This was a different convention because of a few things. One, both South and North entrances were open. Two, it was the same people and same amount of people attending every day. Three, a pedicab company there was giving free rides due to sponsorship and people mistook every pedicab as offering free rides. Registration was on Sunday but I skipped out on that so I could get some rest. When I arrived around 10am on Monday, the South parking lot was already full. I wasn’t expecting that. That very rarely ever happens that early since the exhibition floor opened at the same time. I thought that’d be the best time to get there. How wrong I was. It didn’t rain and it wasn’t really that hot but it was very humid and the sun was shining all day.

I read the agenda on their website and each day was

Continue reading full article ----> My experience pedicab driving during the Sapphire Now convention at the OCCC in Orlando, FL from 5/14-5/16/2012.

This event was put on by the radio station WMNF and I was contacted by someone associated with the station to come and work the event. Nothing else was going on anyplace else that day so I obliged. Since I knew nothing of the event beforehand, and I do pretty thorough research on what’s going on where in the state, they probably wanna do a better job promoting future events. One reason I may have neglected finding this event was because of the restrictions that the city of Tampa has in place in regards to pedicabs; not to mention the sky-high insurance requirements. Pretty much, all of downtown and all around Raymond James stadium, the 2 bread and butter spots in the city, are off limits. Therefore, I had no need to search for events there since I couldn’t drive for them anyway.

Ybor City is the only place

Continue reading full article ----> My experience pedicab driving at Tropical Heatwave in Ybor City, FL on 5/12/2012.

I wasn’t expecting much from these 3 conventions because in total, it wasn’t gonna be enough people to be super lucrative. Add to the fact that it was taking place at the West Concourse, which doesn’t have the most suitable parking lot for pedicabbing, and that meant I was only gonna make enough to be satisfied instead of wowed. I arrived around the same time on each day and went straight to the back of the convention center where I got all my rides for the first day. Only 3 of us worked on this day and that really did help a lot. Any more than that and it wouldn’t have been worth it.

Rides were pretty steady until lunchtime. That’s when things died in the back. We ventured out to I-Drive, thinking we could get Pointe Orlando rides but no one bit; not even for other independent drivers

Continue reading full article ----> My experience pedicab driving at IEEE, NAMTA, and the Dish Team Summit at the OCCC in Orlando, FL from 5/8-5/10/2012.

I had to call Ticketmaster to buy my ticket. There’s one rule I have about attending concerts and that’s to not have anyone seated in front of me. I learned that at an Usher concert at the Amway Center last year. It was the first real concert I’d ever been to and I had lower bowl seats. Floor seats weren’t an option because (they were too expensive and) I knew people always stood up down there and when they stand up, you gotta stand up too if you wanna see anything. Unfortunately, this also applies to lower bowl, upper bowl, or any level seating if you don’t have first row (which I didn’t for Usher). Online seating charts for the Forum weren’t the best so I had to make sure I had first row, lower bowl. My only occasional obstruction was a security guy who couldn’t make up his

Continue reading full article ----> Review of New Edition in concert at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, FL on 5/4/2012.

There was zero competition at the event. I was the one and only pedicab driver out there. It opened at 11am and I got there around 11:30am. I

Continue reading full article ----> My experience pedicab driving at Fiesta Medina at Festival Park in Orlando, FL on 5/6/2012.

Continue reading full article ----> Review of Don “D.C.” Curry at the Improv Orlando on 5/3/2012.

ever been audited by the irs? i have. i got the notice in the mail earlier

Continue reading full article ----> coffee, surviving an irs audit, dangerous cereal, selling on ebay, travel plans, and music.

I arrived in the afternoon on Saturday after briefly working at The Great American Pie Festival in Celebration. I made a pit stop at the West Concourse first because

Continue reading full article ----> My experience pedicab driving during the Europa Get Fit & Sports Expo at the OCCC in Orlando, FL from 4/27-4/28/2012.

I started

Continue reading full article ----> My experience pedicab driving during Welcome to Rockville at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, FL on 4/29/2012.

My body was in need of some hydrotherapy today after a weekend of pedicabbing. I originally went to the Marriott World Center but no free parking was available and I wasn’t about to pay. Then I slid into the Sabal Palms next door but you gotta have a parking pass to not get towed. Earlier in the day, I was online figuring out where I wanted to go for a hot tub. There’s plenty to choose from where I live but I didn’t wanna go where I’ve already been. The Caribe was on my list but not my first choice. After the Marriott failure, it got the number one slot.

Totally free parking and no-key-required hotel entrance. I parked next to the entrance door of the rear tower. I was wearing clothes at the time. I went out to scope the pool area and saw what I didn’t see

Continue reading full article ----> Had a good time at the Caribe Royale today.