Conventional Wisdom: Greetings from Tampa Bay

Conventional Wisdom Facts, features and fodder for RNC Tampa from local experts at the Tampa Bay Times [Second in a series] Greetings from fampa Bay! Home of the Mystery Monkey (plus a host of other weird and wacky wonders) Visit Cuba! Walk into Jose Marti Park in Ybor City and you're on foreign soil. The Cuban govermment owns it. We our chains SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDOE At least 6 chain restaurants have started here, including Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Beef O'Brady's, Evos, Carrabba's and the oldest of them all, Hooters to: (12 locations locally). Mystery Monkey A monkey that escaped almost two years ago now hangs out in southern St. Petersburg. 83,000 Facebook fans follow the rogue rhesus. SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDOE 'Rainbow connection St. Petersburg hosts one of the Southeast's largest gay pride celebrations. It tums 10 in June. In 2011, it drew an estimated 80,000+ people and 100+ floats. to: Screamscap Back in the early 1980 Tampa Bay was considered the death metal capital of the world. Death, Deicide, Morbid Angel S, and Obituary started here. Can't get no 47 years ago in 1965, Keith Richards wrote the guitar lick to Satisfaction in a hotel room at the Jack Tar Harrison (now the Scientology-owned Fort Harrison). Dali fever To stress-test the freestanding staircase in the lobby of the Dali Museum, two rugby teams danced on it to disco music. 1,062 glass By the way, there are triangles in the museum's "Glass Enigma." Tom Cruise's peeps Clearwater, Scientology's spiritual mecca, is a destination for church members from 66 countries who travel here to 800+ hotel rooms for a series of 12 “rundowns," known as auditing. Did we mention they use an e-meter* to accomplish this? S The 411 on TSO One of the world's most popular rock opera groups, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, originated here from a heavy metal group called Savatage. INSHINE SNYWAY BRIDOE to: They've sold 9 million+ albums. Clothing optional Home to at least 10 nudist resorts, Pasco County is somewhat of a naturalist magnet. Apropos of nothing, it also claims to be the "Kumquat Capital of the World." Tampa Bay Times tampabay.com Written by Anne Glover, with researchers Caryn Baird, Carolyn Edds and Natalie Watson contributing. Illustration and design Steve Madden, Lee Glynn | Times * Read more at our special report, tampabay.com/scientology