Saturday Night Special: Ybor City Knight Parade

Saturday Night Special: Ybor City Knight Parade

Saturday night was party night in Tampa where the annual Knight Parade made a triumphant return down 7th Avenue in Ybor City.  The parade is one of the final events for Tampa’s Gasparilla pirate festival.  As a reminder, Gasparilla is a bit like Mardi Gras, and as with the ‘crews’ in New Orleans, this parade…

Tampa’s Thai Temple: The Wat Mongkolratanaram

Tampa’s Thai Temple: The Wat Mongkolratanaram

With the coldest air of the season beating down on New York City, I thought sharing photos from one of Tampa’s most serene spaces was in order.  Welcome to the Wat Mongkolratanaram of Florida, a Buddhist temple located alongside the Palm River near Brandon.  The ‘wat,’ or monastery temple, was established in its present location…