Take Me Out to the Tampa Bay Rays

We went to the Major League Baseball team Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark called Tropicana Field.
The ballpark is located in St. Petersburg, Florida.

For no baseball game was held on the day, we had nothing to do but walking around the stadium to see nearby area.
After walking about half around the ballpark, luckily we found one entrance gate was opening.

I asked one of the maintenance workers of the baseball field to let us come in to take a glance at the inside of the stadium.

The worker at first had said NO, but I asked again and again, then told us, “OK, come in but quick, very quick.”

We walked inside the playfield for a few minutes and took some pictures.

I thought I would someday watch a real major league baseball game in the States and sing a song 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame.'

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a song which is the unofficial anthem of baseball. The song is traditionally sung between the halves of the seventh inning of a baseball game.

My wife Kiyono loves the song.

'Take Me Out to the Ballgame'

Take me out to the ball game

Take me out to the crowd

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack

I don't care if I never get back

Let me root, root, root

for the home team

If they don't win, it's a shame

For it's one, two, three strikes

You're out

At the old ball game.

WAL*MART and Panda Express

Visiting tourist spots and eating at luxurious restaurants must be fun to most tourists. Of course they are also great fun to me.

But, sometimes I want to go to local supermarkets or franchised food shops where I buy food and drink to eat at hotel.

Do you know why?

One of the reasons is that I’m the only driver in my family while traveling. So, I can’t drink as much beer as I want when I eat at a restaurant in the States. On the other hand, I feel very relaxed drinking beer at a hotel.

Another reason is that it’s fun for me to find differences of size of food and prices comparing to those in Japanese supermarkets.

No need to say, everything is cheaper and bigger in the States than in Japan.

Who eats that big size ice cream, and how?

Melons are far far cheaper in the States than in Japan. I guess that one melon costs approximately one tenth!

I’m a fun of Panda Express fast food shop. They sell delicious foods at low prices with lovely free fortune cookies. The Fortune Cookie is a thin, crisp cookie baked around a piece of paper with words of wisdom.

St. Petersburg in Florida

The next morning, leaving behind Disney Resort Orlando, we went to St. Petersburg. It took us about four hours' driving.

One of my favorite pleasures of traveling foreign countries is seeing wild animals which we could see only in a zoo, in Japan.

There were lots of wild pelicans flying, swimming and walking in St. Petersburg.

Rina is looking carefully at a pelican awhile.

We visited Salvador Dalí Museum. I thought Dalí was really a genius.

St. Petersburg is a very beautiful city. We walked around the pier area and went to the library of University of South Florida to get some information of Florida.

Disney Resort Epcot in Orlando

There are four different Disney theme parks and two water parks in, Florida.
* Magic Kingdom Park
* Epcot
* Disney's Animal Kingdom Park
* Disney's Hollywood Studios
* Disney's Blizzard Beach
* Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
After visiting to the Seaworld, we went to Disney Resort Epoct. That was our third day in Orlando. We couldn't ask for better weather from the morning Spaceship Earth to the night fireworks.

Wherever you may go, you can find Mickey's face in Epcot. We are having lunch in a restaurant. Even on the milk pack, Mickey is printed.

Spaceship Earth is the iconic and symbolic structure of Epcot. (Up Right)

We went to the Morocco Pavilion, part of the World Showcase in Epcot and drunk a cup of mint tea.
IllumiNations is a 12-minute show featuring fireworks, laser light effects , fountain water and a soundtrack.