Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Wifey and I went to Jacksonville to see the Bucs play there a couple years ago. Even coming from a small a city as Tampa, we thought Jacksonville had a small-town feel. It is a beautiful city. St. Johns River is absolutely gorgeous, and they were in the process of revitalizing the downtown riverbank. There are all kinds of cool neighborhoods throughout the place. And Jax Beach is a cool area, too. Still, with the upcoming Big Game, columnists are taking their shots:
Tony Kornheiser: Compared to Jacksonville, Tampa is Paris.
Dave Hyde, South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Was Hooterville booked?

I know these columnists have nothing else to write about, and Kornheiser is a jackass, but Wifey and I also questioned Jacksonville’s ability to host a Super Bowl. I wanted to know what a few of the citizens thought. A cab driver had no thoughts at all on the event, shrugging as if it would be just another day. When we left the stadium after a regular season game, it was all but impossible to find a taxicab. There were groups of people wandering around Alltel Stadium, looking for rides. A few innkeepers were excited about the prospect of so many visitors, but wondered if the city had enough room. The dearth of hotel rooms there necessitated bringing in cruise ships, which will dock on the river for use as temporary housing. Most people there didn’t even care about the Jaguars, much less Super Bowl XXXIX. I wish Jacksonville the best of luck next week. We’ll know then if they can handle the crush of people. Florida