Colorado Visitors in Tampa!

My brother flew in on Wednesday night, no better way to welcome him than an evening at the Green Iguana Westshore in the neighborhood, live music, dollar anything to drink, good times! The next afternoon, the rest of the family came over and we walked over the the Iguana for lunch, again a great hit, eating outdoors on the Tiki Deck, very juicy burgers, large fresh grouper sandwich and an amazing Caribbean salad with shrimp. The crowd was a bit different than last evening(biz people on lunch, and locals). After work we all went down the street with the little one to Picnic Island, where we tossed the disc for a while, and played on one of the two larger playground areas with the toddler, both with great views of Tampa Bay. The evening brought more family members over to my house, and we decided on one of the largest take out orders i've ever called in to Peking Chinese Take Out on Manhattan Ave and El Prado. Even with the HUGE order, everything was cooked perfectly, my uncle swears it to be the best take out in the area, I have to agree.

Friday, went with some friends and my bro and sis in law to 717 South for dinner, sitting outside along Howard Avenue. Food as been consistently good here, the Asian Pot Roast, Grouper Special, Chicken Firenze and Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato Salad. We tried the Spinach Egg Drop Soup which everyone exclaimed was the best tasting soup. All dinner were served with 717 House or Ceasr salads, a large portion, and also fresh bread with an Italian Sauce and cheese for dipping. After dinner we walked up Howard Ave which was getting busy by 10pm, to Mangroves. the DJ was not set up yet, but there was great lounge type music playing downstairs in the bar area and outside deck...we then ventured off to Hyde Park Cafe for dancing..I decided to give the place another shot after my bad experience last year, and if you make reservations ahead of time, you wait on no lines, and no cover charge. A great looking crowd, and of course DJ Tony Feline spinning some great tunes. By around 100am, the place was packed, and it was time to leave, but we wound up stopping at the Dubliner for one, where there was a great live band outside on the deck. With taxi's waiting outside along Howard Avenue, we got a ride back home, where one of us crashed in the house, and us others...went to Green Iguana of course till closing. On the walk back home, m,y brother waved his arm out at a taxi, and instead of a block ride home, we went to Waffle House down the street for a late night snack....it was a Great Long Friday night!

Saturday, we woke with lots of plans on our minds(Riverwalk Platt Street Bridge Opening, Gulfport Springfest, GreenThumb Festival, Pondscapes Pond Tour, the Beach)....being a bit tired, some of us went on the Pond Tour to a few homes in South Tampa, great to view how people landscape their backyards, in some of the nicest neighborhoods in South Tampa. By noon, we all took off for Anna Marie Island, about 45 min drive from Tampa. This beautiful island and small village town is just east of Bradenton. The waters were crystal clear, sand a very fine powdery white, and we were in a very secluded area with not many people around. Made for a great relaxing beach day...rafts in the Gulf, paddle ball and frisbee on the beach, tunes playing on the radio, sandwich's in the cooler.

Sunday was another relaxing day heading over to Pinellas County and the GreenThumb Festival, one of the largest plant and garden festivals in the Tampa area, some friends of mine had a booth, showcasing many of the Exotic and Tropical plants and services they offer from Exotica, Inc. tropical nursery on 22nd Ave South in St. Pete.

Work brings me to Orlando this week, and then it's off to the Florida Keys for a nice long weekend.

Tampa Bay - Memorial Day Weekend 2007

Amazing weather this Memorial Day weekend! Very dry, breezy, sunny days, and cooler than normal evenings with great breezes...PERFECT(as long as you weren't on a boat)...
THURSDAY my buddy from LA came to Tampa, I picked him up from TIA(so damn convenient to park in the garage for free, grab his bags and head up to the top deck for a great view), we had to scout out the area for Heffe Weisen beer-first the Rainbow Mart Package store on Westshore, then Sweetbay Liquor store on Gandy, the the Warehouse Wine and Package on Gandy, only to settle for Corona's.....we relaxed with some chilly ones on the patio, and ordered Westshore Pizza. Had some friends come over and we headed out in Tampa for the evening. We met up at Mangrove's on Howard Ave in South Tampa, only a few people in the bar, DJ was spinning downstairs a mix of 80's/90's dance tunes. We tried to get some eats from the late night menu, but the manager demanded that we had to wait 20 more minutes(unitl 10:30pm) to order off the late night..with only a few people in the bar, I really didn't understand this thinking, and was extremely disappointed in Mangrove's!! We ventured out in South Tampa down Howard Ave to MacDinton's..there was a VERY lively crowd, many outside on the patio enjoying the cool breezes. I ran into some people I haven't seen in a while, and we chatted with quite a few people in for the Holiday weekend. My LA buddy was not too happy as they didn't have Heffe-Weisen, but settled for Hoe Garden beer instead(he insisted we get Heffe-Weisen everywhere we go)...we then ventured off to Whiskey Park a few blocks down, the crowd was ok, DJ was spinning here as well..my LA buddy mentioned he was bored, so we left to the MCD's drive thru and called it a night.
FRIDAY we finally got out of the house around 1pm to head to Fort DeSoto Park. We parked along the grassy side road on the way to the North Beach area. The beaches in this area are so wide, and there is so much space, you are practically out there on your own, plenty of room for frisbee throwing, and the water was a lukewarm 82 degrees. Some of the most pristine beaches in Tampa area are here at Fort DeSoto. After the beach it was time to prepare for the Mojito and Meatballs party I annually throw different times of the year..since my buddy was in town, I decide this would be a good time to get some friends together for refreshing mojitos and yes, meatballs(the frozen balls are great heated in Pasta Sauce, served with toothpicks and crusty bread). After the rum was gone, it was a quick walk to the Green Iguana Westshore in Tampa for some shots, and great live music. Then it was on to Hyde Park again, this time Dubliner, where there was a great guitarist outside, and some interesting people to watch and mingle with..it was about 2am, and we were a little hungry so some of us headed to The Deck for Pizza and beers, while others ventured to the packed MacDintons.
SATURDAY I wound up picking up my LA buddy at Rainbow Mart on Howard Ave in South Tampa at 11am..I didn't even want to know what kind of mischief he got into last night, just glad he was safe and not in jail. I dropped him off to sleep off his drunk stupor, and I headed to St. Pete for a great bike ride from 62nd Street to the Pier in downtown St. Pete. It great to bike through a variety of really nice neighborhoods in northern St. Pete along the waterfront Tampa Bay - Riveiera Bay, Venetian Isles, Snell Isle, Old Northeast to name a few...Tampa's Rock station 97X was hosting the annual memorial Day BBQ at Vinoy Park, with a number of bands and events at this all day long festival along the Tampa Bay in downtown St. Pete...again great breezy day, and DRY. A quick nap and it was out to dinner, we ended up at Seven17 on Howard Avenue in Hyde Park are of South Tampa...again! Seven17 is nice, they have outdoor seating, but it was pretty busy this evening around 9pm. A few disappointments will not have me coming back here soon for dinner, the meal didn't come out for about an hour, my filet was very rare when I ordered it Medium, and not once did the waiter ask how everything was, I had to tell him after a while, and he just shrugged his shoulders and just said "sorry bout that"...oh well. Being kind of tired from the Bike ride, we looked for a relaxing Saturday night, so we went to Fly Bar on Franklin Street in downtown Tampa. An excellent spot for great drinks, rooftop bar, eclectic surroundings, and there was a trio of guitarists and a bongo player..very cool and relaxing...then we checked out the new bar across from University of Tampa called The Retreat Bar, on Hyde Park Ave. The Green Iguana guys fixed this place up, great juke box, pool tables, dart boards, and a variety of beers, and ONLY beers...we played some darts, they did a great job fixing the place up, and are adding a restaurant soon.(The Retreat was the original name when it opened in 1938, there is alot of history to this place.)
SUNDAY I took my boy to the dog beach at Picnic Island in South Tampa. VERY busy today, but still alot of space for the dogs to explore and roam around the beach. My LA buddy decided it was time to visit family, so he took off for Ft Myers, and I headed up to Wesley Chapel for lunch with my brother, sis in law and my new nephew. Leaving South Tampa, and Tampa in general on the way to Wesley Chapel, I was attacked...by what seemed like millions of love bugs...uggg, all over the wind shield and front bumper! There was some heavy mating by Lovebugs this season...Later Sunday evening we went to my friends in the Historic Roser Park in St. Pete, and took there boat out into the Bay to drive it over to dinner at Fresco's, on downtown St. Pete's waterfront. Not a great idea, as we got out of the channel and into the Bay, it was sooo rough, we had to head back, and just drive it to the restaurant, and the fact that the rough seas caused a lil bit of a spillage of our red wine we were drinking to kind of make a bit of a mess..it was alot of laughs though. Dinner at Fresco;s was great, a bit pricey, but the outdoor seating and views are worth the price. The food is excellent as was the service. WE then headed to BayWalk for some Ice Cream, and then called it a night watching "School of Scoundrels" on Pay Per View(hilarious movie).
MONDAY-MEMORIAL DAY, hung the American Flag out today, and did the family thing, we BBQ Brats and such in the backyard, enjoying the last of what we feel will be a non-humid, dry, breezy perfect weekend in Tampa Bay! One last note, I inherited a new little girl to my family, 5 year old Rica, a min-pin, from my brother. I have always thought about getting a second dog for my boy, and they wanted to keep her in the family, but two border collies, and a new baby were too much for Rica, so I was able to take her in, and very happy to have her!

Boring Tampa Weekend...NOT! Airfest, Grand Prix, Italian Fest....

Picture Perfect weather, tons of things going on in town, who had time to be bored??
Started Friday night having dinner with Lisa and some friends. My buddy from New Tampa had a friend fly in from Tulsa, OK...first time in Tampa. We met at my house in South Tampa, and headed to Lime on Howard Ave in Hyde Park. VERY busy this Friday eve, we got there around 845pm, and there was a 45 min wait. We hung out at the bar, they were playin some Brazilian/Spanish music, place was jumping. We opted for the large part table at the bar, which had 4 seats opened up. We were able to gets eats and drinks from there. The food was OK at best this time out, we all ordered Chicken Enchiladas which were kind of bland, Bryan got the Steak Tacos, which he said were good. The music got a bit loud after 10pm, and we couldn't talk to one another without screaming, so we walked over after eating to Whiskey Park SOHO, not too busy, good DJ playing, the pool tables were jammed. We got a few drinks in the 'lodge' area of the club(it looks like a lodge, all wood), and proceeded outside where the night temps were great. After a few there(im still on the water habit, and enjoyin it!!), we went to Mangrove's down the street. Again, a decent crowd around 11pm, and the tunes were just flowing from the DJ upstairs. Very loungy, we got a booth on the first floor, and did some people watchin for a while, then sat outside on the deck, until we got the itch to dance, so we headed over to Hyde Park Cafe. DJ's Freddy Fernandez and Tony Faline had the Dance side really groovin', the center courtyard in the place is real nice, gathering area, and the Hip Hop side is ok, if that's what your into. Place had alot of empty 'Reserved' tables and booths all night, don't know why they just lower there reservation standards, instead of holding out all night for those special peeps that spend $300..i think they are missin out, we just wanted to get a bottle of champagne, they wanted us to get more to be able to sit at a table..there loss, many were left empty all night. Still, HPC is one of the best neighborhood dance clubs in the area.

Saturday, my brother and sis in law came down with the baby. My brother and I went over to 'Sweetwater Kayaks' on Gandy and 4th street to rent him a kayak. We were taking the kayaks out in the Bay at Picnic Island to watch the Blue Angels and the MacDill Air Show. What a perfect place to watch the show, there were NO crowds at all in Picnic Island, granted your not right on the base, but you can see most of the show from the park. We got into the bay, and there were lots of boaters around, it was a blast! The Blue Angels were incredible. Saturday night, I went out with Bryan and his friend from Tulsa, OK to Bella's in Hyde Park for dinner. We met some other friends there, again, Bella's pars up there as one of the top three Italian Restaurants, everything was very fresh, service great. We then headed over to Jackson's on Harbour Island, we watched the Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey game on the outside deck over looking downtown Tampa and the River/Bay. Our Tulsa friend was VERY impressed so far with Tampa. Tunes were playing in the background, but it was nice to be able to sit outside on the water, talk, watch the game, and of course, do some people watchin'. We all eneded the night with some Gelato at La Casa Dolce on Howard Ave in Hyde Park. This place has the BEST Gelato, and great desserts. This time we sat on their front patio, watchin the partiers bar crawl along Howard Ave.

Sunday, as if the past two days were not enough, it was off to the annual Italian Fest in Ybor City. The family and I got there early(around noon), and were able to get in and try lots if Italian Treats, by 1:30, there was quite a crowd, but it was fun, and there was alot going on, Ybor was VERY busy. My brother and I had free tix to the St. Pete Grand Prix, so we headed over there around 2:30. No problems with traffic or parking(we parked in Roser Park neighborhood, a GREAT historic area downtown St. Pete), and walked over to the races. LOUD, FAST, AMAZING! I'll definitely be going back again year after year. Earplugs next time, so many corners, and tight curves through downtown and along the waterfront, for General Admission tix, we were able to walk around the whole area, and get some really good views. Westshore Pizza wrapped up the night(seems like a Sunday eve tradition kind of)...and im off to Baltimore and Jersey this week for work....another killer weekend here in the Bay area.

Non-Alcoholic Friday Night in Tampa

A beautiful day this Friday, led to a beautiful Friday evening. Still on the heart monitor thinggy, I decided not to have any alcohol this weekend again. I'm getting a little used to this, it actually ain't so bad not drinking, and i'm thinking of all the crap I can do around the house, travel, etc. with the $$$ being saved. Anyways, Lisa came over and we started Happy Hour at Rattlefish down here in South Tampa. Nice crowd, sun was starting to set, they had a few guitarists on the outside deck, it was nice cause we were immediately sated while waiting on a few other friends. Me with my water and Lisa with her wine, things were fine. We got the Chicken Tenders and Crab Dip. The food is ok at best, but very pricey. $12 crab dip and $9 for three fancy chicken strips. Its the view and atmosphere I guess you pay for. We ran into quite a few people from the area we havn't seen in a while, Crazy Dave brought his boat over from across the way, drunk and crazy as usual, Bob and Stephanie, who lost lie 50 lbs each and now look like skeletons which was a little creepy, but they looked good, I guess. I wanted to feed them some burgers. Ran into my neighbor Kevin, who informed me that there was some place called BJ's in St. Pete offering free food this week as it was opening week. Finally, Leigh and Ashley showed up and we stayed till about 8:30, it was getting pretty busy by this time. The weather couldn't be any better.
Lisa and I then headed to Green Iguana Westshore, again, me with my water, and Lisa with her wine. We talked to John, the manager, for a while, he's a great guy. A guitarist was placing outside under the Tiki bar, it wasn't too busy inside. They just opened a new ladies restroom, which Lisa couldn't stop raving about.
Afterwards we then headed for Hyde Park/SOHO to meet with other friends. We met Kelly, Chaistain and George and Lime, very busy around 9:30. We munched on some quesidillas at the bar, while Lisa was busy chattin away with some Golfer dude. I decide to order a Bottled Water, only to find out afterwards it was $6 bucks for a water..WOW! I stick with Tampa Tap I guess.
Mangrove's was next on the agenda with all of us, for we needed to meet another Kelly there. I'm not to fond of this place, people are a lil different, but it made for excellent people watchin. The tunes were crankin upstairs, great DJ spinning. By this time I was getting a little water logged.
Lisa's new Golfer friend showed up, and it was about midnight, and I saw no reason to continue to stay out, the friends were getting tipsy.(Interesting to go out and watch other, but they seemed to get a little annoyed that I was having fun regardless of alcohol). I headed back home.
ONe word about the evening, Valet Parked at each spot, always free, and just give them a tip when picking up the car, makes life so much easier.