Back in April a business trip took me to Florida, and since I'd never railfanned the Sunshine State I tacked on a couple vacation days and met a friend for a 4 day epic 1000 mile tour of the state.
This is a late running Southbound Amtrak Silver Star heading out of Tampa after making their stop at the stub end union station. The train is on former ACL rails less than a mile out of the depot an you are looking up 16th Street as the train runs down beside 6th Avenue in the heart of Ybor City, Tampa's historic and vibrant Latin Quarter.
This is one of those shots that is special because it wasn't on the trip agenda at all. Shooting Amtrak was not a priority, but the Star seemed to follow us around and we shot it several times in different cities (though never saw the Meteor and only managed to see the Auto Train once). I had no idea how cool Tampa is and we stayed right in the heart of Ybor one night to imbibe some adult beverage, enjoy some great food, and take in the nightlife after the sun had set.
I really wanted to get something that captured the feel for this area and think I came close. The languid feel with the gentleman lingering to the right, the palm trees, and the bike all make the scene framed by the historic buildings. The only thing missing is the chickens. They wander wild around the district lending even more to the Caribbean feel, but the flock of a half dozen nearby couldn't be coaxed into the frame!
