THE END OF A LONG TRAVEL DAY

Good evening from the Tampa Marriott Waterside hotel!  It's currently midnight EST.

Today has been a long, but incredibly smooth day for travelling.  Since we left you last at the Dallas airport, our flight to Tampa was almost exactly 2 hours and was a pleasant flight.  The plane was basically brand new and the folks at Southwest let us board as a group, so we took up the back part of the plane.  Because we had some sugar and caffeine in our veins thanks to our layover, the orchestra was a more chatty and giggly on this flight.  We're having a great time getting to know each other and making new friends!

We touched town in Tampa right at sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.  The weather is a beautiful 73 degrees and comfortable, which reminded me of home (except it's a little more humid here).  All of us got off the plane safely and so did our luggage and instruments.  Everything seems to be in perfect condition! 

Charter buses were waiting for us to take us on a half-hour drive from the airport to the hotel.  Once we got to the hotel, we had a little trouble checking in our group, which caused our dinner to be a bit delayed.  But eventually, our group enjoyed a nice 10-minute walk down the street to Hablo Taco, where we got to build our own tacos!  The walk allowed us to stretch our legs and get a beautiful view of the marina right next to our hotel.

Our hotel is bustling with activity and music as it is primarily booked up by other National Orchestra Festival participants and ASTA Conference attendees.  As we were waiting to receive our room keys this evening, Robert Becker, the principal violist of Pacific Symphony, came over to greet us!  There's lots of string talk in these halls, and we're excited for who we'll meet tomorrow.  

Looking forward to tomorrow, when we're going to spend the morning at the ASTA conference and afternoon at Busch Gardens.  We're ending our first full day in Tampa tomorrow with a concert by renowned musician Jeremy Kittel.  

Pictures will be coming your way soon.  Have a good night, families and friends at home!

- Bella