The Travels of the Diva and the Kat - Call Tyrone !

"I think ya better call Tyrone (Call Him) And Tell him come on, Help you get your Stuff(Come On, Come on) You need to Call Tyrone (Call Him) And tell him I said come on"....Erykah Badu

Staying in the Vinoy in St. Petersburg, Florida is lovely and frustrating at the same time. You would think that such a lovely and expensive hotel would include wifi free but NO!! You have to PAY $14.00 a day. Well the Diva didn't like it one bit and since her last trip here, had purchased an air card so that she could sign on from wherever she wanted. She smugly sits at the lovely desk popping open her laptop and laughing at the little sign posted on the desk explaining the cost. "Hah! So much for you Mr. FEE" as she flips it face down onto the desk. There's just one problem; the air card is not working.

After spending an hour talking to her carrier on the telephone, she realizes that she has to take the laptop and card to the carrier to be reprogrammed. This calls for another ride in a comfortable 'metro car' and off we go with a driver that's a bit less than likable at first and who appears NOT to know exactly where we're going. This causes us to whip out our cellphones and pull up our gps to guide him to our destination. He said he couldn't engage his gps while he was driving. It made me wonder ...what does a lost driver do when he has NO clue about where he's going if he can't stop to engage his gps. We didn't get the answer to that thanks to our cellphones - don't leave home without them!

Being lost in the Tampa area is not a bad thing. With a water view almost everywhere, you really can't complain. So while the Diva grumbled, I looked around taking in the view. That's when I saw it....Tyrone Boulevard ! What? A street named after Tyrone??? Is that the same Tyrone Erykah sang about??? Hey, it's no little street. It's a BOULEVARD.

and then I see...the TYRONE Elementary School.

It looks like Tyrone is huge down here. I had to laugh. When my oldest son was young, he came to me one day and said "when I grow up Mommy, I'm changing my name to Tyrone". I said "noooooo, I don't like that name". He said, 'yep, it's going to be Tyrone". Well, as I look around, I'm wondering am I the Mother of this Tyrone and if so YEAAAAAAAA. Then, I see Tyrone's Barber Shop and the Tyrone Middle School.

What can top this??? Glad you ASKED. Why TYRONE SQUARE - a wonderful MALL full of stores

A mall.......and just think.......they couldn't fix the laptop right away and wanted us to come back in a couple of hours. Oh that sounds tough. Reluctantly, we had to go to "Tyrone Square" and decide if we were going to spend our time in Macy's, Dillards, or in the assortment of other lovely stores. It was tough but we managed to pull through. We even grabbed a bit to eat in the food court and stopped in the lovely "Bijou Brigitte" where we fawned over the loveliest costume jewelry ever. Too bad it's only located Florida and Germany.

As the Diva pulled me away from that charming place, she made a pit stop at the ticket booth where she picked up a ticket to the 'ugh' baseball game (home plate section)....did that woman say three hundred something????? BASEBALL !!! THREE HUNDRED!!!!! :::Swoon::: Elizabeth, I'm coming !!

I think I'll call TYRONE and tell him come on and see bout me.

The Travels of the Diva and the Kat - I think they LIVE here

The Diva and Kat arrive at the exquisite entrance to the Renaissance Vinoy. As we ascend the white marble steps and pass through the gorgeous archway, the lovely veranda comes into view filled with comfortable wicker furniture for lounging and enjoying the wonderful weather. The left side is for smokers and the right side, non smokers, making for an interesting blended fragrance as you enter.

The lobby is large but intimate and cozy. One of the first items to catch my eye is the large sign that says "To protect the privacy of our guests, no autographs or photographs allowed". Well now....it seems they KNEW we were coming but gee, I would be willing to pose for a couple photographs; no problem. It seems they're very serious about our protection because there are uniform officers on the premises along with the hotel security to enforce this policy.

Apparently, we weren't expected by the front office person because I dare say he did NOT treat us as if we were their expected guests. As a matter of fact, he was rather brusk and haughty. Apparently, he didn't realize he was dealing with the Diva and she could certainly raise the bar on him at any moment. However, we were eager to get on to vacationing so we endured the slight and hurried to our lovely guest room accompanied by our bell boy, Jeffrey, a Northern Virginia transplant. We hadn't been here long and had already discovered, this is the land of transplants and they seem to be thriving !! Who wouldn't in this lovely place.

Throwing down our luggage, freshening up a bit, we hurried down to the lovely porch. There at the railing were two very accommodating rocking chairs facing the beautiful blue water of the marina. Heaven! From the time we entered the hotel, the Diva had turned heads but here we were on the porch and before we could be seated, a young boy child, about 12, appeared to tell her "I like your dress". Ah geez, it's getting harder. Now the kids are getting into the act.

As I ease into the comfortable rocking chair and begin the rhythmic motion, I hear her explaining that he likes the colors. Yeah right. He likes what's IN the dress Diva. He looks at her with that 'ok if you say so' look. The porch is an extension of the "Promenade Lounge" known for it's fruity rum and peach schnapps drink called the "promenade". Diva is ready to start and orders one up right away. I, on the other hand, drift off into sleep.

Head back, mouth open sleep; the embarrassing kind, minus the snore, that's what I'm doing when I hear directly in front of my face - "YEP, she's SLEEP". What the.....! I open my eyes and it's the kid. He's telling his Dad who's sitting over at the table next to me that I'm asleep. Well Yeah, I am and why are you in my face? I turn to the Dad and smile and he begins to apologize and hopes that I won't mind if his son stands there at the rail. He's so eager to try to grab a glimpse of a Boston Red Sox Player. LIGHTBULB!

Those signs are NOT for the Diva and the KAT. There is a baseball team here and it just happens to be the favorite team of the DIVA ! Hah.....subterfuge is afoot and I will NOT be going to a baseball game. I'd rather watch flowers bloom. Armed with this new knowledge, I drift off to sleep again only to hear directly in front of my face "YEP, she's sleep again"!! Hmm....there are uniform officers around but I can't help wondering what their take is on hitting other people's kids.

Armed with a camera, this boy is climbing over the railing and hiding in the bushes in case a player gets out of a car. I can't imagine they're this serious. Turns out the father is as serious and he scurries back and forth up and down the driveway surveying the street, crossing to the other corner talking to people, coming back and staking out the porch. Give me a break. I leave.

I return several hours later, book in hand to do some light reading and there they are again. Staring at the street, climbing over the rail, ever on guard, ever looking. Who could love baseball this much that they would spend ALL day LOOKING and HOPING to see a baseball player??? Well.....they would along with the guys milling around on the corner across the street and hiding behind the trees, camped out at the elevator, sitting in the back recesses of the porch. For two FULL days we never came downstairs without seeing them. I finally figured it out.

They LIVE on the PORCH!

:::calling security...ANGEL ::::::

~stay tuned for more "Travels with the Diva and the Kat"~