Dishing with Mark & Carrie 1-03-2013
SHAME on 717 Parking
For the past 5 1/2+ years we have had monthly parking in the same lot. A fair Ybor City business special! The lot is located on the SW corner of 7th Ave & 15th Street. This last year we paid 717 Parking $642.00 for our monthly parking permits. On New Year’s Eve, after we both finished working double shifts were headed to our car, only to find 717 Parking had TOWED OUR CAR!!! New Years Eve, a long term paying customer towed!!! Come On!!!!! They could not give us a good reason why it was even towed.
After calling the police, the 717 supervisor said they would not charge us for the tow but refused to return our car back to Ybor. 717 supervisor personnel also did not know where the car was towed to??? We were told to call the number on the sign. It had been towed by Ascension Towing in Drew Park, out next to the Tampa Airport. You can just imagine what it is like to get a cab New Year’s Eve in Ybor!!!! Thousands were trying to get a roaming cab if they could. Lucky for us our good friends at G.BAR took us to the airport to get our car. When we arrived at Ascension it was all dark and all locked up. After many calls to their number somebody finally answered and said they would sent a tow truck to unlock the gate. Some where after 4:30 AM we got our car back. I thought, “Wow, we are hard working Ybor City businessmen, Ybor City volunteers, Ybor leaders and a commissioner in Ybor City! If this could happen to us then what are the chances this may have happened to one of the many thousand visitors. The same visitors we pay hundreds of thousand dollars in advertising to come to Ybor City???
Today, we now have 2013 monthly parking with the City of Tampa in the 15th Street Parking Garage in Ybor. We will never park in a 717 parking lot again.
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Some Things Don’t Change
Recently we had a good visit with our old friend and activist, Joe Redner. We got to talking about how in 2002 Joe was busy fighting for basic Humanitarian Rights, Tampa Gay Pride Events and Hillsborough County Gay Rights in Hillsborough County. His critics came out and said, ” Joe could not be for Gay rights because he was straight.” In Joe’s style he proclaimed he was Gay to the small minded people! Then challenged his critics to prove he wasn’t!!! Together with club owner Gary Allen, Steve Donahue (now owner of GBAR+) we hosted Joe’s coming out party at The Garage in Tampa. It turned out to be a packed night out. All the local TV media filmed the historic event! We presented him with an Official Coming Out Gay Flag, Gay Agenda Official Journal, and an official rainbow sticker for his car. We even gave Joe an official Gay Card!!! LOL LOL
After a good laugh Joe said he had something to show us. From his big desk, he pulled out the Official Hillsborough County Proclamation, proclaiming June 2002 as Gay Pride Month. It was signed by Chairperson Pat Frank and Vice Chair Jan Platt. Fast forward to 2012 and still only 2 people, Commissioners Kevin Beckner & Les Miller, would sign a GaYBOR Days Proclamation.
Note: Over half of the 280 GaYBOR District Coalition Business members are ‘Straight Business Allies’!!!
10 years later and Homophobia is still in Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners. Some Things Don’t Change.
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People R Talking
The voice over actor for the GEICO Insurance Gecko commercials was at Bradley’s on 7th. He had the whole bar rolling in laughter. What a great holiday month in GaYBOR/ Ybor City. Two huge and well attended parades ( Ybor Holiday Spirit Parade and Outback Bowl Parade) and thousands of happy visitors. Honey Pot announcer and favorite MC, Toby Rox did his last gig at Honey Pot NYE. Toby a recent graduate of Columbia Broadcasting School is fine tuning his radio voice interning now at Tampa radio station 93.3 FLZ. His unique style voice will be heard across the bay area. We will miss his renditions of introducing the many visiting celebrities and guests at Honey Pot. Especially his poised rumble of introducing RuPaul’s Drag Race cast contestant, Aleeeessaaaaa!
The new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant is open on 7th in Ybor and all we have heard is “WOW” wings! Henry Plant Museum will be holding a “Road Show Style Appraisal Benefit” this Saturday. Located in the famous 1891 Henry Plant Hotel ( now the University of Tampa) South Wing. Appraisals are $5.00 per item (2 max) for your collectable’s or grandma heirlooms that you want valued. www.plantmuseum.com
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Behind the Scenes in GaYBOR
When most people think about GaYBOR/ Ybor City then think of crazy, fun, wild parties. Yes we do have all that, but there is also a very close family of good people who live & work in GaYBOR. These people are everywhere and are looking out for each other and you. One good example of this was…….. It was a busy Sunday afternoon and Tea Cup was bartending on the balcony at Hamburger Mary’s. He noticed a very well dressed lady in her mid 80’s waiting for somebody across the street. An hour went by and she was still there. That was out of the norm so Tea Cup and Mgr. Sheriff Mike called the police. The 1st car arrived right away. The female officer was comforting the bewildered lady. Then 4 more police cars arrived and left. About a 1/2 hour later an office arrived with the woman’s husband. All the officers left except the female officer who sat with the couple until the shuttle bus from the Sheraton Riverwalk arrived. Later we learn of the whole story. The husband had told his wife to stay right there. He went down the street to King Corona to get a cigar. When leaving King Corona he turned left instead of right and got lost. An easy mistake to make. Luckily the police found him behind the Cuban Club. The couple were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. What a story they will have to tell about how Grandpa lost Grandma in GaYBOR/Ybor!!!! Three Cheers to the Tampa Police Department & Viva La GaYBOR!!!
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MC FILM win FREE TIX to “Big Freedia” at Orpheum
MC FILM is giving away 3 sets of tickets to ‘BIG FREEDIA Concert Tour’ and known as the “Queen Diva” of Bounce Music. Jan 20th at 8:00pm at the Orpheum on 7th Ave.
Doors open at 8pm.
Stop by MC FILM at 8th & 15th and 1st come to get your chance of FREE pair tickets. www.facebook.com/bigfreediadiva
The Outback Bowl New Year’s Eve Parade
You Just Can Not Make This Up
The $10,000 Bet
There was this trucker named Richard, who would stay at the SunCoast Resort. Richard would sleep in his truck and party in his hotel room. He would always flash big money and spend it too. When he got cocktailed he would start to sing the theme song from “All in the Family” then would shout, “How do you like me now mother f*@kers!”
One Friday night he asked me to go out on the town to party with him. I jokingly said, “You don’t have enough money to take me out!” He said, ” I’ll bring $10,000 and bet you can’t spend it all!” The next day to my surprise up pulled a super stretch limo in front of MC FILM with Richard, David (SunCoast bartender) & a friend. They had already dressed him up very wild. Our 1st stop was Walmart when he went inside and came out with security guards and $10,000 cash! OMG… In the limo we were off to Georgie’s Alibi. Inside it was packed on a Saturday afternoon. I told him to buy the house a round and give me the chips. Then he bought a second round. We told him to tip the bartender $200 and he did. We scoped up the huge pile of chips and gave them all to Keith ( our nephew, KC) and laughed ENJOY!!!
Over to Grand Central Station where we started a shots party. It was a fun wild time with owners, Jim & Kris. Across the street is a favorite stop for me the VFW. All the regulars were there drinking beer and shooting pool. I told him to buy every beer in the cooler. Then have the bartenders open them all and put them on the bar top. Free beer for the many Veterans!!!
We were getting hungry and early evening so we headed over to the Texas Cattlemen’s for dinner. I think one of Tampa Bays Best Steak Houses! I asked Richard if he was running out of money yet? He laughed and said I hadn’t put a dent into it. I started to laugh and said, “Fine then lets buy every table a bottle of wine!” Suddenly the whole restaurant became a wild party! After dinner it was off to the Backroom Bar on the Madeira Beach. We were not there 20 minutes when suddenly Richard fell in love!!! We were all replaced. LOL LOL LOL The next day I asked Richard how we did on the money. He laughed and said we were the cheap part of the day. His date was way more expensive LOL LOL
GaYBOR Member of the Week
Ybor City Wine Bar
Lady Jayme Kosar
In Centro Ybor there is a newly opened unique Fine Wine and Craft Beer Bar on the first floor on 7th Ave. The recently opened adult beverage pub has a great selection of 1000’s of wines and beer for all connoisseurs. New super decorated boutique Ybor City Wine Bar owner, Jayme Kosar welcomed all guests through the doors after her opening Dec. 22nd. Choices of inside or outside decored tables or sitting at the bar with shelved superb fine wines as ambiance. The instilling bottles and labels are itself a new Ybor art stop!
Mark & Carrie’s Nephew/Niece of the Week
Janna Brackin
Janna is one of the funniest people we have meet in a very long time. And a bit crazy!!! She always has a fun story. She was working at Hamburger Mary’s when two ladies said to her. “Do you mind if we ask you a personal question?” Then her friend said, “That’s stupid!!! She works at Hamburger Mary’s and probably gets asked personal questions all the time.” Janna said “Yes, that’s OK I am used to being asked if I am a real girl. The answer is yes!”
Then the girls laughed and said, “That’s not the question! We wanted to ask… where do you buy sex toys at in Ybor?” LOL LOL LOL
GaYBOR Member of the Week
Ybor City Wine Bar
Lady Jayme Kosar
In Centro Ybor there is a newly opened unique Fine Wine and Craft Beer Bar on the first floor on 7th Ave. The recently opened adult beverage pub has a great selection of 1000’s of wines and beer for all connoisseurs. New super decorated boutique Ybor City Wine Bar owner, Jayme Kosarwelcomed all guests through the doors after her opening Dec. 22nd. Choices of inside or outside decored tables or sit at the bar with shelved superb fine wines as ambiance. The instilling bottles and labels are itself a new Ybor art stop!
Metro Wellness and Community Centers
Metro “Moves” on Plans to Create LGBT Welcome Center
For Immediate Release:
(St. Petersburg, FL) December 31, 2012 – As the community is ringing in the New Year, Metro Wellness and Community Centers, an organization of Metropolitan Charities 501(c)3, today announced some exciting plans for 2013. The organization, which will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, is partnering with the Grand Central District Association (GCDA) of St. Petersburg to open a mixed-use space next to its current Metro Thrift & Gift retail center located at 2235 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg.
The space is currently a vacant lot, but not for long. Part of this exciting venture will be to move a historic bungalow-style house currently located just a block away at 2335 Central Avenue. Through a donation by GSC of St. Pete, LLC, the house was granted to Metro . “By moving the house, not only are we able to build on our partnership within the Grand Central District and the local community, but we’re able to save this beautiful historic bungalow which exemplifies so much of this district and neighboring Historic Kenwood,” says Lorraine Langlois, CEO of Metro Wellness & Community Centers.
“It’s always exciting when something we’ve been talking about for several years in the community comes to fruition,” said Brian Longstreth, Broker of Your Neighborhood Realty (YNR) and a Board Member of the GCDA. “Everything seemed to fall into place. A historic home about to be torn down, the desire for Grand Central to have a 1st floor office on Central Avenue, the need for a LGBT welcome center in the area. The fact that it all happens in a saved 1920’s bungalow makes it even more special, and it only happened with the cooperation of many partners.” Longstreth, along with his brother Jim, an agent at YNR have helped facilitate this project with Metro and the GCDA.
This idea has been in the back of Langlois’ mind for years as well. Langlois who helped start Metropolitan Charities 20 years ago has always seen the need for a bigger presence on Central Avenue and the importance of a vibrant welcoming space for LGBT visitors to the Tampa Bay area as the community here continues to grow. “We are so excited to partner with our friends in the Grand Central District to make this happen,” said Langlois. “The space will serve as a welcoming hub for visitors and residents alike – providing resources for the LGBT and allied communities and expand on our mission to enhance the quality of life for those in our area.”
Metro hopes to have the house moved and in place by mid to late February, with plans to open the Welcome Center in the Grand Central District to the public as early as March. The building will serve as a visitor’s welcome center, community resource center and will provide office space for the Grand Central District as well as additional programming and event space. “There’s so much potential in this gorgeous bungalow,” says Langlois. “I can’t wait to see it grow into the vibrancy that already exists along Central Avenue.”
The Welcome Center will be one of only two in the state that focuses on LGBT visitors, offering a one-stop-shop to learn about LGBT and allied businesses, accommodations, where to shop, where to dine and more. In 2010, an LGBT Visitors Center opened in Miami Beach. Much like this South Florida location, which was sponsored by MetLife – Metro’s Welcome Center in the Grand Central District will also have sponsorship and naming opportunities available for rooms along with the house itself
Metro Wellness and Community Centers currently has offices and LGBT Community Centers in St. Petersburg (3251 3rd Avenue North), Ybor City and New Port Richey in addition to its Thrift & Gift retail location on Central Avenue, which supports those living with HIV/AIDS in the area and the many programs and services the organization offers. The organization has been providing premier HIV services, social networking and other health and wellness programs for years to the four county area of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando. With active community center locations throughout the Tampa Bay area, the organization fosters diversity within the community as a whole, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or economic status.
For more information contact Lorraine Langlois, CEO of Metro Wellness & Community Centers at 727-321-3854.
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Media Contact:
Chris Rudisill
Director of LGBT Community Center Services
Phone: 727-321-3854 ext. 238
Email:
www.MetroTampaBay.org
