2010 Gasparilla Weekend! The Invasion and Parade

Friday afternoon started off great, some lunch outdoors along the waterfront at Hula Bay, some Vino in the backyard patio with great friends, and then over to Hyde Park for the Pre-Gaspar festivities. Mateo's new Mexican place was packed, we ended up Valet parking at The Lodge on Howard Ave, and walked around Howard Ave which was hopping by 700pm. We walked over to The Rack on Platt Street for some good eats, have dinner outside, we enjoyed the Lobster/Spinach Dip, with large/soft triangle bread for dipping, then onto the Crunchy Grouper Tacos - Large fried pieces of Grouper in 3 soft flour tortillas, with all the accompaniments, and fries...they were good. And also some Bison Sliders with Cheese/Fries, very juicy and cooked perfectly. It was a great place to start the night.
Then it was a walk across the street to Hyde Park Cafe, where they started a new Friday Night special called "Flip Flop Fridays", and now have a Huge Biergarten with over 60 beers from all over the globe on Tap...also serving Piranellis thin crust pizzas and free wings. The beers are only $10 for a mug and all you can drink from 8-10pm, with a DJ outside in the Biergarten spinning classic dance/alternative tunes from the 80s/90s. It was a fun crowd. Couldn't stay too late, a big day was ahead for Gasparilla.

Saturday morning was very cloudy, breakfast was at a buddies house in Tampa Heights, then we took the #1 Bus (about a dozen of us), to downtown Tampa, first stop was The Hub...it started raining, but by 4pm the parade had reached downtown and we walked over to Taps in Skypoint...some of us watched the parade from Taps outside under the shelter of a tent set up out front, others braved the rain and wind(it stopped raining by 5pm) with Ponchos on and watched the parade up front, catching beads, meeting lots of folks along the parade route. To end the evening, it was an excellent concert by Collective Soul on the Great lawn of the new Curtis Hixon Riverfront Park.

An excellent Saturday night!! And successful Gasparilla Weekend!

Happy New Year Tampa - Twenty Ten!!

The New Year is here, and wow...it is COLD!! For Florida standards, highs in the 50s with lows in the 30s, this upcoming weekend, we may even see some sleet!?

It was a fun New Years weekend in the Bay area, starting out on Wednesday the 30th, about 30 of us all met up at Hula Bay to see my buddy Rob play some great music, and enjoy each others company...food, service, music...all good times. And the views even better along the water front of Tampa Bay.

New Years Eve, it was me and a few others at my friends house in the St. Pete neighborhood of Old NE. Making homemade pizzas, we had alot of fun, and then around 1130, walked down Coffee Pot Bayou to North Straub Park to watch the downtown St. Pete Fireworks at the strike of midnight to welcome in Twenty Ten!

Friday - New Years Day, was a great day for watching the Bowl games, and made a huge lasagna for some close friends, of course watching the move 'The Hangover'.

Saturday night, a few of us met up for dinner at the new Hamburger Marys in Ybor City's Centro Ybor. A great space, large circular bar area, lively music and videos playing...a very large balcony area along 7th Avenue too. Service was fast and friendly, food even better...large salads, tasty and huge wings. Alot of fun to start off the evening. Then it was on to see a great show at the Ritz Theater in Ybor City. Glactic is an amazing Funk band, entertaining and fun..who knew a trombone could be so entertaining...FUN FUN!!! I will always see this band when they are in town.

Sunday to end the weekend, took a friend to the last Bucs game of the season against the Falcons. We lost our last game, but we braved the cold temps(only got to 49 degrees), and were able to enjoy the second half of the game in the Club section, no better way to keep warm and watch the game then the Club area of Ray Jay Stadium.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! GET OUT AND EXPLORE TAMPA BAY!! One of my goals this year is to explore new places to Kayak, Bike, Beach, Dining and Nightlife.

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A Christmas Weekend in Tampa

Happy Holidays! Christmas Break started early, and on Wednesday evening a few of us went to the Forum downtown to see the Lightning take on the Flyers, was an exciting Hockey Game...with the Flyers up 2-0 in the first period, only for the Lighting to get 2 in the second period, but the Flyers came through for another 2 to win the game. After the game we met up and said hello/goodbye to some friends that were leaving Tampa for the holiday weekend.

Christmas Eve - started early making Italian sauce and a huge Italian feast for my Aunt and Uncle and a few friends - Sausage and Meatballs, Eggplant Parmesan, Four Cheese Lasagna, Broccoli with Garlic/Lemon, Garlic Bread....espresso's and zambuca out in the backyard around the fire pit..dessert of Italian pastries/cookies, and Banana's Foster, and then playing dice games till midnight, when the Cigars came out. Good Times!

Christmas Day - after opening gifts and enjoying the morning, met my Aunt and Uncle at Channelside for some Christmas Thai dinner and Thai Thani - at 330pm, not many people in the restaurant yet, but more and more were coming in as we were eating, the area was very busy with people going to the movies as well. Food and service were good, as usual, we ordered some of the Soups, rich and flavorful, Dumplings - fresh and delicious, and House Fried Rice, and another dish with Shrimp, Chicken and Pork and a very light and flavorful sauce. An excellent Christmas meal. Afterwards we walked it off along the Tampa Riverwalk, starting at Channelside, taking a look at the new Heroes Plaza and Cottanchobee Park. Then it was time to see a movie at Channelside, and Up in the Air was the consensus, great movie!! And a great Christmas Day!!

Saturday a good friend of mine in the Seminole Heights neighborhood was having a few dozen people over for a Cookies and Wine get together, everyone that showed up at to bring two dozen cookies, and at the end of the night, you were able to take home a few dozen cookies...interesting, but had alot of fun.

Sunday, went to downtown St. Pete, and tried Yummy Mama's - Russian Brunch Buffet. I never went to a Russian restaurant, this was very authentic, and had a little market next door, large bar area with live musicians. The Brunch was thoroughly explained in detail of all the variety of foods, everyone that worked there was overly friendly and Russian...Stuffed Cabbage, Chicken Kiev, Goulash, Stroganoff, Russian salads, Russian soups, Perogies...and lots of other foods such as Cheese Blintzes and Crepes, Omelet station, Carving Station, Salad Station, Seafood Station with Crab legs, Oysters and Shrimps. It was good, included Mimosas or Bloody Mary's. I'M not sure I will be running back to the Brunch Buffet, but would love to try the menu for freshly prepared meals...I thin that had there been more people dining and they were able to turn the food over more in the steam tables, the food may have been fresher.
Afterwards it was a walk around the park areas of downtown St. Pete. Sunday night, another good friend of mine had a dinner party at her Wellswood neighborhood home, about a dozen of us on the back porch, with a fire pit, and heaters on, enjoyed company and winding down of a great Holiday weekend.

Short week, and looking forward to New Years!!
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Chilly Dec Weekend in Tampa

Temps have dropped, and its getting to feel a lot like Christmas...sort of...with blizzard conditions in the Northeast and over 20" of snow, i'll settle for temps in the 50s and 60s.

Friday, we decided to try a new Italian Restaurant near me called Luigi's. On Gandy Blvd near Himes Ave, you go into an new looking open space, with a bar in the back area. We started with some mussels in a lemon butter sauce, about 11 mussels came out on a dish, with a very tasty sauce, great for bread dipping, not so great for $10 though. We ordered the Chicken Parm and Eggplant Parm...both dishes came with seasonal veges(baby carrots in a butter sauce), and a pasta/sauce of choice. HUGE portions, being Italina I am very picky about my Italian when dining out, and although the food was OK, it was just that, only OK. The dinners are covered in melted mozzarella, the chicken was not so tender, maybe heated, and Eggplant was very soggy, I like my eggplant to be fresh, crispy fried thin slices. Service was very good, we also ordered a side of meatballs, three came out in a tomato sauce, very cold. I know they make the meatballs prior, but they could have been heated better, there was alot of breading in the meatballs. We wont be back, sorry Luigi's..nice place, friendly service, but for Italian it was just mediocre at best.
Afterwards we went to Cinebistro in Hyde Park Village to see the opening of Avatar. I really really love this place...im not a big fan of going to movies on opening night on a weekend...but being able to reserve your seat ahead of time on line was perfect. We got there about 15 min prior, were seated by the usher, and ordered Cappuccinos and an EXCELLENT chocolate cake dessert that reminded me of the old Suzie Q's. The movie was EXCELLENT as well, amazing effects, 3D technology, good story. After the movie a nice walk through the Hyde Park neighborhood, Bungalow Terrace area, checking out all the Christmas Lights/Displays.

Saturday, met a few friends back at the Village to have an early dinner at Timpano's Italian Chop House...this place is beautiful inside, large bar area, upscale dining area, and sidewalk tables outside...it was a bit chilly for outside, so we met inside...ive always liked the look of the place, but food is mediocre at best...especially for the prices. 4 Cheese Raviloi with a lemon butter/white wine sauce and sliced chicken..the chicken was very dry, sliced peppers were over cooked, very very salty to the taste....Shrimp Fra Diablo, Veal Marsala...just OK dishes, but they are over $20 each dish, and ala carte. I will say that they have a good wine list(althoguh pricey) and love the Mussels Appetizer that comes out on a skillet.
We then went to check out some Christmas Displays, Rawls Road in Tampa...afterwards all were too tired to go to some of the many parties happening in and around the area.

Sunday we headed to the Buddhist Temple for Brunch, getting there around 1pm is ideal, the Soups were perfect for this chilly day, sitting along the water, enjoying some very fresh Thai foods..

My brother visits Tampa from Colorado

Another great long weekend, one of my brothers came to Tampa to visit me and my family and also join me to the Bucs/Jets game this weekend. He arrived Thursday, TIA is so convenient, parking on the top floor of the short term parking deck, as soon as he arrives, gets his bags, its an easy elevator ride to the 9th floor, and no charge for parking the first hour. Off to drive him to my Mom's outside of Sun City Center in Valencia Lakes, where we enjoyed some of the best pizza outside of NY..East Coast Pizza take out.

Friday after work, we all met up and went to Cafe Durfrain on Harbour Island downtown Tampa...beautiful waterfront setting, the meals here are always consistently great!! Then it was a walk across the street to Thats Amore for Italian desserts and espresso's while the owner played Sinatra tunes and Christmas songs on the Piano, all while having an excellent view of the waterfront and downtown Skyline.

Saturday my whole family met up for an afternoon movie at the Cinebistro in Hyde Park Village..great comfortable seats, ultra luxurious. modern state of the art theaters..we enjoyed huge bowls of popcorn and giant sodas with free refills, all served to you prior to the start of the movie.
Then we walked thru the village to the Wine Exchange, and enjoyed the unusual warm December air(it was about 65 this evening), sitting on the patio..again always consistently great food and service at Wine Exchange, EXCEPT for the Broiled Seafood Special they were offering, a large portion of Broiled Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops..but lacking any flavor. All else was very good, and then we walked over to City Sweets for coffees, fudge and desserts which we brought out to the fountain area of the Village, sitting outside, enjoying each others company, a nice evening.

Sunday was GAME DAY...the Jets of course beat the Bucs, was a sloppy game, but my brother enjoyed being at the game of his beloved Jets, while I was there for the Bucs...fun time though...then we met up with the rest of the family for a final night dinner waterside at Hula Bay...perfect ending to a great weekend, a beautiful evening again as we watched the sunset, and enjoyed awesome fish tacos, sushi, grouper sandwich's, fish and chips...and then stayed for dessert and conversation.

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Guavaween Weekend - 2009

The weekend started Friday with a victorious win from the USF Bulls over West Virginia...met up with a bunch of Alumni in Lot 4(we parked at the Westshore Marriott, and took a cab to the stadium...they offered the shuttle, but it seemed the Westshore Marriott was the home base for all the WVU fans, so we cabbed it it there)...it was great seeing so many people, the game was excellent! Leaving the stadium we ran into the Marriott Shuttle on Dale Mabry, and just decided to get a ride back in the shuttle...with ALL THE WVU fans! Last stop was the Green Iguana Westshore for some live music, and celebrations with other Bulls fans.

Saturday eve was Guavaween..Tampa's annual Halloween party in the Ybor City National Historic Landmark District. This year they raised the fee, $17, and also brought back the original Mama Guava Stumble, with NO motorized vehicles in the parade down 7th Avenue. This ensured there would be no blockades along the parade route, and took us back to the traditional Guavaween, which is a fund raiser for the Ybor Chamber of Commerce. It was nice to see the stumble brought back, lots of interesting characters..and at the end you could just walk about in the streets and join them. One thing I also noticed was there was only one stage set up this year, with not the usual National Bands that most people would be aware of playing for the crowds. By the way, the term "Guavaween" was coined by the city of Tampa having once been the "Guava' capital of the country, in addition to Cigar capitol of the world. NYC was known as the 'big apple' so some artsy and new paper columnists people labeled Tampa as the 'big guava'. Guavaween started back in the early 80s amongst the artist, musicians, theater folk wanting to do something similar to Fantasy Fest in Key West--out came Guavaween.

Now we all had an EXCELLENT time this year, and our costumes creatively designed via the Goodwill were a hit, with lots of people wanting pics of me and my two buddies. But there were so far fewer people in Ybor City for this event this year...a few suggestions for the future of this fun party:
>Charge on even fee of $10--especially in bad economic times, and all the other Halloween parties in the area, give a better incentive to attract the people.
>Dont start charging until 6pm--those that arrive earlier will eat, shop, browse the area, and incent the local businesses to stay open.
>Dont fence in such a large area--6th ave to 8th ave, and 14th to 19th Streets should do fine. Again, keeping many of the businesses open in the area.
>Provide wristbands for those that paid a fee--this will only allow those 21 and older to partake in the festivities, allow access to the bars/clubs/events.
>Book MORE ENTERTAINMENT--where were the widely known national acts that have always come by? Where were the carnival rides and attractions? Its Halloween, provide some Haunted Houses, specialized Guavaween attractions.

With the 12-15000 that were there this year(compared to 45000 last year, and more in previous years), about 90% were costumed, and all i talked to had a great time..the people watching, the creative costumes, the laughs and good times that can only be had like this on Halloween was worth it all.

Sunday we visited Nickos Diner on Florida Avenue Seminole Heights area. Great Diner that reminded me of growing up on Long Island...we sat at the counter, had the typical omelet breakfast with crispy hash browns, fun, friendly service, a neighborhood, locals feel, and good food!!

Short week for me this week...heading to Andrews, NC for a long weekend at my buddies Mountain Retreat, Hawkesdene.
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Wat Mongkolratanaram - Tampa Buddhist Temple Sunday Brunch

I finally made it to this amazing Sunday Brunch along the Palm River in Tampa. Wat Mongkolratanaram is a Buddhist Temple located off Palm River Road, just east of 50th Street. It was a picture perfect day,. with cooler temps, and sunny skies. Arriving there around 1230(the brunch runs form 10am to 1pm, but we still saw them cooking at 2pm), it wasn't to crowded, there was a line for the soups and pad thai/main dishes, but other than that, we were free to roam around and explore.

We tried nearly everything, from the fried bananas, to these small 'dumpling' like eats that were made as ordered - you tell them how many you want, they put your name on a box, and you return about 10 minutes later to pick them up - made with Coconut milk and seasoned with green onion. The soups are incredible, one could just get a large bowl and that could be an entire meal - sprouts, skinny or flat noodles, pork, chicken or beef, fish balls(sort of like dumplings)and lots of extras!! Pad Thai, Sticky Rice served with a Vegetarian mixture with Tofu, Pumpkin and Chicken Curry, a fried fish(not sure what it was); Papaya Salad; Thai Teas; desserts; and they were also grilling some foods as well. Each dish is from $1(for the teas); to $5 - so affordable, and all proceeds to go to raise money for the Temple.

Beautiful grounds with lots of picnic tables along the river. After stuffing ourselves and having lots leftover for later in the day, we walked the grounds, toured the Temple where meditation occurs on Sundays from 12-2pm.

USF Bulls > Cinebistro > Kayak >Pops in the Park > Bike > Stone Crabs and Jazz

Wow, I love this time of year, weather gets cooler, and something is going on!!

Thursday evening went to the USF Bulls vs Cincinnati Bearcats nationally televised football game for Big East Conference dominance....It was a great game, but the #8 ranked Bearcats dominated the second half and beat the Bulls 34-17 in front of almost 65,000 fans. We arrived about an hour before the game, easily parking in the #10 lot on the corner of Himes and Columbus...met lots of other alumni in the game.

Friday was the Grand Opening of a new movie watching concept, Cinebistro opened in Hyde Park Village. Great concept, purchasing your tickets on line like a concert or play, you choose your seat in advance...when arriving you are greeted by a very modern lobby/lounge area where you can pick up your tickets, and about 30 minutes prior to the movie, they open the theater and you are ushered to your seat with a menu....the theaters are HUGE, nice brand new, state of the art, and the chairs are the most comfortable, bigger then a First Class seat on the fanciest of airplanes, with large armrest, and they are in pods of two, so you are never to close to strangers but perfect for a date or couples, and since there are only about 30-50 seats per theater, it makes for a very intimate evening. The menu is good, lots of different choices, Calamri Appetizers, served in a popcorn box with popcorn, and two dipping sauces. Also we tried the Seared Ahi Tuna, a small portion served atop some Field Greens, and the Chuirassco Steak, another small portion with a 'scoop' of black beans mixed with rice, and a few thin stands of Paps Fritas...when you order a soda, its HUGE(probably 24 oz.), and the bowl of popcorn, also HUGE. No paper or plastic here, real utensils, glassware, silverware, plates, etc....Everything is 'served' to you, no need to wait on lines, their is no 'snack bar'...it is service at its best...a remote keypad is punched in with your order, and goes directly to the kitchen..within 15 minutes, your order arrives right at your seat, and you pay right then at your seat. There are about 15 minutes of previews, and after that, the theater goes dark, and the service stops, no one getting in your way, etc. If you want anything, just go to the cocktail lounge bar, and ask for it. Full Bar, Full Menu, and its 21 and older only.
I will definitely be coming back to watch a movie here for special occasions, to impress someone, ability to reserve a seat. Probably wont be dining here except for sodas and popcorn, maybe an appetizer instead of popcorn, or even just dessert. The meals were OK, I felt like they were more of 'banquet/catered' type meals, nicely displayed, with OK flavor. Its also kind of awkward eating on the trays in front of you, and dont even think about getting an Appetizer, meal and dessert together, as everything comes out at once, and there is no room for all that. A great experience, great concept, exclusive niche that is sure to be very successful in Hyde Park.

Saturday we took the kayaks up to Canoe Escape to be transported to the Hillsborough River, again a great trip, LOTS of wildlife and birds and gators, the weather was perfect...just so serene and relaxing.
Saturday evening was a trip to downtown St. Pete's Vinoy Park, found parking easily off Coffee Pot Bayou near the City Pool, for 'Pops in the Park, a free concert held throughout the year and the Tampa Bay area by the Florida Orchestra. It was great to be able to relax in the waterfront park, listening to the music, with the St. Pete Skyline in the background.

Sunday we were all off on the bikes, drove to Clearwater, and started on the Pinellas Trail south of Clearwater(parking off Turner Street)..we biked over the Memorial Causeway Bridge to Clearwater Beach for Frenchys Stone Crab Fest...a pound of large claws for $11...delicious!! Then biked along the new beachwalk to Shepards for some football and people watching, listening to a live band. We then biked back to downtown Clearwater's Coachman Park where the Clearwater Jazz Holiday was happening for its last of a 4 day run....laying on the grass, sun in our faces, listing to great Jazz.
We wrapped up Sunday with a stop at Whiskey Joe's on the Coutney Campbell Causeway, if you ever wanted a place with amazing views, this is the spot...LARGE bar area, with some couch seating, and a large outdoor deck. The food we had seemed to be mediocre at best on this trip..Beer Cheese Soup, which was very watery for my liking, my friends stated it tasted like canned nacho cheese sauce with some water. Then onto Sliders, 4 small burgers, which were overcooked...and they didn't come with any fries...I would order the full burger next time, and cut into 4 pieces if someone wants sliders. Fish Tacos, very minimal piece of grouper split between two soft flour tacos, but you get a HUGE topping of cole slaw, these were more like 'Cole Slaw Tacos, with some fish', they came with chips and a good salsa. We also shared a chopped salad with Chicken, and although tasty, it was DRENCHED in dressing, we found it needed to be eatin with the chips to give it some sustenance. Soooo, for watching some great sports and cold drinks in the HUGE bar area, or enjoying the outdoor deck..this seems to be a great spot. And the views throughout the place are incredible, we almost felt like we were actually on a boat. Maybe next time ill try some of the main entrees.

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Labor Day Weekend in Tampa!

Sometimes im out of town for the holiday weekend..this time I was not, and did the local thing in Tampa..it was a great weekend.

Friday, ending work a bit early, some buddies and I headed over to the Bucs preseason home game against the Texans. Arriving near the stadium about an hour early, taking MacDill Ave from South Tampa to the neighborhood just east of the Stadium, we found no traffic, and were able to park conveniently at my friends uncles place a few blocks from the stadium. On the way there we saw lots of parking opportunities from the neighbors for about $5 per car, which is ALOT less than the $25 Tampa Stadium charges. We also stopped by a party house, about a block from the game. Seats were great, game was ok, Bucs are not looking so good...that's another story. After the game, which we left early, we headed to meet some other friends that we saw at the game at SOHO Tavern in Hyde Park on Howard Avenue....the district was hopping on this Friday evening, and then ended the night at Green Iguana Westshore.

Saturday evening about 8 of us went to dinner to Pelagia Tratoria at the Renaissance hotel in Intl Plaza. Very nice, upscale, modern decor, the kitchen rests inside the restaurant for all to view. Their menu is very upscale tastes of Mediterranean styled seafood, meats and pastas. I will say that the service was excellent, and the food was even better...Risotto of the Day, Sea Bass, Veal stuffed Ravioli, Seared Scallops, and a few Chicken dishes..not a complaint in the house....after a nice long dinner, we went upstairs to Bay Street, and Blue Martini...a $10 cover gets you in to a live band, and very pretty mostly 30s and 40s crowd....after hanging out in the 'mall' lounge, we headed to Baxters Lounge for a nightcap.

Sunday did an afternoon in Ybor, seeing 'Inglorious Basterds' the new Quentin Tarintino movie, in great Tarantino style, entertaining. Then a walk over to the Green Iguana to sit outside along 7th avenue, and enjoy some of Tampas best burgers and people watching, always a unique crowd on the streets in Ybor City. Sunday eve was my friends birthday dinner, and she wanted Mexican..there were about 8 of us together, and my fav mex place, Algustos on Kennedy, was unfortunately closed this Sunday Labor Day eve night...so the next best was Miguels also on Kennedy Blvd. Great food, fun atmosphere, friendly service...and free flan and Mexican song/dance for the birthday girl....we then went to a friends Skypoint Condo downtown for some after dinner drinks and meet some other folks before heading to the 60th anniversary party at the Hubb a block from Skypoint.

Labor Day, met a friend for dinner at Hula Bay...was a perfect ending to a great weekend...beautiful sunset along the Bay, great food as always at Hula Bay.

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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!

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Hula Bay Sushi - Lodge Sushi - Redbox - SudsFest

A buddy of mine is in town for a couple of weeks, so we ventured to Hula Bay, off Westshore, south of Gandy on the Bay...and tried their Sushi...It was a Wednesday evening, and the outside tables at 7pm were all full, even Duke's Bar was completely full, so we were seated at a table inside, still with great views of the Bay. They have a listing of over a dozen specialty rolls, and of course your main stream Sushi and Sashimi. Surprisingly very fresh, and very good...I have never been dissapointed with the food at Hula Bay, and now the Sushi comes with good recommendations..with a great scene and views.
After dinner..we went to AMC (free popcorn Wednesday's)...and saw The Hangover...this one goes down as one of the classic's, like Caddyshack, Animal House, etc...one you will want to see a few times...just non stop laughter!!

Thursday, after helping a friend move into her new apartment in South Tampa, we met a few people at The Lodge, on Howard Avenue in Hyde Park neighborhood of South Tampa. Lots of pretty people, we put a few tables together outside, and enjoyed the company, and somewhat dry air(still very warm, but the circulating fans kept things cool on the patio). Their menu is all over the place..in a good way...from over a dozen kinds of sliders, to Steak and Eggs anytime, and my favorite>>Tatar Tots! We tried the Sushi here(as if I didnt already have enough this week), and found the Ahi Tuna App with cucumber salad to be very good, their specialty rolls are also all over the board..and the ones we tried were both very good, for a place that doesn't necessarily specialize in Sushi.

Friday was movie night with the kids....and I now find Redbox rentals so convenient and CHEAP. For $1, you can rent all the latest new releases, along with many older classics..you just go online, find a redbox near you(almost all Walgreens and SweetBay supermarkets), rent one on line..then just go to the redbox, slide your credit card, and out comes your DVD movie....return it within 24 hours, and its just $1, or $1 each day you have it...no late fees, you can return it to ANY redbox...so quick, convenient...love the RedBox!

Saturday evening was the annual SudsFest at the Florida Aquarium downtown Tampa - Channelside. For $50, they open the Aquarium from 7pm to 11pm, and not only can you enjoy all the attractions at the Aquarium, but throughout their were over a few dozen beer tables, sampling beers from all over the country...AND over a dozen local restaurants, dishing out their specialities...AND live music, inside, outside on the deck, and in the Shark Tank area...it seemed each time you turned a corner, there was something new....it wasn't crowded AT ALL, no lines for beer or food, and just turned out to be a great Saturday Night at the Aquarium with really good friends.

SIde Bern's and a night out

Saturday evening, a bunch of us met at Side Bern's restaurant on the corner of Howard Avenue and Morrison Ave in the Hdye Park neighborhood of South Tampa. A Tampa institution, well known for culinary delights, famed chefs, and exclusive ever changing menu's with each season. Free Valet parking along the entrance along Morrison Ave, and there is nice patio area for waiting for every one to arrive and early cocktails before being seated inside for dinner. Service is impeccable here, your waiter and an assistant to the waiter. Very high end, and exclusive menu, portions are very small, but it is the taste you come here for...most of our meals we ordered were superb...Lamb Sirloin, Halibut, the Tuna was said to be just ok. Its a once in a lifetime opportunity to impress someone, but definitely not your casual type of eatery.

After dinner, it was a quick walk across the street to the total opposite environment to where we were...the Tiny Tap...grabbing a pitcher from the freezer, we enjoyed some very cheap draft beer,and a few rounds of pool, before heading out on Howard Avenue, and actually hailing a cab to take us 5 blocks north on Howard to CHEAP...very pretty people, the music was keeping all happy, there are several rooms to see and be seen....then a cab to my neighborhood stomping ground...Green Iguana Westshore!!

Downtown Tampa for Happy Hour, A Rays Game, and Taste of Pinellas

Nice weekend, with no rain, and what seemed to be a reprieve from the humidity, nice dry air!

Started Happy Hour on Friday evening at Taps, from 5pm-7pm they have 1/2 off all drafts and $4 house wines. I tried a few different ales, like the Salty Dog with a hint of Blueberry, and actual Blueberry's in the beer...and some Hefe Weizen's....apps were very tasty here, the three dips with Warm Pita bread included generous portions of Hummus, White Bean and a Jalapeno infused Black Bean dip..we needed more Pita bread and they gladly obliged...also are a variety of tasty Bruschetta for sampling as well. It was then onto Boss Hogs, a kind of Sport Bar on Franklin Street, there was some live acoustic music...the food is just OK here, i think the BBQ pork and chicken sandwich's turned out best, the wings are kind of small and they were chewey...we did try the inside out wings, tossed in a blue cheese sauce, with buffalo sauce for dipping. It was then onto the Hubb for a stiff one and interesting people watching....a .25 cent trolley ride got us to Channelside where we tried to get into a new place next to Banana Joe's only to be told we had to enter all the way at the other end at Maragaria Mama's...I did not want to walk thru three bars to get to the new establishment, so we ditched that...then to Stumps where they wanted $5 cover...we just wanted a cold beer, and they pointed to the outside bar in the courtyard...we ditched that, and had a chilly one at Tinas Tapas...good bartender, and some good people watching at the bar. I'M not a big fan at Channelside..seems like its just a pre-fab place with a few bars, too many rules and covers to get in and just check out some places, and bouncers with bigger heads than anything else....I do like the Splitsville, Thai Tani and IMAX theater there, and thats prob the only reason for going to Channelside. It was thena cab back towards home at a stop at the Green Iguana Westshore, where a GREAT band, Category 3, was playing all kins of covers, from Genesis, to Van Halen, to RUSH, and Led Zeppelin....stuff you dont normally hear, and they were really really good...and entertaining. Cant wait till they come back this side of Tampa Bay again, im now a follower of Category 3.

Saturday, after a great breakfast at First Watch in downtown Tampa, we walked over to the Rays store on Tampa Street, and purchased some tickets to the Minnesota/Tampa Bay game this afternoon...$16 seats which included a concert by 3 Doors Down...good game, we hit over 10 strike outs so free pizza for everyone from Papa Johns, and the concert was ok...you really need to be on the Field to enjoy it, since Tropicana Field is so large, the acoustics are HORRIBLE!! Not a place for live music....

Sunday, we biked over to the Taste of Pinellas, along Coffee Pot Blvd and the waterfront in downtown St. Pete. For over 20 years this festival that benefits all childrens hospital has brought tens of thousands to the beautiful Vinoy Park in downtown St. Pete, for waterfront tastings of lots of Pinellas County restaurant fare...we had Red Mesa Steak with Chimichuri and Fish Tacos...great!...also BBQ Pork sandwich's and a Chicken Wrap from some other places, and Virgin Mojitos...always good stuff....there was an excellent Frisbee Dog Show, with some amazing Border Collies...and the music was more hard rock from local bands, until KC and the Sunshine Band closed the weekend long venue. Dinner on Sunday was at Hula Bay along the waterfront in Tampa...another great band playing at the lower level Duke's...and as usual the Mahi Mahi Tacos, and Burgers were winners....

Work takes me to Johnstown, PA for the week..

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Buddha Lounge Tampa

Looks like a Sushi week for me...this evening some Friends of mine and I decided to check out Buddha Lounge at the Westshore Hotel on Westshore Blvd just north of Cypress Street...from the Green Iguana people, this a classy very loungy type place, with a sunken bar, and cozy sofas and chairs throughout, lounge music in the back ground. You can enter through the Green Iguana, has a separate entrance in the back, or through the Lobby.

We picked a cozy couch and chairs, very comfortable, and started with a few cocktails from a very friendly server. Moving on to a Ginger Salad and Edamame, both very good, lots of Ginger dressing on the large plated salad that had mixed Field Greens, shredded carrots and sliced Cucumber...refreshing. The tuna is best here...flown in daily from Hawaii, we tried the Ahi Tuna Tar tare, beautiful presentaiton and flavor with thin crispy tortilla chips for dipping/scooping the tartare...then onto some very fresh Sashimi, and a few Rolls....all very well presented, but best of all very fresh and delicious. I found me a new spot for Sushi, in a very loungy type atmosphere in the Westshore District of Tampa!

SOHO Sushi, a Scavenger Hunt in Tampa, and Tropical Heatwave.

Friday evening a buddy of mine and I met up with about a dozen friends at SOHO Sushi on Kennedy Blvd in Tampa...they moved to this location less than a year ago from their spot on South Howard Avenue...still a very nice, small place, with a sushi bar in the back, we had a large table amongst us all. And there move did not deter their quality...still GREAT Sushi, and also Japanese Items from the menu as well....the owner is the son of my other favorite Sushi establishment in Tampa, Yoko's.

Saturday was the annual "Quest for Hope" Ultimate Tampa Bay Scavenger Hunt to benefit the Tampa Childrens Cancer Center. There were 35 teams of 5 this year, and from 6pm t0 10pm, Channelside and Ybor were invaded...Some of the over 100 antics and establishments we visited included - Margarita Mama's(which has the WORST food, service and cocktails btw), had us drop hot peppers down one flight in the person's mouth below; dressing up a stranger as a girl and serenading the Pussy Cat Dolls "Dont Cha"; Finding Al Kuplinski in Hooter's; Hot Dog easting contest and singing "I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Weiner"; Drinks and Ring Toss at Stumps; Howling at a 'Moon' or someones moon; Killing Cancer with Paintball; Dressing up as Robots and wrestling; Flinging women's underwear to the ceiling in Coyote Ugly; Getting Momma to spank us in Reservoir Bar; Singing "Its Raining Men" in Spurs; Doing the Choo Choo Conga line through Streetcar Charlies; ,much much more...but it ended with a great party with buffet and open bar at the Historic Ritz theater in Ybor, where our team came is 2nd place!!

Afterwards we ended the night at the 28th annual 'Tropical Heatwave' taking place at 6 different venues in Ybor City, catching Trombone Shorty, and a few other GREAT acts...

Its a short week...taking off for the North Carolina Mountains on Thursday for the long Memorial Day Weekend!
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Strange is back at Skippers

A hefty work week deserves a good Friday...and to start off, Happy Hour was at Ricks on the River, they upgraded this place a bit, added a huge outdoor covering over the entire patio, and now have marble top picnic tables, with these signs on the tables you can turn over to alert the servers if you need service or not, great idea!! It was busy, on this beautiful warmer night than we have had over the past few weeks..with an acoustic guitarist entertaining the happy hour crowd. A few pitchers, and some wings, grouper fingers, and potato skins, and we were already relieved from the hectic work week we just finished up...with great views of the river and downtown Tampa skyline..a great start to the weekend.
After our happy hour, we headed up to a Tampa icon, Skipper's Smokehouse and the Skipper Dome...where three bands were playing, and my fav was the headliner, Buffalo Strange. Ive written lots about them before, they stopped playing for a while, but now are back it seems each weekend playing at various places throughout the Bay area, but mostly the Pinellas beaches,which is perfect for the very Florida, laid back, hoppin tunes, that gets the crowd forgetting all the worries and troubles, and to just RELAX!! Walking into Skipper's Dining section for dinner first, we were all seated promptly, in what appears to be just a Florida beach shack..with lots of Florida type stuff, and fisherman/seafood stuff all over the walls...old wooden plank floors and walls, very authentic. Trying this time was the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, stuffed full with lumps of fresh crab meat and deep fried, and also the Skippers Platter, which has just about everything on the menu fried(Shrimps, Oysters, Gator Tail, Calamari, BASA fish, Hush Puppies), and all dinner come with two sides...also enjoyed were a Grouper Sandwhich and Chicken Sandwich's....and a HUGE order of Onion Rings. The place is primarily seafood...no frills seafood, and good, but you will be eating on Styrofoam plates, plastic utensils...its a Fish Shack, so you cant expect anything fancy here....after filling ourselves, we all went out to the Skipper Dome..a large live music area, covered by 100 year old oaks, lots of seating areas, and huge stage..where the live music entertained a few hundred people outside...comfortable, relaxing, take your shoes off and dance in the sand, amazing to see so many laid back people from ALL walks of life with smiles on their faces, just having a good time, and loving life for the moment.

Long Weekend due to Presidents Day Holiday on Monday...The Tampa Bay Rays is holding an open house Saturday and the Trop, Florida State Fair is in its final weekend, Gapsarilla continues with the annual Night Parade this evening in Ybor City, and the weather couldnt be better for anything outdoors....
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A successful and Fun Gasparilla Invasion and Parade

The weekend couldn't have been any better, temps finally got into the 70's during the day, just in time for a great Pirate invasion and Parade and Streetfest.
A friend was in town from LA, so on Friday night we went up to the Bungalow on Kennedy Blvd near Hyde Park. There was about a 30 min wait for a table inside, so we hung out at the bar outside, nice large open patio and an acoustic guitarist providing some entertainment....the night before Gapsarilla had a few pirates out, there was again alot of people in town for this over 100 year annual celebration in Tampa. A nice table, under one of the heaters(it was hovering around 50 this night), we all checked out the Cuban Sandwiches which come with your choice of many different sides if you ask(the first time I was here, they told me I could only get fries,a nd couldn't substitute - finally someone listened). Piled high with Roast Marinated Pork, Ham and Cheese, it was a large sandwich, I had mine with the 4 cheese Mac and Cheese, thick and hearty small bowl, my other buddies got fries, and the Grilled Asparagus. We tried to get Wings to start off, but our meals came out first, and after about 20 minutes into eating, our not so friendly server advised us that the wings were to come out, we just told her to forget about them, they were supposed to be Appetizers....we had to wave her down a few times for drinks and the check, she seemed like it was a bother to be there, not sure why people like that are even in this type of business or how they get hired.
Sticking up for the big day, ABC Liquors on Kennedy was packed, never seen so many people this late just stocking up on so much alcohol, grocery carts FULL of stuff....

Saturday morning, the day of the Invasion, i was awoken by Canon Fire..the pirates are on their way...and we headed to a friends place close to Hyde Park in South Tampa for Breakfast and Mimosas....catching the #19 bus on Swann Ave, we were able to get dropped off at the University of Tampa, and walk downtown to Harbour Island to catch the Invasion. I ran into the Past Mayor if Tampa from the 60's and again in the 90's, Dick Greco...and lots fo party revlers with their Yachts and Party boats all over the Channel. After Mayor Iorio handed over the key, and the pirates prepared for their Victory parade down Bayshore, we met some more friends at the Marriott Waterside, great views from their Suite Balcony overlooking Harbour Island and Bayshore. A walk over to the Publix on Bayshore where some great bands were playing , and then on to some parties on Bay Street, where we all went down and saw some of the parade, both in the street, and up in the Condos just off the parade route.
It was a Looong Fun day, and we made the trek back over the river to Downtown for the annual gathering at The Hubb, passing by other stages rockin' out in the streets....the night ended with about eight of us piled into a Jeep for one last stop to meet up with others at Baxters, and then the Green Iguana Westshore, where my fav band IPD was playing to a good crowd.

Sunday, all the breakfast places were packed...Datz Deli, Daily Eats, Pach's, Brunchery, so we stopped by Nina O's and had a great table outside on the back patio area. I tried the all you can eat Southern Favorites like Moist and Juicy Fried Chicken, Meatloaf w/Gravy. and all you can eat sides I tried were the Mixed veges and Pasta Salad....a GREAT brunch...my buddies enjoyed a Roast Beef Sandwich, and French Toast and Eggs and Biscuits and Gravy. Every thing is cooked to order, so be prepared to wait a bit, but I think its worth the wait...

Will be a busy work week, but at some point need to try and get out to the Florida State Fair, and Gasparilla is not over yet..the Night Parade is this Saturday through Ybor City..
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A Super - SuperBowl Weekend in Tampa

I think Tampa did an amazing job hosting the Super Bowl this year(the city's 4th time), never had I heard so many great things come from the visitors in town from all over the country who were either Pittsburgh Steeler fans or Arizona Cardinal fans...and by most accounts, the Pittsburgh fans out numbered the Cardinal fans by 10:1. The weather(although a bit cool in the 60s), parties, festivals, and people, made this an event to remember.

Friday, we went down to Ybor City for eats and par take in the festivities....coming from South Tampa through downtown, Channelside was closed off, and we were able to get into Ybor easily through the back way, parking in the Centro Ybor lot...it was like Gasparilla Night Parade, streets were packed, they closed off 7th avenue...and it was a good packed...lots of fans and visitors just taking in the sights, sounds and atmosphere...fans eagerly awaiting a glimpse of a celeb outside of The Ritz for the Maxim party....and nearly every storefront was open, they rented out the closed storefronts with merchandise and art gallery's along the avenue...there were even a few bars that had opened only for the weekend.
We checked out the menu at the new restaurant called "The NEST" on 7th and 15th...great looking Tapas place, but a 30 minute wait made us go elsewhere...then checked out the new L'Olivier Restaurant and Cabaret...with two shows a night, this looks to be a VERY entertaining place...great for date night, or when visitors are in town...after watching a bit of the show, we proceeded to Gaspar's Grotto...a full house, but we found a small booth next to the bar area...Friendly Matt was able to accommodate us, every one here seemed to be very friendly...and it was Karaoke night...very entertaining Karaoke...as far as food, a new chef has taken over here(JP from Bern's), and the new menu looks great...we decided to start with Calamari...lightly seasoned, very tasty...and then munch on a Cuban and an Italian Cheese Steak sandwich's...both very good and filling, come with fancy sliced sweet potatoes. I will be back to check out more of this menu...and its a fun "pirate" filled place.
Continuing on some sights we saw...a Cardinals fan actually carrying a stuffed Cardinal on his hand at Coyote Ugly, Avril Levine singing at Coyote Ugly, more than enough Yager shots coming out of Reservior Bar(I think I saw about 20 empty Yaeger bottles on the bar, it was not even midnight yet)...hangin out with Ben Graham(kicker from Cardinals) cousin who flew in with his buddy from Australia, and star sightings at the D'Italia Pizza on 15th street at 3am after the maxim party closed its doors...

Saturday, we ventured back to Ybor City...dinner was at the Laughing Cat, perfect Italian food as always, and we were able to sneak in as a reservation had not shown up...Mussels, Eggplant Parm, Bowtie Pasta in a Vodka Sauce, and an Umbria Pinot Grigio...reminded me of just how good things were when I was in Italy....the craziness was back on the streets again..a new place opened for the weekend in the old dish location at centro Ybor called "Toxic Ultra Lounge" with a huge balcony overlooking 7th avenue, we spent some time there, mingling with the visitors and watching 7th avenue get busier and busier....met up with some fo our Pittsburgh friends who now live here at Carmine's Patio,a nd had lots of their friends come into town(both drive and fly) from Pittsburgh area...across teh street over to Gaspar's Grotto...and a stop at the Green Iguana Ybor closed up this Saturday night.

Sunday, looking for some brunch options, we peeked into the new Datz Deli, but were told it would be over na hour wait for food...its a nice shop, selling bakery goods, fresh sliced meats and cheeses..we sampled some Proscioto di Parma, and homemade jams, and went on to Cafe Hey, downtown Tampa for Homemade Chili, and some great pressed sandwich's. Its a funky little coffeehouse, on Franklin Ave just north of the Interstate in downtown.
Sunday night was a nice little SuperBowl party down the street with some good friends....the whole weekend was a good time...and the game was a nail biter in the second half(half of us were for Pittsburgh, the other half for Arizona)...The Boss did an amazing half time show, Jennifer Hudson could not have done a better job with the Star Spangled Banner(actually I think it was the best one I have ever heard)....

Kudos to the City of Tampa...they put on a great show, and although it may have been a nuisance for some of us in regards to traffic, and the influx of nearly over 100,000 people to the Tampa area...it was well worth it in my opinion...

Coming up...we d o it all over again...with nearly 500,000 coming into town Saturday for the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion, Parade and Street festival downtown, and then the week after, its the Gasparilla Night Parade in Ybor City....
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Back from Italia - - Bin 27 and Dog Walks

WOW...what a great trip to Italy...Florence and Rome....couldn't of asked for a better time, both cities are so beautiful, words can't describe!! History, Culture, Scenery, People, FOOD!! Molto Bene!



Happy to see the kids when I got home, I took them to a Dog Park they haven't been in a while near my house, Gadsden Park, off MacDill Ave, right next to the AFB Base in South Tampa. Very large serene park with a large lake and some paved walking/biking trails, and a HUGE fenced in Dog Park area. With only a few people there on Friday morning, they had the whole place practically to themselves, there are three separate fenced in areas with trees for shade, and picnic benches for the humans to relax.

Afterwards, met up with a buddy and went to the Real Dill for lunch, just up the road from my house off Westshore Blvd, this time it was the Cuban and Club sandwhich's and decided to eat in...again, great meal, the little place with about half dozen tables was busy this afternoon...its a great little sandwich place in the neighborhood.

For dinner, met up with another buddy at a new restaurant on Kennedy Blvd called Bin 27. Great looking building, very classy and modern interior and bar area, friendly staff(maybe overly friendly?). Reservations seemed to be a must, they were busy at this 730 time, but had tables available outside on a large deck, that had heat lamps installed throughout the ceiling, and very nice tropical landscaping, it was actually better than being inside. Tried the Edamame for appetizer and had the Grilled Pork Chop and Osso-Busco Cut Braised Beef Rib. The Edamame was good, a small plate of the soybeans with some sea salt; the Grilled Pork Chop was cooked medium rare, very moist and tender, a great tasting pomegranate sauce, and some cooked apples, and onion made for a different and tasty meal, very filling. The Beef Rib, which was explained as the most desirable dish, came out cold, the meat though was tender, and had a very rich sauce. For some reason, we had to ask for bread, when we saw it was brought out to the other tables...and the bread was a very fresh, soft roll, with chive butter, wish we would have had it sooner. Sides consisted of McDonalds type fries that had a nice spice to them, and a very small sampling of Brocolini. Dessert we tried was a Vahlorona, very very heavy chocolate truffle cake, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream...too rich we thought. The server made a mistake and brought another to our table, and if we had not thought it to be to rich, we would have gobbled the other one up as well. With an interesting menu of extremely very different types of foods, and prices that would make you think you were at one of the finest dining Establishments in the Bay area, I would expect a little more from the place...it was OK and maybe worth a try, but not sure it warrants a 'must go' again anytime soon.



Weather is warming up...temps were in the 20's at night the past few days since getting back from Italy....GASPRILLA starts today and goes through the first weekend of March...today the Childrens Parades and Pirate Battle/Fireworks over the Bay this evening...and the city is really gearing up for the SuperBowl, next weekend!!

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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!!
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