

love the tshirt - the price? eesh!
1. neiman marcus – if I had the dough, I would n.m. my wardrobe!
I spent a lot of time today in Forever 21:

please come to canada!
 This has been my best store find of the trip (I had read about it on blogs before my vacation). I’d equate it to h&m in terms of styles, target audience, and price point. I came away empty-handed; HOWEVER!!! …tomorrow I plan to go back to my Tampa International Mall – there were a few pieces there that I did not pick up on my first visit. If they’re still there, I’ll take it as a sign and indulge with some last-minute purchases. (Just like store locations vary in quality at home, I found the Naples Forever 21 less organized and smaller than the Tampa store).
Have to show you the family washroom in the mall cuz it was just too cute:

...and there was a mini-sink, too! the only other place i've seen the child-sized toilet is when Little E. and i went to our Drop-In Centre!
I exited the mall to find this:

heeeeere's bonnie!

...and she won't be leaving any time soon
I had a smooth trip from Naples to Sarasota despite very wet conditions. I think the splash-back from trucks was worse than the actual rain, but it was coming down pretty hard all the way in. As predicted, I arrived at my destination in less than two hours (I did debate driving straight up to Tampa since the weather was so gross – that’s about another 50 miles or so. But I decided to stick with my intial plan which was a SCORE as you shall see in a moment!).
But first…the hotel tour:

just getting prepped for my next trip when i marriott my way around florida! đ
…and I can now say that I have SCORED on EACH hotel this trip! (Tomorrow night is a repeat visit). No icks! My SpringhillSuites suite tonight is larger than some apartments, clean as a whistle, and pretty darn cute:

kitchenette consists of fridge, micro, sink - but no dishes like in the TownePlace Suites...

workstation (although i am currently set up with my computer on the kitchen counter, a la my style at home - free wireless here)...

sitting area (couch faces telly)...

separate bedroom area...

...and the shower and toilet...

...are separate from the bathroom sink/vanity!
There is a pool which I will not be using due to the rain, and a great fitness room which I will use tomorrow morning! Also, comp USA Today … AND the Wall Street Journal! And breakfast tomorrow a.m.! Smashing, I say!
I’ve determined that my hotel preference is really accomodation targeted to the business traveller. You get more amenities than in a tourist-focussed hotel location for a great price. Sure, you may have to drive in to beaches or shops, but for me, that’s no big deal. Â
I thought this would be THE END of the post for today…but no! There’s more!
On my drive to Sarasota today, I was reflecting on my trip and thinking that one of the best afternoons was when I accidently found the Pier in St Petersburg. Would you believe I was about to have another serendipitous sightseeing tour…
On a map, I had seen that the Ringling Museum was very near to my hotel – like VERY near. After I settled in, I noticed the rain had stopped (things work out as they’re meant to be, example #14!) so I went down to see it. And yup, it was a five minute walk from my hotel.

this site is MASSIVE!...
This is quite an artsy little corner: right across from the Ringling Museum and grounds is this:

i would have loved to take in a cultural performance of some type this trip, but with it being the off-season, didn't happen...
I could not believe the size of the Ringling grounds!

again, who needs a tour of a historic site? just give me the coles notes versions!
I walked into the first building, very new and modern, and read that the museum cost $25 – ouch. I’ll pass, thanks. But I remembered reading in my hotel pamphlet that the grounds are free…I confirmed with a staff member that yes, you can wander the grounds for free until 6 pm. Yippee! What a discovery!…

these rose gardens truly impressed me...
The “formal Italian wagon wheel design” was absolutely gorgeous. Add in all the roses and sculptures and it was practically a walking meditational experience.

rose-lined pathwalks...

peace and beauty in the rose garden...

getting quite adept at these self-photos!
I just love how when I think I know how a day is going to play out…an unexpected treasure appears – especially after that dreary drive today.

there's something about banyon trees that both frightens and awes me...
While I couldn’t enter the Ringling mansion for free, I certainly could observe it from the exterior…

quelle maison spectaculaire!

facing the water...

not exactly the cottage wooden dock, now is it!

love the stone detailing on their "fence wall"...

i was impressed with the obvious care taken to restoration, as evidence in the window detailing...

the thinker??!

he doesn't look too fierce!
What fun. This will go into the memory bank as a total gift of an outing.
Now I’m watching MTV and various other mind-enhancing TV channels and knitting (I’ve not done too badly with knitting, actually, this trip! If you know wordpress, blogging photos takes aaaaages as they upload, so I tend to knit while the uploading occurs. I did bring too much yarn by one ball, though!).
Tomorrow I return to Tampa, and visit. the. mall. đ Will the weather improve enough to allow me to enjoy the Olympic-sized pool at one of my favourite hotels of the trip?!