My Impromptu Trip to Tampa

 

This past weekend my friend and I did something a little crazy. We decided somewhat last minute to take a trip to Tampa, Florida for less than twenty-four hours. Now, the huge question on your mind is probably, why would we do something so crazy? Well, the short answer is we wanted to go to a concert. After having a few rough few weeks, we really wanted to do something fun to take a break from reality, so taking a chance to go and see a concert we really wanted to go to and meet up with some friends seemed like a good option.

Which is exactly what we ended up doing. On Saturday, we flew to Tampa, and it was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Our journey began at Sal Y Mar, a trendy rooftop restaurant inspired by Tulum. We decided to eat light since we knew we would be standing in line at the concert venue in the Florida heat once we were done eating. So, we each got an order of the avocado flatbread and a Bellini. The food was great, but the atmosphere and décor of the restaurant was the real highlight. With the Tulum inspired vibe the entire restaurant was so picture worthy and perfect for taking pictures with your friends. 

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you might remember that my favorite band is CNCO. Which is exactly who we went to see in Tampa. So, after leaving Sal y Mar we headed straight to the venue. Our goal was to be one of the first groups in line so that we would be as close to the stage as possible. Thankfully, there were only a few people ahead of us. While waiting in line we were able to meet up with some of our other friends who traveled from Miami, which was really great since we hadn’t seen them for a while. After waiting in line for around five hours, it was time to go into the venue. 

The promoters at the venue ended up offering meet and greet along with VIP to the first few groups in line, which was such an unexpected and amazing opportunity for us. We waited for about another hour once in the venue before we were able to go and meet the band. I’ve done meet and greet with them in the past, so it was a lot less nerve wracking this time around. The entire group was so sweet, and we loved getting to talk to them for a few minutes. 

The show was absolutely incredible, even better than the last time we saw them in August. This is mainly because I had so many opportunities to interact with them throughout the show. My friends and I were in the second row, but there was no barrier between us and the stage, so we were close enough to reach out to the bandmembers even though we weren’t in the very front. Throughout the show I was lucky enough to have had each of the bandmembers reach out to hold my hand while they were singing at one point or another. Also, my friends and I were able to get videos with each of the bandmember while they were performing which was such a dream! Some pictures I grabbed from the videos can be found below. One of the bandmembers even recorded me on his phone and posted it to his story on Instagram! Honestly, this concert was more than I ever hoped it would be and I’m so glad we decided to attend the Tampa show last minute. 

After the show our friends drove us back to the airport, where we waited for our flight for a couple of hours. Needless to say we were super exhausted once we made it back to Ada, after pulling an all nightery and traveling. However, we had such a great time and are still in shock that we were able to meet a band that we love. So, this trip was definitely one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.