Showing posts with label fort desoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fort desoto. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Kayaking with the Dolphins
Saturday after taking the Kids to their favorite beach(Picnic Island Park down the street off Westshore), it was time for me to do some exploring...on the Kayak. Decided to take them down to Fort DeSoto Park, and found a spot along the road leading to North Beach where you can park right along the water, and put in...after only kayaking about 15 minutes towards the Gulf along the mangroves in the intracoastal waterway, out of nowhere come a few playful dolphins...they stuck around for a while, giving a nice show, and then just disappeared. There was an abundance of wildlife out today, all kinds of birds, saw a few stingrays in the water, jumping fish of all kinds...and made out to the tip of North Beach, beautiful white sands, very peaceful for a Saturday. On the way back, stopped by a picnic area in Fort DeSoto that was along the water, called Arrowhead Picnic area...nice hiking trails and very wooded area, it was great to take a break from the kayak, and walk around exploring this part of Fort DeSoto i've never seen before. Great day to be out doing anything today..blue blue skies, and temps in the upper 70's.
Monday, March 3, 2008
2008 Gasparilla Ends!
What came in as a Lion, leaves like a Lamb..The Tampa Gasparilla Celebration, which started January 22nd and ended this past weekend.
It all started with one of the largest fireworks displays in the country(Gasparilla Battle of the Pirates), 2 large parades and street festivals(Gasparilla Invasion and Pirate Fest, Krewe of St. 'Yago Knight Parade), the send-off of the Pirates back to Sea(Gasparilla March Triumphant), a Nationally recognized Marathon weekend(Gasparilla Distance Classic), the Gasparilla International Film Festival, and finally the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts wrapped things up this weekend.
Friday I had some friends in town from NYC, and did a BBQ with them at their Mom's place in Hyde Park. She lives in one of the oldest bungalow style homes just behind Hyde Park Village. This is a beautiful area of older historic homes, large oak tree lined streets, a great sense of Tampa History and Community.
Saturday we all went to the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in downtown Tampa. This year they had over 300 artists lined up all over the downtown streets, with two areas of live music, alot of entertainment and some very creative artists. It was interesting to notice that the crowds were quite a bit different then the Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Parade last month..same people, except today we were all a little more cultured and civilized and not wearing beads. These types of festivals really bring out the community, and its a great opportunity to run into those that make the city what it is, like the Mayor Pam Iorio, City Council members, even my Neighborhood Association president. With the perfect weather, it made for a great day in downtown. One of my favorite artists was a photographer Steve S Gregory, his creativity was overwhelming.
Afterwards we all went over to the Gasparilla Film Festival taking place at Channelside downtown. It was in its 4th day, there were over 80 films in this years Festival, we decided to par-take in the new Richard Gere/Claire Danes thriller, The Flock. One thing that is great about attending Film Festivals, is you are typically the first people to view the Film, as was the case for "The Flock", the Executive Director and Producer(who happens to have part of their Studios in Largo) were on hand to take questions after the viewing. They advised us that the final editing occurred the day before, and they flew directly to Tampa with the final cut this morning, and we were the first to view. It goes to the distributor today to be released sometime this summer. By the way, and AMAZING thriller!! It interesting to learn how certain scenes were filmed, why and how they chose the actors, etc., and these are things you can only get to know by attending a Film Festival. There was a 14 minute preview prior to the move called "The Strip Club King", which is a documentary film on the life of Joe Redner, and VERY famous Tampa resident, who was also in the audience. That film is to be released nationally sometime in May.
Since we had a few hours to kill, we decided to have some great NY Style pizza at NYPD Pizza in Channelside. A Large Greek Salad, with Feta Cheese in the very tangy and tasty greek dressing, and lots of Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese on Crisp Greens with all the veges you would find on a Greek Salad. The 18" Pepperoni and Mushroom pizza was just like NY. Crispy but not too much so you can fold the slice as you eat it, and plenty of toppings and cheese. The Sauce was garlicky with a rich tomato flavor, and not sweet, which is perfect.
Saturday late night after the Festival, I was picked up and whisked away to Ybor City..Lounge 7/14, The Forge, Streetcar Charlies and then GBar provided a very surprisingly fun night out, the places were not overly crowded, and were very entertaining to say the least.
Sunday was a very relaxing day doing some biking at Fort DeSoto Park, and relaxing on the beach. There were quite a few people at the park today, but it is so big and spreadout, we still felt like we had the whole beach and park to ourselves.
Afterwards I met up with some friends and relaxed as the sun went down on their dock overlooking the water and Mangroves of Tampa Bay, as the boaters were coming in from a beautiful day on the water.
It all started with one of the largest fireworks displays in the country(Gasparilla Battle of the Pirates), 2 large parades and street festivals(Gasparilla Invasion and Pirate Fest, Krewe of St. 'Yago Knight Parade), the send-off of the Pirates back to Sea(Gasparilla March Triumphant), a Nationally recognized Marathon weekend(Gasparilla Distance Classic), the Gasparilla International Film Festival, and finally the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts wrapped things up this weekend.
Friday I had some friends in town from NYC, and did a BBQ with them at their Mom's place in Hyde Park. She lives in one of the oldest bungalow style homes just behind Hyde Park Village. This is a beautiful area of older historic homes, large oak tree lined streets, a great sense of Tampa History and Community.
Saturday we all went to the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in downtown Tampa. This year they had over 300 artists lined up all over the downtown streets, with two areas of live music, alot of entertainment and some very creative artists. It was interesting to notice that the crowds were quite a bit different then the Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Parade last month..same people, except today we were all a little more cultured and civilized and not wearing beads. These types of festivals really bring out the community, and its a great opportunity to run into those that make the city what it is, like the Mayor Pam Iorio, City Council members, even my Neighborhood Association president. With the perfect weather, it made for a great day in downtown. One of my favorite artists was a photographer Steve S Gregory, his creativity was overwhelming.
Afterwards we all went over to the Gasparilla Film Festival taking place at Channelside downtown. It was in its 4th day, there were over 80 films in this years Festival, we decided to par-take in the new Richard Gere/Claire Danes thriller, The Flock. One thing that is great about attending Film Festivals, is you are typically the first people to view the Film, as was the case for "The Flock", the Executive Director and Producer(who happens to have part of their Studios in Largo) were on hand to take questions after the viewing. They advised us that the final editing occurred the day before, and they flew directly to Tampa with the final cut this morning, and we were the first to view. It goes to the distributor today to be released sometime this summer. By the way, and AMAZING thriller!! It interesting to learn how certain scenes were filmed, why and how they chose the actors, etc., and these are things you can only get to know by attending a Film Festival. There was a 14 minute preview prior to the move called "The Strip Club King", which is a documentary film on the life of Joe Redner, and VERY famous Tampa resident, who was also in the audience. That film is to be released nationally sometime in May.
Since we had a few hours to kill, we decided to have some great NY Style pizza at NYPD Pizza in Channelside. A Large Greek Salad, with Feta Cheese in the very tangy and tasty greek dressing, and lots of Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese on Crisp Greens with all the veges you would find on a Greek Salad. The 18" Pepperoni and Mushroom pizza was just like NY. Crispy but not too much so you can fold the slice as you eat it, and plenty of toppings and cheese. The Sauce was garlicky with a rich tomato flavor, and not sweet, which is perfect.
Saturday late night after the Festival, I was picked up and whisked away to Ybor City..Lounge 7/14, The Forge, Streetcar Charlies and then GBar provided a very surprisingly fun night out, the places were not overly crowded, and were very entertaining to say the least.
Sunday was a very relaxing day doing some biking at Fort DeSoto Park, and relaxing on the beach. There were quite a few people at the park today, but it is so big and spreadout, we still felt like we had the whole beach and park to ourselves.
Afterwards I met up with some friends and relaxed as the sun went down on their dock overlooking the water and Mangroves of Tampa Bay, as the boaters were coming in from a beautiful day on the water.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Post 4th of July in Tampa...Shopping, Mexican, and Sand Dollars
Had a GREAT 4th of July with Family..the Pyrotechnical display my brother and I produced was awesome! Only had one bad mortar, but no incidents as in St. Pete Beach or Treasure Island(scary)..anyways, Friday after work went to Home Depot to start shopping for tile, as Im having both my bathrooms redone, finally getting rid of the 60's motif(older home in South Tampa)...I thought there would be more of a selection, but guess I would have to go to a Bathroom Tile showroom for that...I did find a perfect tile for bath walls and floors..now the work just needs to be done. We then went to Intl Plaza, what a great shopping area(I still hate shopping), but there are so many great stores, and layout to the mall, plus BayStreet is always happening with the numerous eateries and drinkeries, and outside seating to enjoy people watching. We decuided on my favorite Mexican place, Algusto's on Kenndy Blvd, for dinner. Again, consistently the freshest Mexican, we had the Fajitas for two, and Guacamole dip. I tried the Sangria and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of wine to fruit in this large glass.
Saturday, my friends from Orlando came down for a trip to Fort Desoto Beaches. We found a very pristine spot on the beginning part of North Beach, it was a bit of a walk from the parking area to where we wanted to go(left towards the Pier, across the inlet), but hardly anyone in sight, lots of shade from trees right on the beach. With plenty of drinks and food, we spent most the day, laying on rafts in the 87 degree crystal clear waters, and snorkeling for sand dollars. We made sure we only caught the dead ones, and through back the live ones(fuzzy hairs are on the live ones). There were plenty to be found, and some of the largest Ive seen(picture below). Saturday evening my buddy Darin had a BBQ poolside with some friends at his tower apartment building along Bayshore Blvd. It was great to relax in the evening after the day at the beach in the pool, and BBQing with the beautiful Bay, and downtown Tampa in the background. As the sun went down, the lights shown from the high rises along Bayshore and downtown on the Bay, which gave an impressive scene to an already perfect day and night in Tampa Bay.
Saturday, my friends from Orlando came down for a trip to Fort Desoto Beaches. We found a very pristine spot on the beginning part of North Beach, it was a bit of a walk from the parking area to where we wanted to go(left towards the Pier, across the inlet), but hardly anyone in sight, lots of shade from trees right on the beach. With plenty of drinks and food, we spent most the day, laying on rafts in the 87 degree crystal clear waters, and snorkeling for sand dollars. We made sure we only caught the dead ones, and through back the live ones(fuzzy hairs are on the live ones). There were plenty to be found, and some of the largest Ive seen(picture below). Saturday evening my buddy Darin had a BBQ poolside with some friends at his tower apartment building along Bayshore Blvd. It was great to relax in the evening after the day at the beach in the pool, and BBQing with the beautiful Bay, and downtown Tampa in the background. As the sun went down, the lights shown from the high rises along Bayshore and downtown on the Bay, which gave an impressive scene to an already perfect day and night in Tampa Bay.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Shuttle Launch from Tampa, "Totally Electric", and Fort DeSoto Park
Friday was the Space Shuttle Launch from Cape Canaveral, and you can actually watch the launch right from Tampa..we went to Darin's highrise condo on Bayshore Blvd, it was just after an incredibly strong summer thunderstorm, and overlooking the Bay were two double rainbows across the water, an amazing sight. Right on time, the shuttle took of from the East Coast of Florida, and you can watch the plume of smoke rising in the air through the rainbows. Afterwards we did some apt hopping in Darin's building, heading to John's apt on the 11th florr, then late night at Dan's on the 12th floor. Looking out over the Bayshore, you get a great vantage point to see just how beautiful Tampa really is, with the winding Bayshore Blvd to the skyscrapers of downtown, and all the greenery fom the many old trees throughout South Tampa.
Saturday, Debi and I went kayaking out in Riviera Bay in Northeast St. Petersburg. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water, temps were hovering around 90 today. Afterwards, we headed to Ybor City to see the M.A.D. Theater production of "Totally Electric" at the Ritz Theater(old Masquerade). The theater was done up so to look like a high school reunion, there were cocktails being served, and food from the Silver Ring Cafe. The play was very good, taking an interesting look at everything 80's(music, fashion, lingo), there was just about every type of kid you went to high school with in the play. It was amusing at times, and all in all it was entertaining. We headed to Big City Tavern for dinner in Centro Ybor. It was late(around 10:30pm), so many items on the menu were not available, but they were able to cook up a great 14oz ribeye, and the Salmon stuffed with Crabmeat was excellent as well. It was nice to get a table out on the balcony overlooking 7th Ave. Ybor just isn't the same anymore, as it's heydays in the 90's. The crowds are very different, and there are definitely alot less people in the evenings. With about a dozen people on the ground bantering Christian and religious verbiage, with huge signs condeming sinners, I wondered if they had a permit to make all that noise and Fuss, very disturbing. I miss the good old Ybor days, and it seems some recent incident from a couple of clubs(Empire and Fuel), have led to even less people taking advantage of some great restaurants and entertainment in the City's Historic District. I find myself just going into Ybor for an event, play, or dinner nowadays. After Ybor we met up with some friends at St. Bart's Island House on Howard Ave in Hyde Park. Great Band was playing Jazz/Blues/Dance, with a very lively crowd. St. Bart's is an upscale historic type lounge, great Martini Bar type atmosphere, they are known for their Rum Drinks. A nice outdoor patio with fountains had a lot of people mingling together outside as well. For our last stop, it was the Green Iguana Westshore, closing the night with the Band playing "Crazy Bitch" by Buck Cherry.
Sunday we made it out to Fort DeSoto Park with the bikes, the beach was busier than I had seen in some time, but still PLENTY of room for all to enjoy, while riding today along the paved paths from North Beach to East Beach, this has to be one of the nicest Parks in the Tampa Bay area, where you can truly enjoy everything Florida has to offer: Biking, Kayaking, Historic Fort, Fishing, Pier, Ferry to Egmont Key, Wide open pristine beaches, great views of the Skyway and area islands, and Great Homemade Lemonade!
Saturday, Debi and I went kayaking out in Riviera Bay in Northeast St. Petersburg. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water, temps were hovering around 90 today. Afterwards, we headed to Ybor City to see the M.A.D. Theater production of "Totally Electric" at the Ritz Theater(old Masquerade). The theater was done up so to look like a high school reunion, there were cocktails being served, and food from the Silver Ring Cafe. The play was very good, taking an interesting look at everything 80's(music, fashion, lingo), there was just about every type of kid you went to high school with in the play. It was amusing at times, and all in all it was entertaining. We headed to Big City Tavern for dinner in Centro Ybor. It was late(around 10:30pm), so many items on the menu were not available, but they were able to cook up a great 14oz ribeye, and the Salmon stuffed with Crabmeat was excellent as well. It was nice to get a table out on the balcony overlooking 7th Ave. Ybor just isn't the same anymore, as it's heydays in the 90's. The crowds are very different, and there are definitely alot less people in the evenings. With about a dozen people on the ground bantering Christian and religious verbiage, with huge signs condeming sinners, I wondered if they had a permit to make all that noise and Fuss, very disturbing. I miss the good old Ybor days, and it seems some recent incident from a couple of clubs(Empire and Fuel), have led to even less people taking advantage of some great restaurants and entertainment in the City's Historic District. I find myself just going into Ybor for an event, play, or dinner nowadays. After Ybor we met up with some friends at St. Bart's Island House on Howard Ave in Hyde Park. Great Band was playing Jazz/Blues/Dance, with a very lively crowd. St. Bart's is an upscale historic type lounge, great Martini Bar type atmosphere, they are known for their Rum Drinks. A nice outdoor patio with fountains had a lot of people mingling together outside as well. For our last stop, it was the Green Iguana Westshore, closing the night with the Band playing "Crazy Bitch" by Buck Cherry.
Sunday we made it out to Fort DeSoto Park with the bikes, the beach was busier than I had seen in some time, but still PLENTY of room for all to enjoy, while riding today along the paved paths from North Beach to East Beach, this has to be one of the nicest Parks in the Tampa Bay area, where you can truly enjoy everything Florida has to offer: Biking, Kayaking, Historic Fort, Fishing, Pier, Ferry to Egmont Key, Wide open pristine beaches, great views of the Skyway and area islands, and Great Homemade Lemonade!
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