Last few weeks

Sorry for forgetting to update for so long.

Here's where I've been going the past few weeks:

Bayfront Park:

I went up to Bayfront Park and walked down by the docks. It's such a peaceful place to be, and especially during the warmer months here, it's especially fun to just walk up and down the park sidewalks. I was really happy stopping by, and I hope to continue to return. I think that the Bayfront Park is one of the better places to spend the end of a day.

City Island:

Although it was with the class, I really did enjoy going to City Island (now Google Island). I especially enjoyed walking through the small patch of forest. Again, a lot of my reasoning for enjoying these walks later in the day is just the tranquility of it. I think that now that the Florida winter is over, I can enjoy the outdoors a lot more.

Centennial Park:

This one was the furthest back. I went along with a friend to Centennial Park to assist him with a photo shoot. Although it was a windy and cold day, it was a beautiful view of the water. I've stopped by Centennial in the past, and I really enjoy just standing by the dockside. It's one of the many reasons why I enjoy staying in Florida during the year.

In general, I think this class has inspired me to spend more time going and exploring the outdoors and exploring Sarasota in general. Although I had the excuse of class assignments for some of these entries, I did enjoy visiting these places in Sarasota, and would probably visit on my own had I known about them beforehand.

--David

Children's Garden

This week my location lighting class again took a trip out to somewhere new in Sarasota. This time we went to the Children's garden. Upon first arriving, I noticed how nice all the vegetation and other flora were in the area. I enjoyed how well everything was kept up, and that there was a good harmony of manmade material and nature. The whole place was obviously a bit smaller scale, since it's main patrons are smaller children.

It was nice to see that such a place exists for the younger generation in Sarasota. The garden was very peaceful, and it was a very beautiful day to be out. It was sunny, warm, and although we were there at a low traffic time, it felt like a welcoming place to be. I don't think I'll be making a return anytime soon, but it was a nice place to spend an afternoon taking photos. To be honest, it was an interesting experience as a location that I would never normally stop by.

--David

Ringling Museum

This past week I was at the Ringling Museum for my Location Lighting class. We didn't spend any time inside of the actual museum, but we did spend time outside in both the courtyard and in the ca d'zan. I really enjoyed walking around the museum's grounds on a bright and sunny day. I thought it was nice to see as much shrubbery as there was on the grounds. I had never really explored outside of the actual museum before, so it was nice to see what else they had to offer.

What I noticed as very unique for a museum was their rose garden. I was really surprised to find that they kept up things like this at an art museum. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much they used Florida's tropical climate to their advantage. Also, after watching more about ca d'zan in class, I was excited to see it in person. The whole area is still kept up very well. I hope to make a return to this back area of the museum. It was a nice experience and a good alternative to the usual museum tour.

Downtown Sarasota

Sorry for the lack of update last week.

Last week I went into Downtown Sarasota with a friend to walk around and really explore the area. We stopped off at a few antique shops along Fruitville, and ended off walking through the main areas of downtown. It just so happened that there was a local art fair that day. We stopped through for a minute, but eventually ended up inside the Selby Library.

This was actually my first time in the Selby Library, and I was amazed by some of the architecture in there. It was a very nicely designed interior, which was complimented by it's beautiful exterior. I was surprised that I had never really gone to the library since starting up at Ringling.

I hope to make a return trip sometime soon, as it very well could become a new staple in my trips to downtown in the future.

--David

Parkway 8

This week we went to the Parkway 8 Cinema, one of Sarasota's dollar theaters. It was a great display of the city's diverse range of businesses. The theater is located right along University Parkway. One thing unique to this theater is that it is a cash only theater. I was greatly surprised in a time and area where cash is used less and less.

However, to it's credit, it's very rare to find any surviving dollar theaters. It's nice to see that at least one of these can survive in today's economy. The movie I saw wasn't the best, but I was happy supporting another Sarasota local business. I hope to make a return at some point in the future.

--David

Architectural Salvage

This past Monday I went to the Sarasota Architectural Salvage. It was a required trip of my Location Lighting class, but it will not be the last time I stop by.

First off, the concept of collecting these antiques among other things is good for the community. Many of the items are from Sarasota, if not from Florida in general. Although the weather on Monday wasn't great for being outdoors, walking through the sideyards was still a highlight of the day. There were some very unique sculptural items in the sideyards, and even a couple Sarasota street signs.

I will definitely be returning to the Sarasota Architectural Salvage sometime in the near future.

--David

Portfolio Day

This week, I didn't really venture out into Sarasota as much as I stayed on campus to help out a big draw to Sarasota: Ringling's Portfolio Day.

I spent my Sunday morning making sure that the guests didn't enter the portfolio rooms until all of the representatives were settled in and ready for them. It was an interesting experience of seeing how many people come to Sarasota only to speak to college reps for about 10 minutes at most each. Most of the guests were Florida residents who came from other areas of the state. I sat and talked to a few of them, and for the most part they wanted to get out of Florida as quickly as possible.

However, I felt the highlight of my day was definitely showing my support for Ringling. The guests would ask questions about the school, my experience at the school, and I of course gave them a glowing review of the program.

I feel that these events are essential for the school. I think that the best way to support Sarasota is to support one of the bigger factors of the city. Ringling is obviously a big draw for Sarasota, and I felt that my Sarasota experience is only strengthened by supporting the city.

--David