Nathan and I went to the opening night of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. (Is that a contradiction or what?) Wednesday night, January 2, was one of the coldest nights of the year, and we had to stand outside freezing for about thirty minutes before they let us inside.
Bubby freezing while we waited outside.
Nathan started doing his "duck the camera" tricks until I put a guilt trip on him about how much money Uncle Howie had spent on the circus and how he was going to Jamaica the next day and Uncle Howie was going to miss him and needed pictures. All true, mind you!
We got to see the elephants, tigers, horses, and goats outside before they let us in.
We made it to the pre-show floor and got a picture with a couple of the circus stars. As soon as the spectators started flooding in, I got claustrophobic, so we headed for the overpriced food vendors. We started out with a pizza, and then got some Outback chicken strips and fries.
Yes, I know it's cheesy, and I don't care! I love it!
That boy LOVES cotton candy!
So serious. It's supposed to be a happy place, Bubby!
The circus production was outstanding, totally entertaining, and completely worth the $15 tickets. We had great seats.
The grand finaleIt was a great evening spent with my nephew and the perfect ending to the holidays we were blessed to share with Todd, Carla, and Nathan this year. I was not looking forward to saying goodbye the next morning . . . .
NOTE: If you ever attend an event at the St. Pete Times Forum, don't buy your parking tickets in advance at Ticketmaster. I paid $8 in advance plus all the miscellaneous charges they tack on, hoping to be assured of a parking place. When we turned in the parking garage the night of the circus, the sign said $6. Rip-off!
