Visitors

I hear that if you move to a trendy vacation spot, all your friends and family will visit you. I think they mean places like Aspen and Hawaii, but it turns out to be true for Gainesville too. As a result of recent visits, I can now tell you the hot spots all tourists must visit. The three best:

•  A sinkhole. For real - you can see lots of geology and nature at the Devil´s Millhopper state park. but I like just telling people that they are going to a sinkhole. 
• Repurpose Project, my favorite thrift store. It´s like a giant garage sale and sells everything - broken bicycles, dinner plates for 25c,  and half used rolls of wrapping paper. Anything that they think someone will use, so that it won´t end up in a landfill.
• Satchel´s pizza, known for it´s artistic flair and homemade sodas. They have bunting made with hair curlers and no wall is left un-mosaiced. 

It was cold when my parents visited for Christmas but still warmer than the rest of the country, so we didn´t complain. 

The cold was so unusual that everyone wrapped their poor little tropical plants in blankets. 

My friends L and CA visited from DC on their way to a financial workshop. They enjoyed the sinkhole, but were more impressed by the alligator we saw on the University of Florida campus. 

I expect to be here for a few more months as I work through all the paperwork needed for the visa application. So act soon if you, too, want the Gainesville tour! VIP tours include the world´s biggest bat house and a1924 manually-operated elevator.