8-9-18 Dishing with Mark n Carrie, St. Pete to Paris

G.BAR ST. PETE Grand Opening

On embankment to seeing what the 2 Steves and Ernie have again accomplished in Tampa Bay. The 2 Steves refer to D.Stephen Moss & Steve Donahue and Ernie Webb, owners of Honey Pot in Ybor City and previous owner’s to Social Club & GBAR Tampa.

The new 2 story GBAR St Pete Grand Opening in downtown St. Pete on 3rd Ave North is on a very busy street.. It was formerly a restaurant. The lines were long and spotlights were piercing the skies in downtown. A quick Donahue wave and we were inside listening to the ‘right before the massive crowd speech’ to all the new employees by the club owners. Opening night in a new city. How exciting! Free drinks, no entry cover, spotlights shooting beams of light to the heavens in the street, blocks full of people. The 2 story building is smaller in size but has a ton of personality. Concerts will become amazing. Downstairs have 2 large easy to get to bars and one upstairs. Smaller getaway rooms that will have more intimate conversations. The balcony is wrought iron and overlooks with a super view of your future lucky star.

The GBAR St Pete will be open Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights at the beginning. Eventually to be open 7 days.

It seems that the area residents love the downtown bar.

Congrats & Good Luck my good friends to another venture for the LGBT community.

House on the Rock in Wisconsin

If you’re ever in the southern Wisconsin make a trip to “The House on The Rock” It is defiantly worth the stop. We just wished we had more time to spend there.

Historic East Ybor and Gary Neighborhood Association (HEYGNA) June Meeting

The June 2018 neighborhood meeting was hosted by Pilar’s Pet Resort. Located at 2609 E 7th Ave in Ybor City. If you live in Ybor City or Gary this is a great way to meet your neighbors and keep updated on your neighborhood. There was discussion about and office building that was turned down by the City. Also talk about a developer who is putting up new fences. The list goes on and on about very interesting things. Join the Neighborhood Facebook page and come to the next meeting.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HEYGNA/

Caught @ St Pete Pride 2018

A very big turnout for the Saturday night St Pete Pride Parade and Sundays St Pete Pride Festival. Mid 90’s had people drinking up a storm in the 2nd downtown water front Pride parade relocation.

Hot but what isn’t Hot in June! The festival was held in the Grand Central District.

 

Congratulations St Pete Pride Board and volunteers on another great event.

The Hooch and Hive Grand Opening

The Hooch and Hive Grand Opening

The Grand Opening was a Huge Success! The Hooch and Hive is located at 1001 West Cass Street in Tampa. Just across the river from the Straz Center. You can take the kids out of Ybor City but you can not take Ybor City out if the kids! LOL You are going to love this club!!! Many of the management and staff are from Ybor City.  There is fun up beat vibe with a hint of Ybor Style!!!! Make the Hooch and Hive a stop this weekend! Tell the staff we say CHEERS.

https://www.facebook.com/hoochandhive/

 

Breaking Ground on a New Hotel in Ybor City

Today the Aparium Hotel group  http://aparium.com/  held a hotel ground breaking service in Ybor City. Aparium’s local partners include Ybor City investor Darryl Shaw, as well as the Capitano, Garcia and Ellison families, investor Alex Walter, Alfonso Architects, Batson-Cook Construction and EWI Construction.  There will be soon opening, a 50 million dollar hotel on 7th Ave.  There has been talk about a Hotel on this location for over 20+ years.  It will be good to see the new addition to Ybor City. On this Location was the Original Havana Hotel and Las Novedades Restaurant http://www.tampapix.com/lasnovedades.htm  . Since the 1980’s there were 4 Gay night Clubs here;  El Goya Club  https://www.facebook.com/elgoya , Tracks Nigh Club, Pleasure Dome and Czar.  Today there is a very funny GAY Historical Marker in front of the building. The marker talks about Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders. One of the soldiers so appreciated the hospitality of the local man that he rode his horse into Las Novedades and Gayly galloped down 7th ave. This became known as “The Charge of the Yellow Rice Brigade.”  For many years later when a local want to say a person was Gay they would say “he is yellow rice”. Good luck to the new developers.

Jane Castor for Tampa Mayor

There was a huge campaign kickoff celebration at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Over 400+ guest cheered as Jane talked about her ideas for Tampa. From transportation, housing, jobs and more. https://www.facebook.com/janecastorformayor/

Tampa Bay Lightning Watch Party

GO BOLTZ!!!Last night the Lightning beat the Capitals 4 to 1. In Centro Ybor there were 2 large jumbo screen put up. The traffic on 7th ave was stopped from 15th street to 21st street. This was the 1st time there was a watch party in Ybor City. What a huge SUCCESS! What an incredible fun celebration of what’s right in Tampa Bay. The pre party was off the chain fun with floating cameras catching people on the huge screens! I’m not sure what liquor license permit the event promoter got but I hope others can now get the same one. Everybody was enjoying drinks on the street with no fences while the police looked on. Can’t wait for the next Tampa Bay Lightning Viewing Party YBOR CITY STYLE!!!

Taking In San Antonio

    It was a getaway for Carrie’s Birthday Celebration to San Antonio, TX this year. Last year was San Juan, Puerto Rico. John & Nancy Desmond had San Antonio on their radar sites too. So we ventured out together to adventure the historic legendary Texas city.  I had been stationed in San Antonio in the Air Force twice many moons ago. A first for Mark & Nancy.
    The first stop in going to San Antonio is remembering and seeing the Alamo. We were staying right on the famous River Walk at Embassy Suites. A quick walk around winding river bends and along the beautiful tree hovering river banks loaded with restaurants, gift shops, hotels and clubs. We came upon the Texas Revolution’s 1836 fighting mission fortress, the Alamo. Over 200 Texas soldiers died in the Texan-Mexican Revolution attack. Yes, the great frontiersman Davy Crockett and Colonel James Bowie were killed there.
    Walking up from the river banks to our amazement, a new group of citizens were getting their American citizenship in an outside ceremony in front of the Alamo with the San Antonio Mayor and District Court Judges presiding and giving out the new citizens certificates. The Alamo seemed so small. It is Texas’s biggest tourist destination.
    On the Double Decker bus tour we ventured to the old Pearl Beer Brewery. A grand repurposing of an old institution with Condo’s,  Hotels, retail spaces, restaurants, community space and bars taking over the old grand facility. Continuing on the bus tour we went to the Fiesta Market. A similar open air Mexican trade market as along the Rio Grande. Authentic Mexican Restaurant signs were placquered on all the cafes and restaurants (ok were are here!). Margarita time!
    I had written an email note to the San Antonio Pride Committee of our visit. We were contacted by their secretary, James. We met up with he and their president Phillip in the “Gay” section of town. Over 26 gay bars, restaurants, new apartment complexes and Rainbow Stripes painted on all the intersections. Pride events also happen here as there is a park right in the center of the district. We had a lot of comparing notes.
    To add color to a touristy town visit, he asked if we would like to go to an antique village 45 minutes outside of San Antonio. He wanted to be our daylong tour guide. What a great town, Guerney with boutiques shops, small creative eateries and loads of vintage items. And yes, Mark found a lot of historic forged iron pieces for the plantation. Back in San Antonio we went up the 1964 World’s Fair, Tower of the America’s that goes up 75 stories in the air with bar, restaurant and observatory of the Texan flat lands.
    Thanks to our great tour guides James and Phillip. Put San Antonio on your places to visit.