TM routes traveled on the trip.
This short trip was motivated by the fact that the Tampa Bay Rays were forced to play the 2025 season away from hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, and were playing at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. I had been there for a minor league game 20 years earlier but this was a chance to see a major league game in a new venue for me (my 43rd). While there, I stayed an extra day in case of a rainout with the plan being to see a minor league game as well if the weather was good. It was.
Monday, May 19 - Amsterdam, New York, to Orlando, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, to Bradenton, Florida
My flight was scheduled for 5:20 AM, so a very early alarm went off. Fortunately I checked fight status before doing much, because my flight was showing a 7-hour delay. Back to bed, but not a very restful night. In the end, the flight was delayed over 7 hours, departing at noon and arriving in Orlando after 2:30 [Picture]. Fortunately, my airport process was pretty quick and I was on my way with my rental car by 3:30. I-4 was the expected mess of traffic and construction [Picture], but I still got to Tampa in plenty of time to park and head into Steinbrenner Field for the game [12 Pictures]. It was a fun experience to see a real MLB game in a minor league environment on this hot and sticky evening. A good number of Houston fans were there, but everyone else got to enjoy booing Altuve. I had some good ballpark food, highlighted by some tasty pulled pork mac and cheese. After watching the Astros beat the Rays, I fought some traffic on the way out and got down to my hotel in Bradenton for the night by around 11. [6 Pictures from the Roads]
Tuesday, May 20 - Bradenton, Florida, area
I took my time at the hotel [3 Pictures] in the morning, starting with a walk on Bradenton's Riverwalk [18 Pictures]. It was already getting pretty hot so my walk was a little shorter than it might have been if I had gotten out earlier. I then took a midday drive to some parts of the area I hadn't been to before. My goal was to drive to Siesta Key. I did so, but was a little disappointed that I couldn't easily find a spot to get out of the car for a few minutes, so it was strictly a drive through. After Siesta Key and back into Sarasota, I stopped to check for something interesting for lunch. Turns out I was right around the corner from a Taco Jalisco, located inside a gas station. My taco platter was great and the tacos were real Mexican style [3 Pictures]. From there, it was back to the hotel for a 2:00 video conference. It was a hot, so I decided to stay in the room for the late afternoon to catch up on some work email and other small tasks until it was time for more baseball. I made the short drive to LECOM Park for the Bradenton Marauders game against the Clearwater Threshers [12 Pictures]. The weather was great for this one. Hot and a little humid, but with more of a breeze to make it comfortable. The game, as usual for Florida State League games, was very poorly attended. Things were moving along quickly until the starting pitchers left and it became one pitching change after another. The main disappointment was with the selection, quality, and pricing of the food options. I was back at the hotel before too late. [19 Pictures from the Roads]
Wednesday, May 21 - Bradenton, Florida, to Amsterdam, New York
I had most of the day to get from Bradenton to the airport in Orlando. I took a ride in the morning over to Anna Maria Island to take a short walk on Manatee Beach [5 Pictures]. Then back to the hotel to get cleaned up and packed. I left around 10:30 with the goal of taking mostly roads I'd never traveled before. I took Florida 64 east all the way until it ends in Avon Park. I took Florida 17 from there to Sebring, where I found lunch at Culver's. Next, it was US 98 over to Okeechobee (and a quick stop at Wawa), then north on US 441 all the way to St. Cloud. Traffic got bad in St. Cloud and it took a bit longer to get through the area and to fill up the rental car (649 miles on it at that point). Still I had plenty of time with everything being quick: car drop, checkin, security, and tram to the gates. I grabbed some dinner in the food court then spent the time waiting for my delayed-but-not-too-badly flight getting some work done. The flight was bumpy at times. I got a pretty spectacular sunset out my window [Picture] and otherwise was able to do some work organizing pictures. I got into Albany around 10 and was home by 11. [27 Pictures from the Roads]
Copyright notice: All images copyright © James D. Teresco unless otherwise specified. Unauthorized use prohibited.