UC Tampa - Feb 2010 Edition Part 2

In This Issue

1. Food News: Get Greece-y. Moon Waxes. Bistro Wanes.
2. Davis Islands Dog Park Scheduled For Grooming
3. Walk into Ybor’s Secret Past
4. Seminole Heights Bicycle Club's Hub-Grub Bike Ride
5. Ride A Dragon - Tampa Dragon Boat Races

6. News & Rumors ... and much more!

Food News: Get Greece-y. Moon Waxes. Bistro Wanes.

The Bungalow Bistro of Seminole Heights will soon be home to The Refinery.

Seminole Heights ‘Bistro’ gets Refined
The Bungalow Bistro of Seminole Heights (5137 N. Florida Ave.) has been sold to Greg and Michelle Baker of Cooks-n-Company (a personal chef service). While currently still being operated under the “Bistro” moniker and menu, Greg stated the couple is planning to launch an entirely new restaurant, The Refinery, and menu by March 2009.

Click here to read full story.
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China Moon shines on Heights & West Tampa
China Moon New York Style Chinese Food is now open at 1900 W. Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. Blvd. for take out and delivery to residents of West Tampa, Wellswood, Seminole Heights, Riverside Heights and other nearby areas.

Click here to read full story.
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Shout Out for Channelside’s new Taverna Opa

Following UC Tampa’s exclusive story of Taverna Opa coming to downtown’s Channelside Entertainment Complex, the Greek restaurant is now open in the former Grille 21 location (underneath the old Margarita Mama’s).

Click here to read full story.

Davis Islands Dog Park Scheduled For Grooming

Davis Islands' famous dog park about to get a makeover.

DAVIS ISLANDS - Every dog has its day - so why not spend it at the beach?

The popular Davis Islands dog park, the city's first with a beach, soon will undergo improvements.

The narrow strip of beachfront with magnificent views of downtown Tampa was made available a decade ago through an easement from the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, which assured the dog park would not interfere with operations at nearby Peter O. Knight Airport.

The 1.9-acre fenced site, however, has lost beach sand through the years. The city plans to replenish 200-plus feet of the sandy coastline, but not before erosion safeguards are in place.

Read full story here.

Walk into Ybor's Secret Past

Walk into Ybor City's secretive past.

YBOR CITY - City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena and social media strategist Julia Gorzka have launched a new historical, self-paced audio walking tour of Ybor City, called “Secret City Walks.” Tampa’s poet laureate, James Tokley narrates the tour’s recording, which can be purchased cheaply online as an MP3 download.

To read full story, visit www.uctampa.com.

Seminole Heights Bicycle Club's Hub-Grub Bike Ride

Event Flyer

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - The Seminole Heights Bicycle Club invites all to tour the neighborhood's restaurants via bicycle. At each stop, riding participants will have the get the chance to check out some of the area's favorite haunts and munch on a quick snack before heading off their next destination.

When:
February 27, 3-5:30pm

Read full article here.

Ride A Dragon

Dragon Boat Racers (2009)

DOWNTOWN - Tampa’s Dragon Boat Races will take place in downtown Tampa’s Garrison Channel, May 1, 2010 and the Tampa Independent Business Alliance (TIBA) is forming a race team to participate in it and the 2011 World Dragon Boat Races (also hosted by Tampa).

See full article and photos here.

Celebrate the Bungalow - 2010 Hyde Park Home Tour

Historic Hyde Park Home Tour taking place March 6. See article's entire photo gallery here.

HYDE PARK – Many residents of historic Hyde Park will open their doors for the neighborhood’s 8th Annual Home Tour, Saturday, March 6, 2010. The tour will feature more than a dozen private homes, representing numerous styles and time periods, from historic to new construction.

Included on the tour will be residences along Tampa’s famous Bungalow Terrace, a mini-subdivision of 19 houses with front porches facing each other across a sidewalk (i.e., not a road, like usual), as well as Tampa’s only example of the Bungalow Court—a popular mode of construction in California circa 1909–1930.

“Bungalow Court will highlight gracious living on a small scale,” notes the tour’s co-chair, Tami Kirchner. “This calls for innovation and—in the case of the homes we’ll tour—illustrates a true sense of style.”

In contrast, the large, stunning, newly constructed Bayshore mansion of Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Stein is also a tour stop.

The Historic Hyde Park Home Tour is taking place in conjunction with a March exhibit at the Tampa Bay History Center exhibit, titled “The Bungalow,” along with a feature film documentary that provides an overview of Tampa’s bungalows (and their social and cultural context).

For Home Tour information, contact Tami at the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association: (813) 625-4141 or HHPNAhometour@tampabay.rr.com

Gimme Seven! New Restaurants Rolling into the Urban Corridor.

Old location of Big John's Alabama BBQ.

URBAN CORRIDOR – The new year appears to have brought with it a flurry of restaurants for downtown Tampa and its nearby, Urban Corridor neighborhoods. Seven dining establishments, some with names familiar to the area, some not, have either opened or are expected to open by the end of March.

West Tampa: Green Iguana Bar & Grill, a local’s hangout on Ybor City’s Seventh Avenue, is taking over the old Stadium Bennigan’s Bar & Grille location (2520 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.). This will be the company’s seventh Bay Area location with a full bar and open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. According to its website, the new location will “open soon;” however sources indicate “by the end of March.” Updates are available on the Green Iguana Twitter site: http://twitter.com/thegreeniguana.

Downtown: The Urban Cantina is set to open in downtown Tampa (200 E. Madison Ave.) by the end of February. The owner is reported to be Christopher Rivas, who is a resident of nearby SkyPoint Condominiums, where he was once reported to be opening a Mexican restaurant called Azteca. Those plans fell through, but from visual inspection of the new location, it clearly appears to be built out, fitted with tables and dining ware, and days away from opening. www.urbancantina.com

Sono Café will open February 6 inside the new Tampa Museum of Art. It will overlook the banks of the Hillsborough River and be accessible by everyone through an admission-free entrance. The café will seat 75, including waterfront tables, and offer menu items in accordance with the “Slow Food Movement.” The owners of downtown’s Mise en Place Restaurant will operate the café.

Already open is International Café, a lunchtime eatery open five days a week at 601 E. Twiggs St.

East Tampa: Big John’s Alabama BBQ is set to open at nearly the same spot (5707 N. 40th St.) as its old, demolished location (which happened because of a city road expansion project). For the many fans of the 40-year-old establishment, their wait will be over early February.

Ybor City: Gallery Rasika has opened on Seventh Avenue in the former location of L’Olivier Cabaret. It features modern Indian fusion dishes inspired from an “age old approach to dining,” according to its website. Much like tapas bars, guests are encouraged to choose a variety of appetizers and entrees and share them with their dining companions. www.galleryrasika.com

Heights Areas: Greg and Michelle Baker, the owners of Cooks-n-Company (the personal chef service), are planning to open a brick and mortar restaurant in Seminole Heights. Although a verbal agreement has been made for the couple to take over an existing “turn key” location, a contract has yet to be signed.

Once official, the Bakers hope to open The Refinery by the end of February, which will feature a large selection of small, “bigger than most tapas” plates made from locally grown ingredients when possible.

See original posting at www.uctampa.com.

A Serious Art Attack - Don’t Bypass Downtown’s 2010 Arts & Entertainment

Live entertainment sets up on lawn of the Tampa Bay History Center. See entire article's photo album here.

DOWNTOWN - This year, Downtown’s long ailing arts and entertainment scene is set to receive a shot in the arm. In it will be a guaranteed cure composed of a mix of grassroot initiatives and the buds of a blooming arts district.

“I’ve no need to pine away [to be in cities like] New York, now that there’s so much happening in downtown Tampa,” says Andrea Graham, chairperson for Stageworks Theatre—which, in January, will break ground on its permanent home in the Channel District. “Downtown’s where it’s at!”

And there are literally thousands and millions of reasons for all A&E lovers to get excited.

Tampa’s urban core has nearly 120,000 sq-ft of roof-covered A&E space under construction, representing $75 million in fundraising and investment—a substantial amount of which has been directed to the new “River Arts District.”

This budding district is particularly exciting to Maryann Ferenc, chairperson of Tampa Bay & Company (Hillsborough County’s tourism corporation).

“With great energy already in Tampa, I believe that the new [construction] here will provide that energy a perfect place to coalesce,” says Ferenc.

This district includes the already well-established David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, which was recently renamed after entertaining more than 10 million guests for over 20 years under the moniker: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

About two-tenths of a mile south of the Straz are the soon to be completed Tampa Museum of Art and Glazer Children’s Museum. The structures sit side-by-side on the grounds of the six-acre Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, which has recently received a $15 million facelift and is a featured stop on another new downtown attraction, the Tampa Riverwalk (a 2.2-mile walkway that touches seven parks and five museum campuses).

After a more thorough examination, we see that there will be at least 25 major downtown A&E events/venues to enjoy in 2010. This is a good sign that our urban core is recovering quickly from its past deficiencies; and a clear indicator that downtown is now experiencing symptoms of a serious Art Attack…one that’s just too good for you to bypass.

#1 - TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART
Opening Feb. 6, 2010 • Curtis Hixon Park
TMA’s sad, dated little building is no more and has made way for a new, 66,000 sq-ft, cutting-edge facility. The façade of the $32 million structure will double as a public art piece and be illuminated by tens of thousands of programmed LED lights. Inside the museum, eight 1,700 sq-ft galleries will don innovative translucent fabric ceilings and polished stone floors and surrounding a 60’ high atrium that points up to 16 skylights.

The museum’s inaugural exhibit will focus on Henri Matisse’s printmaking and will display 170 of his works (including paintings and sculptures)—thus making it Tampa Bay’s first-ever, large Matisse show.

#2 - GASPARILLA FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
March 6-7, 2010 • Curtis Hixon Park
Celebrating its 40th year, this outdoor event is nationally recognized as one of country’s best art festivals. Approximately 300 artists (carefully selected from 1,000 applicants) will compete for a share of $75,000 in cash awards, while more than a quarter-million art lovers browse and buy the showcased paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, photography, prints, jewelry and more.

#3 - DRAGON BOAT RACES
May 1, 2010 • Garrison Channel
Nearly 70, 20-person teams will paddle their long, narrow, dragon-festooned boats through downtown’s waterways in a frantic race to the finish line. An accompanying, daylong festival will also take place simultaneously at the nearby Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park and Marriott Waterside.

#4 - GLAZER CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Opening Fall 2010 • Curtis Hixon Park
Next door to TMA, the soon-to-open 53,000 sq-ft Children’s Museum—meticulously designed to provide a safe, stimulating and playful learning environment—will yield 175 “little hands”-on exhibits (in 12 themed areas), as well as five classrooms for workshops and family-friendly programs.

#5 - STAGEWORKS THEATRE
Opening Fall 2010 • 1208 E Kennedy Blvd
While the smallest of downtown’s arts construction projects, this theatre company has raised nearly $1 million to build itself an 8,000 sq-ft, 155-seat permanent home. It will be housed on the bottom floor of the Channel District’s Grand Central @ Kennedy Condominiums—a residential and retail development complex that has donated space for the project.

#6 - TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER
Opened 2009 • 801 Old Water Street
Nestled on the north bank of downtown’s Garrison Channel is found a 60,000 sq-ft, still-new, hub of history. Inside, visitors interact with exhibits and view maps, photos and film, as they travel 12,000 years into the past to meet the prominent people, places and events that shaped Tampa into the city it is today.

MORE DOWNTOWN A&E

Institutions
07 Henry B. Plant Museum
08 University of Tampa Scarfone/Hartley Gallery
09 David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
10 Jobsite Theatre
11 The Patel Conservatory
12 Opera Tampa
13 Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
14 Tampa Theatre
15 Tampa Firefighters Museum
16 City of Tampa Police Museum
17 TECO Public Art Gallery
18 Kotler Art Gallery at John Germany Library
19 American Institute of Architects Gallery
20 American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship
21 The Florida Aquarium

Events & Installations
22 City of Tampa Public Art – Lights on Tampa
23 Gasparilla International Film Festival
24 Clip Film Festival
25 Jewish Film Festival


Read original posting at www.uctampa.com.

UC Tampa - Feb 2010 Edition Part 1

In This Issue

-A SERIOUS ART ATTACK

-NEW RESTAURANTS ROLLING IN

-CELEBRATE THE BUNGALOW

-HALT! ARMORY BACK TO MARKET

-PRO BASKETBALL IN TAMPA

-NEWS & RUMORS ... and much more!

Armory Goes To Market (Again)

West Tampa's Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. See more photos here.

WEST TAMPA/SOUTH TAMPA - Heritage Square LLC, which three years ago won the bid to develop West Tampa’s Fort Homer Hesterly Armory site into a mix-use residential and retail campus, has withdrawn from the project. Christine Duffy, associate director of corporate communications and PR for Intelident Solutions, the owner of Coast Dental Services Inc. (and primary backer of Heritage Square) refused to cite a reason.

Read More Here.

American Basketball Association announces Tampa Bay expansion

DOWNTOWN - The American Basketball Association (ABA) has announced it will add a team in Tampa Bay for the 2010-2011 season.

"This is the first of 10 ABA teams that will be owned and operated by SEP (Sports Equity Partners) in the Southeast,” stated Joe Newman, ABA’s CEO. "We are very happy to be returning to the Tampa area.”

Additional markets will be named shortly.

The yet to be named team is expected to begin play in November at a to-be-determined home court location. ABA officials have indicated their interest in building a future, permanent sports arena in Tampa Heights area (which is adjacent to downtown, on the north side of Interstate 275).

Read more here.

Survey guaging Enthusiam & Need for a Downtown Area Supermarket

Will downtown Tampa soon have a supermarket?

DOWNTOWN & YBOR CITY - The Tampa Downtown Partnership (TDP) is conducting a survey to solicit input in support of a future grocery store to serve the people of downtown Tampa and Ybor City. Residents of – and employees in – these and their nearby neighborhoods are encouraged to complete the survey and ask their friends, neighbors and co-workers to do the same.

There are two separate surveys, one for employees in the aforementioned neighborhoods, and one for their residents. (Those people who work and reside in and near these areas are welcome to fill out both.)

Read More Here.

We're Just Ribbon You

Centro Ybor is on its way to losing its day time, ghost town reputation. That's because within the last six months it has welcomed four new businesses into its facilties: Tribeca ColorSalon, Joffrey’s Coffee, Wear Me Out and Hamburger Mary’s Bar & Grill. Read details here.

a FRESH look

FRESH look: The recently released film "FRESH" - a documentary about people working to provide healthy, nutrient-dense foods via sustainable practices - will be playing at Ella's Folk Art Café on Jan. 24, 2010. More info here.