As I've written over the past few days, my and my sister Ali's trip to Tampa started about fairly rocky. There was the disinterested and blatantly untruthful American Airlines customer service agent, and then the lost car rental reservation with Expedia and Payless Car Rental (we still don't know who to blame, but Exepedia eventually worked it out for us).

But while I sat around the Payless Car Rental office, watching a TV blaring Fox News and learning new swear words from Ali, I witnessed half a dozen clients come to Payless to pick up a car, only to learn that their reservation had been cancelled because the customer was late. Payless employees maintained that reservations are only held for four hours after the original booking time. No cars were left once the reservation was cancelled, so travelers had to take the shuttle back to the airport and start over with a different agency. This was December 28th, right in the middle of the holiday season, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for travelers that were late for their reservation through no fault of their own -- flights were delayed and connections missed, as I knew well. One couple was late because their luggage was lost, and they had even called Payless to let them know they'd be late.

I've always been a patient traveler -- or so I like to think. Missed trains and delayed planes don't normally phase me beyond a general annoyance. I've always regarded the stressed-out angry traveler as someone who needs to take a chill pill and enjoy the journey. I plan to get sick, get robbed, and/or see big insects in my guesthouse; so I don't take valuable items with me, and usually sleep with the lights on (just because I expect to see big bugs doesn't mean I'm not scared of them).

But this holiday season, I had the experience that made me understand just why travelers get so pissed off. I'll be discussing it in a three-part series coming up, but for now I want to apologize to travelers out there on whom I have formerly passed judgment. It sucks being stranded in the U.S.A.

Here are the lessons I learned this dismal holiday travel season:

1. Landing in Tampa does not have the charm of landing in Bangkok or Delhi. There's no $1.50 tuk-tuk or rickshaw to take somewhere if your car rental reservation gets effed-up. When you're stuck in a hotel room in Dallas outside the airport (a hotel with no bar, nonetheless), it's not as cool to have to order a $12 pizza from Dominoes as it is to eat street food for a few cents. Thus, being stranded while traveling domestically loses any glamor it might've had in a foreign country.

It was an easy breezy Saturday morn when I set out from my home with a close friend of mine to check out Tampa's Big Cat Rescue. The animal attraction is only a good five miles away from my place and after three plus years of living in the area the perfect opportunity finally presented itself and I took the bull by the horns or in this case I should say the cat by the tail, or wait whiskers... Bad joke, guys. In all seriousness, please don't grab any cat by the whiskers.

The Big Cat Rescue is a sanctuary for wild cats and I believe one of the worlds largest. The BCR provides a permanent retirement home for more than 100 lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, servals, caracals and sand cats to name only a few exotic felines. Most of the cats come from a turbulent past of cross-breeding, circus stages, and other sad tales which I'll touch on later.

When we pulled up into the unpaved lot of the rescue leaves were blowing everywhere and there were several cheery volunteers up early waiting for each visitor's arrival. Before entering you have sign off on a few simple rules. For instance teasing the big 400 lb. tiger is not advised and getting too close to the smaller servals could result in a nice bath of feline perfume. Follow the rules and you're bound to have an enjoyable trip through the grounds. Our guide for the day was Denny, a volunteer who had been with the BCR for quite a while and a passionate animal lover. He jumped right into leading us through the path of the sanctuary. He described each cat like they were one of his grand-children and told the rest of us how we could get involved volunteering with the organization.


The group walks down the path to check out the next big kitty on the property.

If I'm not mistaken this would be Nikita and if I have the right cat then Nikita's story is just the beginning of several horrific animal abuse tales Denny shared with us. To say the least, Nikita was found chained to a wall in a crack house during a drug bust in Tennessee.

Why this list of angry U.S. cities makes me laugh - I don't know? Could it be that Orlando, the very home of Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Mickey Mouse ranks number one for some bizarre reason? Maybe it's because my city (Tampa, FL) ranks 12 and the near by St. Petersburg, FL comes in second? So my first question is this - what's up with all the anger Florida?

World Hum points readers to a fine piece from Men's Health focusing on 100 very angry U.S. cities. The ranking was based off factors like percentage of men with high blood pressure, FBI rates of aggravated assaults, Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers on workplace deaths from assaults and other violence in addition to road rage. Whew! With all those ugly factors and Orlando placing tops on the anger totem, some of you may be a little afraid to see where your place of residence ranks. Others may not be so surprised.

No trip to Tampa, Florida is ever complete without one tour down the historic streets of Ybor City. So while my gal friends from Jersey were in town it was only natural that a good day and a half would be spent strolling the streets, shops, restaurants, and a night of all out debauchery at a dance club or two. They had the time of their life and though Ybor may not be for everyone depending on which time of day you choose to go, it's always worth a glance. Being a tour guide wore the life out of me these last couple of days which is why I will provide you all with a couple pointers on your next trip to Tampa. It saves me a hell of a lot of gas and the wear and tear of playing tourist along with you.

Many will want to start with Centro Ybor. Being the center of the 7th Ave strip, it sets the mood. I recommend a visit in the day time first so the quiet streets can charm you a little. You'll find several small shops where cigar aficionados can build their own smokes or buy some premium goods to take back as a souvenir. Other small shops include Ybor Ybor, a good places for cheap gifts, Marble Slab Creamery, which helps tremendously on the hottest of days, and La France, a must for the ladies and men that love antique and vintage clothing. Take in a movie at the beautiful Muvico theater, visit the International Bazaar, or stop in to take a personality test with the Scientologists.

Restaurants such as Fresh Mouth, Dish, Adobe Gila's, and Big City Tavern can be found easily and all provide delicious menus. However, it is the Columbia Restaurant a little ways down the strip that is a must visit. The food, service and atmosphere all make it the top place to dine as well as the live flamenco shows in the evening. I've blogged about the restaurant before in its own entry and suggested the Palomilla steak, but I'd also like to add the "Cayo Hueso" Mahi-Mahi which I recently clamped my jaws on.

As the sun sets and evening turns into night young and old come out for drinks, music and more. Ybor can seem a bit rough around the edges at night as many young ladies come quite under dressed with tiny pieces of clothing on ready to dance and the fellahs become frisky. If you go at night I suggest clubs such as Prana, Code, and Green Iguana for a nice mixture of people and music. The Castle is also great place for industrial and 80's sounds. When all is said and almost done stop into the Bistro and have a yummy crepe for the road. (They have an endless menu of crepes.)

No matter which way or time of day you decide to head to the Latin Quarter there's no denying a promising and perhaps rewarding visit. Everything you almost need to know can be found here.