Thanksgiving Weekend 2009 in Tampa

Nice long weekend has come to an end. Started out on Wednesday evening, typically a very busy evening with lots of folks coming into town to visit friends and family. Met up with 8 other good friends at Grille 116 in the Northdale area..the burbs about 10 miles north of Tampa. We had a great table in the lounge area...swanky place, very nice, upscale, reminded me a bit like South Beach in the Burbs....service was excellent. Meals here are all a la carte, consisting of Steaks, Seafood and some Pasta dishes. I had the Sea Scallops, three huge pan seared scallops atop a very creamy Risotto. All the dishes were excellent, and to end off the dinner, homemade doughnuts with different toppings like Chocolate, Strawberry and Caramel. It was a great way to start off the long holiday weekend, before heading home, it was a stop at the Green Iguana Westshore, never seen the place more crowded, but alot of fun.

Turkey day was held this year at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City with the family. We were so surprised by the excellent meal...a first for us to not cook. We had reservations, and only waited about 5 minutes to be seated...we had some of their famous Sangria to start us off...Thanksgiving Meal at the Columbia consisted of Vermont Turkey(all white meat breast), Sausage Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes(with lumps), Mixed Veges, Sweet Potato, Cranberry Dressing, and Gravy...a HUGE portion, some of us couldn't finish it all. Very homemade, VERY delicious. Highly recommend if you don't want to cook, or clean and be served for Thanksgiving, the Columbia is a great choice. The meal even included a salad or soup, and dessert..Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Flan or Flan, and all drinks(coffee, teas, sodas)...all for only $20 per person.
We then strolled down 7th avenue in Ybor to the movies...it was a bit busy in the historic district this Holiday afternoon, but the movies were empty...saw the Fantastic Mr Fox.

Friday, had a nice bike ride from my home in South Tampa off Westshore Blvd to Ballast Point Pier/Bayshore Blvd. Beautiful day, in the 60s..we had lunch at the restaurant at the Pier, called Taste of Boston...good warm Clam Chowder, a HUGE Grouper Sandwich and Lobster Rolls, all very good. Friday evening, my musician buddy Rob was to play at Bellini's in Gulfport. A few of us stopped by La Fogota for dinner - excellent Brazilian style place, authentic, upscale decor, beautiful restaurant in Gulfport. We had the Churassco dinner which included all you can eat fresh carved variety of meats(Pork, Steak Diane, Sausages, Bacon wrapped Chicken, Prime Rib, and more)...it was excellent and included a salad, soups, side dishes bar as well. Rob didn't end up playing this evening, as there was another band booked, Bellini's is a great bar area, with an outdoor area as well with a nice waterfall...it was kinda chilly this evening, so we stayed in and relaxed a few hours, chomping on the great meals we enjoyed.

Saturday, we biked again, to the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Pete, and then taking the Pinellas Trail over to the Grand Central District area for the annual Chili Cookoff....a fun time, tasted over a dozen different types of chiilis, relaxed at the Queenshead Restaurant listening to live music, and also on the 'Chill Lounge' set up in the area...beautiful day for biking yet again. Saturday afternoon a few of us gathered at my place, and watched USF stumble under Miami for a terrible upsetting football game...it was nice to turn the TV outside, and sit around and enjoy the cool evening watching football. Then up the street to CDB's Southside for some eats and wine.

Sunday went and met some friends at Hula Bay/Dukes, another winning sunny cool day. Then onto Christmas Tree shopping, ending up at Lowes, great trees, and great service.

Short week, work bring me to NYC for a few days, then playing in Manhattan for this upcoming weekend.
..

Gulfport Art/Music Walk - Tampa Bike Pub Crawl

Great weekend past.. about a dozen of us went to Gulfport, about 25 min drive from Tampa, to this very funky, artsy, town on Boca Ciega Bay, just east of the Gulf Beaches, and just west of downtown St. Pete. Each first Friday, they have an Art/Music walk along famous Beach Blvd. Many local artisans and musicians along the quaint small Blvd, lined with lots of cafes, shops, and such. Diner was a Backfin Blue, a cool little turn of the century house, we ate outside on the 'back deck', almost felt like you were invited to someones home..food is EXCELLENT here...wine comes chilled in a Sand Bucket with Shovel...different, laid back. Seafood is what makes this places famous, especially the crab cakes. Meals, which were all very good, included Trios of Crab Cake, Bacon Wrapped Shrimps and Salmon; Salmon Florentine with Huge Sea Scallops, Fresh Grouper Oscar with lump crab meat, and for the non seafood lovers there was a Gorgonzola stuffed Meatloaf..just like homemade...fixings included a delicious Artichoke and Tomato Salad, Fish Spread, mixed veges and pasta. After being pleasantly full...we strolled along the main blvd, looking at all the arts and listing to some cool tunes.
After we headed to the Grand Central area of St. Pete to a new Bar/Restaurant called Queenshead on Central Ave. Very modern, chic, yet comfortable. Outdoor seating here as well. The night ended close to home at the Green Iguana Westshore.

Sunday we go on our bikes, and did a tour of the city of Tampa..with pub stops. Wine Exchange started the day at Hyde Park Village, and from there it was on to Four Green Fields on PLatt, to the Riverwalk at USF Park, where we followed it to the new Sail Pavillion in front on the convention center along the water...we continued on the Riverwalk by bike to the Columbia Cafe also on the ater at the Tampa History Center..awesome Mojitos made at your table outside. Hopping back on the bikes up Franklin Street downtown to Hattricks where we caught some fo the Rays baseball game, then to The Hubb, Club Chelsea was enxt, where there was a free BBQ..chicken, ribs, hotdogs, and burgers...perfect! Back down Tampa Street through the University of Tampa, and to the Retreat. Next stop was Tiny Tap in Hyde Park, then City Side, Pete's Place on Henderson Ave, where we watched some Sunday night Football, played some pool, and lastly the I Dont Care Bar on Manhattan Ave.

GOOD TIMES!

This week is looking busy, all you can east Sushi night Tuesday at the Venue, Dave Matthews Concert at the Amphitheater Wednesday, and taking off for Geneva NY, for the annual Upstate NY Finger Lakes Wine Tours for the weekend!

..

Biking, Festival, and Crashing Weddings on the Beach

Another great February weekend in the Bay area...met up with some friends at the North Westshore Green iguana for Happy Hour and Dinner...this Green Iguana located int he Westshore Hotel offers a very large dining area, outdoor patio, and small stage, where a great acoustic guitarist was being backed up by another musician playing electric drums...very entertaining...it was a cool evening in the upper 40's, so most were inside...we enjoyed the juicy burgers and some apps. Afterwards, went to the Grand Opening of Green Iguana's newest venture, Hula Bay Club and Duke's Retired Surfers Island Bar, a South Tampa waterfront restaurant/bar on Tampa Bay where the old Rattlefish used to stand, off Westshore Blvd, a little south of Gandy. The place has the same Floribbean atmosphere, large outdoor deck, and now has a pool with cabanas.

Saturday, couldn't resist taking in the great blue skies, and cool temps in the low 70's to get on the bike. So after doing a little yard work and raking up about 10 bags of leaves(who ever said Florida has no seasons obviously does not have a 100 year old Oaks on there property)...I ventured on the bike to the Pinellas Trail. Starting in Largo, rode up to downtown Clearwater, and the SeaBlues Festival was happening. Took in some great fresh seafood on the lawn, listening to some live blues, where there were at least a few thousand out enjoying the perfect day along the waterfront in downtown Clearwater. The bike ride back took some detours through the neighborhoods along the Intracoastal...big beautiful homes, and then into the Belleview Biltmore Estate, where it looks like they are still rehabing this over a century year old hotel and resort..it is said the Biltmore is the largest, oldest wooden structure in the country that is still being used.

It was then on to St. Pete beach where some friends had rooms at the Tradewinds Resort. A very nice sprawling resort along St. Pete Beach...a huge complex of rooms, suites, bars and restaurants , even a river where you can take boats through the property. I checked into my buddies suite, large, clean and comfortable, that was at the time overlooking a Pirate Show with great views of the beach and Gulf from the balcony. Heading down to walk around, I ran into the bride of the wedding, and even though I wasn't invited, she asked that I attend the wedding...who a I to say no to a huge ballroom full of happy people, a large buffet, open bar, and kickin' DJ providing the entertainment. Too much fun!!!
After a few hours, and then closing the wedding, the fun people went out to Shark's Bar on the grounds of the resort, and later walked along the beach over to Ricky T's and then Jimi B's. A great live band at Jimi B's (Phoenix), and had everyone still dancing till closing time.

Lights on Tampa weekend!

Trying to get alot of work done before my trip to Italy, on Friday evening, took a little break from a few projects and walked over to meet a buddy of mine at the Green Iguana, and enjoy a Burger...this time it was the Portabella Cheese Burger..always the best, we also muched on some Hummus, Crab Rangoon and the Black and Blue Salad..crowd was nice outside on the Tiki deck, with an acoustic guitarist entertaining us.....
Saturday, took the kids to Picnic Island Beach, where there seems to be more and more dogs enjoying the huge, wide beach area made specifically for dogs...unfortunately, sometimes someone can bring a not so well-behaved dog, which was the case on Saturday morning, and as my boy went to say hello to a 95 lb pit bull, things went a little sour, and my boy was bit by the Pit twice...he is ok, im just hoping it doesn't effect him for future visits, he and his sister really love the park and beach....I just dont understand some owners, bringing dogs to a dog park, knowing they cannot handle or control their behaviors...

Tried a new biking route, from my house, took Westshore south to Picnic Island, and toured around Port Tampa City, coming up through the neighborhood along Manhattan Ave..a nice 2 hour tour.
Afterwards we went up to Sweet Tomatoes for some lunch, its a chain so I rarely write about them on here, but it was a good all you can eat salad buffet with lots and lots of fresh salad bar veges, salads, breads, pizzas, soups and pastas...
Saturday night was the opening of the three week long, Lights on Tampa. Artists from around the country display their unique creations on buildings, parking garages, all kinds of structures, and parks throughout downtown....the pre-party was at some friends who live downtown at One Laurel Place...we walked towards the convention center, great displays on the Fort Brooke Garage, along the Riverwalk from USF Park to the Convention Center were about 50 or so disco balls creating a luminating effect, some visuals along Franklin Street near the Convention Center, and a SuperBowl Mood Ring that constantly changes in the Park along the River near the Forum. We also stopped by Trolleys bar and Grille in the Embassy Suites Hotel dwontown. It was a little busy, the bartender and servers just seemed like they did not want anyone there...when asking a server for a drink, she just said "I dont make the drinks, you have to ask the bartender"..she was behind the bar, how was I to know, and why didnt she just take my order and give to the bartender. A small manager guy came out in a suit, and didnt seem too thrilled at teh crowd..and when I asked him if he was happy to see it busy, he just shrugged his shoulders...I would think that anyplace would be happy to see people eating and drinking and spending money, especially new hotels and restaurants downtown. Even though service was slow, and unfriendly, the drinks and company were great....our last stop on the walk was to Channelside, we were able to walk into the new Tampa Bay History Center which opens the 17th of January, they were having a private party, and from what we all saw(there was about a dozen of us), it looked very nice, 3 story glass windows all along the Riverwalk, some great displays, but we were only allowed to stay for a few minutes before someone realized we were not with the party(maybe it was the lack of formal attire??)....in Channelside, stopped by Cold Stone for Ice Cream, the entertainment center was VERY busy, people walking from bar to bar, and in the restaurants....instead of making the long trek back to One Laurel, we hopped on the Green Trolley for a quick ride up to the Performing Arts Center...its nice to know that if you will be out and about in downtown, they have a circulating trolley that runs every 10 minutes along the entire route from Performing Arts on the north end of downtown, along Channelside near the convention center and Forum, and up through the Channelside neighborhood of downtown...and for only a quarter.

Sunday was nice and relaxing for football playoff games, and had a great dinner with family at the Cappy's on bay to Bay...large Greek Salad and a NY Style Large Pizza with meatball and Pepperoni...always GREAT!!!

Italy here I come..be back in 10 days.
..

A VERY Happy New Year in Tampa!!

Another beautiful long weekend for the New Years Holiday...started off with ending work a bit early on Wednesday, New Years Eve and heading up to a good friends house for a small gathering in the Wellswood neighborhood of Tampa. Fireworks, LOTS of fireworks going off all night long, it seemed throughout the neighborhood, everyone was having some sort of fireworks show..it was nice to be on the back deck, and seeing the explosions and sounds throughout the evening....we had some of our own as well...after the clock struck New Years, it was an easy call to United Cab for a taxi back to South Tampa, and a stop by the Green Iguana Westshore before stumbling home.

I was feeling pretty good on New Years day, and we went up to the Palma Ceia neighborhood for some breakfast at Pinky's, a very small cafe, with a few tables outside. Service was VERY bad this time around, seemed the servers wanted anything to do today except work....the bread on my buddies roast beef sandwich(which was piled high with rare roast beef) was hard and stale, the Egg Sandwich I had was just ok, but most importantly it was the lacking of service and rude ness that somehow makes me not want to come back to this place, there are so many other places nearby for excellent breakfast.
Later we met up at Centro Ybor movies for a late afternoon flick in the Muvico Premiere Theaters, my favorite with extra large leather seats, large armrests, full liquor bar and free popcorn, to see Jim Carrey in Yes Man. Afterwards we took our ticket stubs next door to Rock n Sports Cafe for some half priced appetizers while we waited for some friends to get out of there movie. The Chicken Quesadilla was stuffed with all white meat chicken and cheese, salsa and sour cream accompanied the delicious quesadilla, and it all went sown fine with a few ales. After meeting up with our other friends, it was Burger time, and Green Iguana in Ybor City was calling us with their excellent versions of my favorite burgers...Santa Fe, Florentine, and other burgers were all cooked perfectly, and there is nothing better after a night of drinking than salty, crispy, fresh crinkle cut fries that go along with the burgers. Live music, and a table at the open windows with a great view of the passerby's along 7th Avenue in Ybor City. from what we were told, there were close to 50,000 people in the Ybor area for NYE, it was alot more quieter this evening on New Years Day night.

Friday, we decided to take the kayaks out and explore downtown Tampa. Putting them at the far end of Davis Islands, near the dog beach, it was easy access to the Channel, up along side Harbour Island and Davis Islands, seeing the beautiful mansions, and with the downtown skyscraper's getting closer and closer. Several Crews from the Tampa Rowing Club were out practicing along the Channel, and as we made up to where the Hillsborough River ends and lets out into the bay, it was a great sight to be paddling along side the skyscrapers....on the way back the over mile long channel, we were able play with a few dolphins...
After washing up a bit, we made it out to Yoko's with some friends for the freshest Sushi in Tampa, and then it was over to another friends house in the Palma Ceia neighborhood where about 20 of us partook on Karaoke in their backyard...im not much of a singer, but who knew Karaoke could be so much fun amongst good friends. Ending the night at Green Iguana, of course.

Saturday, we went downtown for breakfast at First Watch, where the Bacado Omelet fullfilled me as always, there food as consistently been fresh and filling each time I have gone, and this was the best service I received there to date. We walked over to Indigo Coffee for a drink, and then walked over to the new Tampa Firefighters Museum on Jefferson and Zack Streets. Its so new that we had to buzz someone to come down and let us in...its small and has about a dozen displays, old trucks, interesting facts, a memorial area, you could probably go through the entire museum in 30 minutes, they even have a gift shop. It compliments the Tampa Policy museum, also downtown, very nicely. They only accept donations.

Sunday, it was a nice day for biking.... the city scape....so we started along Bayshore Blvd near Bay to Bay Blvd, heading towards downtown, and proceeded along the Riverwalk through Channelside and up to Ybor City. A nice ride along 7th Avenue, all the way east to 34th Street, and south we stopped by McKay Bay Nature Park and Trails...where we biked alonga few paths, and a boardwalk that meandered through mangroves into a lake. On the way back, we stopped downtown at the Oaklawn cemetery, very interesting graves dating back to the mid 1800's, and then headed north up to Tampa Heights neighborhood, on the way back through downtown, we biked through University of Tampa and Plant Park, down through Olde Hyde Park neighborhood, and back to where we started at Fred Ball Park along Bayshore Blvd. GREAT RIDE...I found this site to do more tours of the Tampa area this year Bike Tampa.
After a nice break, went over to Oldsmar to see the movie 'MILK' -great story!! This was the only theater in the Tampa area that was playing this movie, and afterwards we stopped by a new place called Flamestome Grill...very surprising, we wanted to know if this was the only one, and it is a first, soon to become a franchise...polished, perfect service, elclectic dining, excellent menu...there was nothing bad to say about the 9oz Filet that came with buttery and whipped potatoes, and perfectly cooked veges, or the 14oz RibEye and Parmesan Oysters(their version of surf and turf)...a must if in Oldsmar area of Tampa Bay!

Back to the grindstone for this week...im looking forward to my first overseas trip next week to Italy for two weeks!!
...

Biking on the Beach and Tampa's GUAVAWEEN 2008!

Saturday was a great day out, fall is definitely here, it was dry and mostly sunny, temps hovering close to 80..a great day for a bike ride. We headed over to one of my favorite parks, Fort DeSoto, parked near the boat ramps where the bike trail in the park begins. The park was barely busy this Saturday, after a little over an hour riding the paths, with great views of the Bay, Skyway, Gulf beaches, we stopped by the Fort for some great homemade lemonade while climbing to the top of the Fort.

Tampa's annual Guavaween festival was set for the evening. Before attending the 23rd annual event that draws close to 100,000 to the Historic District of Ybor City, we got all in costume and headed to a friends pre-party at the Seybold Condos in Hyde Park. This restored Bread Factory had a nice rooftop deck, great views of the city, and within the two hours we were there, we had some great laughs at some of the costumes showing up...most of them were all going to the All Hallows Ball being held at the Performing Arts Center this year.
Guavaween was not as crowded this year as it typically is, it was a great crowd, another fun time...going bar to bar, meeting LOTS of interesting people. As for our costumes, in spirit of the Rays being in the World Series, we dressed up as Evan Longoria's(3rd baseman) white trash girls fan club...and were a HUGE hit in Ybor City!!

It wasn't a good sports weekend for Tampa Bay...USF Bulls lost to Louisville, Tampa Bay Bucanners lost to Dallas, Tampa Bay Lightning lost to San Jose and the Rays lost to Philly in the World Series game 4.

USF Homecoming; Biking and Jazz in Clearwater

Saturday afternoon, we went up to my Alma Mater's Homecoming Football Game, USF Bulls vs Syracuse Orangemen. We killed Syracuse, 45-13, in an exciting game for most of the first half, then we just dominated. It was alot of fun, tailgating before hand and seeing some Alumni in the Stadium at half time near the Ship as we do every year.

Sunday, we took the bikes over to Clearwater, and rode the Pinellas Trail through downtown Clearwater, then over to Clearwater Beach along the BeachWalk which is looking great, a major improvement to the area. Lunch was at a place I havent been in a while on the beach, Post Corner Pizza, probably the best Greek Salads, huge hunks of Feta Cheese, and they came with some Gyro and perfectly seasoned and moist chicken on top...back on the Bikes, we went to downtown Clearwater again, listened to some Live Jazz at the Annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday at Coachman Park along the Intracoastal...we then hopped on the bikes and rode the Pinellas Trail up to Dunedin, a great little town, with excellent shops and restaurants, a few blocks off the Intracoastal waterway...a perfect day to be outside, Fall is settling in nicely here in Tampa Bay area.

Sunday night was the Rays clincher against the Red Sox, we WON and are off to the World Series against the Phillies. GO RAYS!!

..

Biking Upper Tampa Bay

Took the bikes out for a ride as I have many times to Upper Tampa Bay Trail...just wanted to note on this trip, they still have not made any progress beyond the 8 mile mark. It is supposed to connect to the Suncoast trail by 2010. It's a great ride from the Waters Avenue rest area(easy parking and water available)..most of the trail is shaded as well from this point and is all paved and mostly flat, there are water features, and bridges, some wildlife.

Work takes me to Brooklyn, NY for a few days.

..

Memorial Weekend in Tampa - Biking, Kayaking, Beach and Music

Decided to spend the holiday weekend in Tampa this year, very relaxing and great to see some good friends and enjoy the local area. The weather was very summer like on Friday, but quickly the Humidity disappeared on Saturday night leaving very dry and sunny blue skies with a nice breeze for the remainder of the weekend.

Friday evening went to see one of my favorite local bands that had what we thought was their last show in the beginning of the year, Buffalo Strange. They played at Jimi B's over on St Pete Beach, a great beach front tropical bar and restaurant, plenty of open deck and outdoor seating. It was very busy this night, as the start of the Holiday Weekend, there was plenty of parking across the street on a side street specifically for Jimi B's. After meeting my friends and their family that was in town, we walked next door to Shell's for a late night dinner, and then back to Jimi B's for some great live music and people watching outside under the stars, with the Gulf of Mexico just steps away.
Sunday, took the day to explore some Tampa neighborhoods near my house on bike. It was nice riding along Westshore Blvd to the north, and riding throughout Beach park and Sunset Park neighborhoods. Huge million dollar homes, set along historic small houses, these are truly unique neighborhoods with lots of money, many are waterfront homes that sit along canals with yachts in the backyards and well manicured lawns, with mature old oaks providing shade on just about every street. Afterwards I threw the kayak on top of the truck and headed across the Bay to St. Pete neighborhood of Riviera Bay, where one of my good friends has a house with a dock into the canals that lead to Weedon Island. It was dusk, and very nice to be out on the water, exploring the mangrove trails, lots of wildlife, manatees and dolphins in the water along side us.
For dinner we all went up the street to GoodFella's on 4th Street north of Gandy Blvd. This place had TRUE NY Style pizza, some of the best I have had in Florida. The 18" X Large piled high with a very light tomato sauce, cheese and pepperoni and fresh mushrooms, very thin crust you can fold like a true NY slice with that oven crisp taste. We were the last one there and closed the place up.

Memorial Day it was up very early, and breakfast on the water at my friends over in St Pete, then on to their Nursery they own, Exotica, Inc, with all types of very lush and tropical plants like bamboo, dozens of species of palms and bromiliads, and others. Its just nice to walk around the place with a large koi pond, an upper deck looking over the entire place built around a large old tree, and live birds throughout the place. We then all went over to Fort DeSoto North Beach, there was a little traffic getting in through the .35 cent toll, but even though this was probably the busiest day, when parking along the roadway heading towards the north beach area, there is still PLENTY of room on the beach for lots of peace and quiet, a toss of the frisbee, or just relaxing in the calm Gulf waters. A nice long walk around the island there were bird nesting areas, and nice tropical sandy beaches. On the way back from the Beach we stopped off downtown St. pete along the waterfront for an 'early bird' dinner at Fish Tales located in a marina just south of the Dali museum. The atmosphere is all Florida, all open dining to outside along the Marina, you can watch the boats come in and out, and there is a great tiki bar area. They had these 'skillet' early bird specials we all decided to try that came with new potatoes, tomato's and grilled onions all in skillet. Crab Cake and Shrimp skillet- a large crab cake, filled with blue crab, very little breading, and about a dozen medium sized shrimp; Scallop and Shrimp skillet, about half dozen medium sized scallops and shrimps; and also the filet skillet, a nice sized Filet Mignon, cooked a little rare and wrapped in bacon. All in all, a good meal, and not bad for only $10 bucks. Id come back here for a few drinks and to watch the boaters, maybe some oysters on the half shell. We then explored a very unique St. Pete neighborhood just south of here called Driftwood, older homes set back amongst very overgrown plants, trees and grasses, so overgrown you couldn't see some of the homes that sat along the Bay, and the roads are very narrow and all monitored by video cameras.

Another great looong weekend in the Bay area.

Biking Pinellas Trail, Strolling thru Gulfport

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day after a somewhat cloudy Gasparilla, so I made sure I took advantage of the blue skies and temps in the 60's. Started the day having a little Einstein Bagel and Tea with Debi in the Nursery she was working at, Exotica Nursery on 22nd Avenue South and 44th Street. Its a really nice nursery with lots of tropical plants, a huge Koi pond, and every species of Bamboo and Palm you could find. A perfect place for breakfast, up in the tree deck deck overlooking the gardens below. Our friend Jason that owns the place does an amazing job of Landscaping(he has done several projects downtown St. Pete). After breakfast I wanted to check out the Pinellas Trail, it starts at 34th Street and 5th Avenue and winds up over 30 miles to north of Tarpon Springs. I biked just the first 8 miles(16 round trip), I found it to very relaxing and peaceful, it follows an old rail track, so you are in heavily wooded area, or behind stores, housing, and mild industrial areas, the paved path is very well marked and wide. Overpass bridges take you over main roadways like Pasadena and Central Avenue. I made it to Tyrone Square Mall today and back to the start area. Next time I will start at the mall and head north again. One thing that is nice, is you cant bike more than 10 minutes without having a store of some sort to stop if you need water, or even a cafe or coffee shop, and the people watching was pretty good today with all kinds on bikes, blades and jogging, but not crowded.
After the bike ride, I went over to Gulfport, a great little village on Boca Ceiga Bay, also off 22nd Avenue South. There are great cafes, art galleries and small shops, and along the waterfront are a few bars and cafe's with a long pier into the Bay. A great little town with a lot of character and charm.

Bike to Weedon Island Preserve and Brunch at Mimi's Cafe

Whats a beautiful day Sunday was, and for that matter, what a beautiful time to be in Florida, Deep Blue skies, temps in the upper 70's by day, 50's by night, welcome to Florida's Fall and Winter, enjoy the next 6 months of paradise!!

Took the Bike over to Debi's Sunday morning where we biked from her Riviera Bay neighborhood in St. Petersburg to Weedon Island Preserve. We biked through the waterfront neighborhood which have many canals, and as we approached the preserve, and rode to the Bay, there was alot of wildlife to be seen. Weedon Island is a great place for Kayaking, Biking, Hiking through the trails, and they have a Cultural Center as well.

Afterwards, me the family at MiMi's Cafe in Brandon near the Brandon Town Center Mall. It was my first visit to MiMi's, my aunt and uncle rave about it all the time. Very casual but comfortable separate dining rooms, in a bistro/cafe style. We were seated promptly in the 'Louisiana Room', and ordered some Arnold Palmer's(half iced tea/half lemonade), and saw Fried Pickles for an appetizer, so we decided to try them. Crispy fried pickle slices(dusted very lightly with flour and fried) with ranch and Thousand Island dressing to dip them with a side of homemade coleslaw..perfect. Then came our orders, Chicken Pot Pie was HUGE, big flaky pie crust covering a large bowl full of white meat chicken and veges. The Pot Roast was very tender, Teriyaki Salmon was cooked perfectly over steamed rice, and the Roast Turkey Platter looked just like a serving from Thanksgiving. Very well portioned meals, and we ate every bite, and took home some of the Turkey and Salmon. Lunches were all priced under $12. Now I know why people love this place.

Tampa's Wilderness Park system

Another beautiful day, blue blue skies, temps in the low 70's. Headed out to the Wilderness Park system in the northern most part of Tampa. It comprises of three parks, all with different amenities. I go for the biking and kayaking. Today, em and my brother checked out Trout Creek Park, just off Fletcher Ave, about a mile west of I-75. Amazing off-road bike trails, today we ventured out on 'Gator Bait', 'Indian' which were the toughest, with plenty of small hills, all woods with different terrains from swampy, to pines, to scrubs...went over loots of rocky, sandy, and rooted areas, all single track..we then headed for 'powerline', 'Grandpa' and 'Palmetto' which was kinda neat cause it got 10 degrees warmer on the Palmetto trail, surrounded by all Palmettos. Im sure if we took our time, there was an abundance of wildlife around we could have seen. There is also a 19 mile main trail, connected with a 7 mile paved trail where you see bikers, bladers and walkers/joggers. There are still plenty more trails to explore, the Hillsborough River also runs through these parks as well.