Tampa Bound

I'm writing this post rather late (for me) on a Tuesday night. I'm up packing for tomorrow's trip to Tampa, Florida. I'll admit it: I'm exhausted. Didn't I just get back from Italy? And now I'm leaving on another jet plane to another place that looks nothing like New Jersey or my beloved shore region (bay and gulf waters look nothing like the Atlantic).

But there's another reason I'm tired: the freelancing writing arm of my business is booming. And you know what's at the center of the workload? The Jersey Shore. It might be cold out now, but in the last week, I've talked to three editors of three magazines about coordinating shore coverage for Summer 2009 which, yes, needs to start now. Heck, we even shot the photos for one of those articles in August.

So if you're worried about the blog veering off course as of late, never fear. The ship will right itself soon -- I'll be in Cape May for Halloween, after all.

But temporarily, Down the Shore with Jen will be my point of coverage for the World Series while I'm in Tampa. I planned my trip long before the possibility of a World Series even entered the question, but since I'm down there, I might as well join in. Plus, I'm a University of Tampa grad, which adds another layer to the fun (my piece about Tampa for Phillies fans should be running tomorrow, and of course I'll post it here).

So for the next few days, check back for photos, reports and fun from all those Phillies fans in Tampa. I'll be kicking things off tomorrow night with the Tampadelphians, a group of Philly sports fans based on Tampa. Here's details of where we'll be.

Still need a shore connection? I'm flying out of Atlantic City International Airport -- Spirit Airlines offers a direct flight from AC to Tampa...I might be traveling this fall, but I'm still, at heart, Jersey Shore Jen.

(Pretzel from Philly Soft Pretzel Factory)