Martial Arts Store: Fighters Inc.

Where would you head to find a good store for fightings sports supplies? What I do is to drive all the way to Daytona Beach to shop at the martial arts store of Fighters Inc. The shop is a fantastic place to find good, quality equipment for my kickboxing, karate and boxing workouts. Unlike my local karate schools they don't just sell cheap karate uniforms but good quality sparring gear, head guards and apparel.
The owner Miroslav is from Europe and he knows every piece of equipment in an out. He has been into the martial arts equipment sales for over 25 years and been a point fighting champion at various open international tournaments around the globe.

Store front of Fighters Inc martial arts supplies.

The shop is easy to find just two blocks off of US 1 highway and provides easy parking access right in front of the outlet.

The flagship brands of Fighters are Top Ten, Fighters and Booster. Top Ten is famous for its boxing and point fighting equipment and apparel. Very good quality at decent prices.

Premium Outlets in Orlando

Orlando Premium Outlets outdoor area with vending machines

Shopping for bargains is everybody's favorite way of spending money. It's even more delightful when receiving great discounts on highend brands like Zegna, Prada, Michael Kors and Salvatore Ferragamo, those expensive brands are hard to find for heavy discounts. Lots of people here and parking is free.

My modest shopping exploits from Orlando: one Michael Kors handbag for my girlfriend and a cup of coffee for my soul. Starbucks in Orlando is far more expensive than in Miami or Tampa. Yet, the shop is very crowded and their selection of food is tremendously large.

On a warning note I noticed irregular activity on my debit card. I purchased one bottle of diet coke from a vending machine at the entrance. A price of 2 US$ was quoted on the machine. The bank deducted 4 US$ from by account. I am to lazy to cause trouble for two bucks, but I won't ever use my card for vending machines again. Stocking up on quarters.

TexMex Food on Seminole BlVD

Tijuana Flats on corner of Seminole Blvd and Ulmerton

Awesomely delicious glaucamole: TexMex at its best. 

Mexican food is great, but for most Americans it's just too spicy. That's why they invented Texas-Mexican cousine (short: TexMex). Tijuana Flats restaurants offers just that at affordable prices with quick service and decent portions. My first two visits to their Largo branch located opposite of Largo Mall on Seminole Blvd (US19) were refreshing.

I275 Bridge TPA to PIE

I275 Bridge from TPA to Indian Rocks Beach and St. Pete

During rush hour the bridge is cloaked up with traffic. During sunset, however, it offers spectacular views for those commuters traveling from Tampa to St. Petersburg. The sun descends and vanishes into the ocean while burning in deep red colors. Care to find out more about this landmark I275 bridge that is viral to commuters and those hoping for a quick ride to the airport?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Frankland_Bridge

The best time these days to shoot the sunset would be around 7:15 pm local time. The last 10 to 15 minutes of dusk offer the most dramatic views.

Where can you see Alligators?

Smaller alligators can be seen in public parks. Larger animals have been removed and relocated to other habitats.

Sand Key Park

North of Clearwater Beach Sand Key Park can be found. I picked late afternoon for a visit to shoot some pictures accompanied by my friend who wanted to use the dog park to walk his favorite pet.

View down south from north overlooking Clearwater Beach Skyline

First of all, it's a great place for visiting the beach, but forget about the dog park. It was plastered with stickers and my friend had problems getting those hard stickers out of his Labrador's paws. The parking fee of 5 Dollars makes it a very expensive doggy walk, anyhow. However, for the beach part of the part it is well worth it. Ample parking and an almost endless beach:

Official website: http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/15_sand_key.htm

These days sunset time stretches for around 15 minutes from 19:00h on. It offers great photo opportunities. Awesome portraits and action shots with fill-in flash work well with the falling sun as a backdrop. Other opportunities are romantic silhouette shots. Too bad sunset lasts for a couple of minutes, only. I will be back soon for more shots.

Romantic couple during sunset

Walsingham Park

North entrance to Walsingham Park

Pinellas County must have the most parks in the entire world. Walsingham Park in Largo is one of the larger recreational areas where people can visit to take a walk, jog, bike, exercise, take their dog or bird watch. It takes about an hour to walk around the park in a circle.

Care to observe squirrels? They are plenty during dask and dawn.