The Roadtrip Begins – Part 2
Being back in Tallahassee felt like the good ole days—hot and humid. We arrived early in the day but the heat starts eraly in those parts. Rain was in the atmosphere so we headed immediately for the campus before it started.
I headed to the most vast greens of the campus because it was a good place to start as it was the center of student campus life. As there were many updates to campus, much of it was still the same. We spent a little time at the library, Robert Strozier, located at one end of the Landis greens. It has a Starbucks now!
After the library and enjoying the greens, we headed toward the student center to check out the dining hall and the bookstore. Robyn was panting at the thought of Seminole merch, so we headed into the closest location where we spent an hour! After about 15 minutes, Jacob found a table and a book to explore. I walked around looking for Bowden merch as Robyn debated over what to spend “her” money on. When she narrowed it down to four items, I helped her pick two—a visor and a tank, both good for tennis practice.
We walked the campus for another hour before heading back across campus to the car and to view the most photographed part of the campus, the fountain outside of the Ruby Diamond auditorium. It’s the site you see on all the pamphlets and likely the most photographed location on campus aside from Doak Campbell Stadium.
We had to wait our turn for photo ops as some graduates were there in cap & gown with some bubbly. After some cute shots (pictures that is) and some down time to rest from walking in the hot and then humid heat (don’t miss that), we headed to the car.
With time still available before lodging check-in, we headed to Doak Campbell where the admissions office is currently located. You can’t do FSU without seeing the house Bobby Bowden built. So we drove down what I call sports alley past the tennus courts, track field, baseball field and intramural fields.
Jacob was still over it and just wanted to be in Miami already, so he hung outside the stadium. Robyn and I took a few pics with the Chief Osceola and Renegade statute before heading into the admissions office. We talked with a rep, asked all her pertinent questions about the science programs offered, and toured the offices I hadn’t seen.
As we headed out of the building, soft rain began to fall, so we decided to check-in our hotel. By the time we arrived there it was pouring. The kids were not happy with our accommodations as I decided to go cheap for our one night in Tally. I told them to use the experience for motivation and to get over it.
The rain stopped and we headed out to dinner. The kids were feeling like seafood so we found the Crafty Crab which was quite good. I think it’s the Florida version of the Juicy Crab because there is a string of them throughout the state.
After dinner it was still very much light outside and the kids were not ready to head back in. So we ventured over to Florida A&M University for a bit. Tallahassee is very much a college town and doen’t seem much like a capitol city in comparison to Atlanta.
At that point of the day, FAMU as one of the nation’s premier historically black college or university (HBCU) didn’t have much going on that evening. So we milled around the sports complex, walked the north end of the campus, viewed the picturesque murals and giant rattler statute.
As we headed back for our night in, the kids had lots of question about why Tallahassee seemed so different from Atlanta as a capital city, the apparent differences between FSU and FAMU and what it was like working at the capitol.
After some evening chatter and laughs, we turned in because the next day would bring more road tripping, a stop in Gainesville to visit the Gators before heading onto our ultimate destination.