BEST PLACE TO TAKE A RIDE
The Teco Line Streetcar
When I'm all by myself, I'll ride it all day and shoot out the windows. Some people complain that it's not long enough, but that's fine with me. You just have to ride back and forth. I love the sounds and smells. You can talk to people, and it's never too full. I particularly love it when the big cruise ships come in and the porters are standing there in their uniforms. You could be anywhere in the world — Cartagena, Miami — anywhere. It reminds me of my childhood in South America.
The Ybor Trolley runs from Ybor City (Eighth Avenue at 20th Street) to the Channel District. 813-254-4278 or www.tecolinestreetcar.org for fares and info.
BEST PLACE TO GET FREE CULTURE WITH YOUR COFFEE
Bookends Café at Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library
I just wish it were open more hours. The building is beautiful, and you get all the creature comforts, a free phone, an art gallery, stuff to read — and coffee. It's amazing who goes there. It's not just for homeless people.
Jan Kaminis Platt Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa, 813-272-6000.
BEST PLACE TO SHOP FOR STUFF YOU DIDN'T
KNOW YOU NEEDED
Big Lots
They buy stuff from places going out of business. You never know what you're gonna find. Some of it's junk; you've just gotta look through it to find the treasures. Every two weeks the stuff changes, so it's good to keep going back. I got videos of obscure films there, like Fellini's Satyricon and I Shot Andy Warhol. They've got strange foods from different countries; I got some Danish cookies there once. All kinds of oddball stuff. I'm always looking for stuff to send to my mom and sister in New York; I get stuff there that looks like I spent a lot.
Big Lots has various locations throughout the Bay area.
BEST THING ABOUT PLANT CITY
Fred's Farmers' Market Restaurant
It's the heart of Plant City, not to be confused with Buddy Freddy's, which is a tourist trap. The farmers' market's gone, but the restaurant still survives. It's a buffet and it has everything you can think of on it: barbecue, chicken, fresh seasonal vegetables and fruit. It's the place all the locals, farmers and ranchers eat; tourists don't know about it. It opens early, 5 a.m.; that's when the cowcatchers are there. You don't call 'em cowboys; you call 'em cowcatchers.
Fred's Farmers' Market Restaurant, 1401 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. W., Plant City, 813-752-7763.
BEST GALLERY
Brad Cooper Gallery
I love the way he runs his gallery; he can make anything look good.
I love Silver Meteor, too. They love the artists and they love what they do.
Brad Cooper Gallery, 1712 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, 813-248-6098.
BEST SECRET PLACE TO EAT
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
That's my secret place. I like the anonymity of the place. It's got all the salad you can eat. When I feel guilty about eating bad stuff, I go there and eat salad and spaghetti marinara.
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant has several locations throughout the bay area.
BEST RADIO STATION
WMNF-88.5 FM
I finally gave 'em $50 recently. I'm one of those bad people who listen and don't pay. I feel guilty. A lot of people take Jo Ellen Schilke ["Art in Your Ear"] for granted, but she's done a lot for the arts. Rob Lorei and Janine Farver have done a lot too.
BEST BOTANICA
Botanica La Virgen De Regla
I love the atmosphere and all the religious stuff. There's always something interesting in there. I see women in turbans, people from Haiti, Jamaica, Spain. The guy behind the counter is friendly to everybody. He knows people are curious. He doesn't mind.
Botanica La Virgen De Regla is located in La Teresita shopping center, next to the La Teresita Restaurant, 3302 Columbus Drive W., Tampa.
BEST PLACE TO SHOOT PICTURES
U.S. 27
I love going down old Highway 27, around all the old tourist attractions like the Cypress Knee Museum. It's closed, there's just the shell of it left, but it's still interesting. I love the light. I love to shoot around Palmdale when they set the cane fields on fire. They call it the Gates of Hell. I always take foreign journalists there. It's very surreal. You don't know where you are.
BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME
Moving to the Bay Area
I came here from New York to work for the Arts Council's Artists in the Schools program. I thought I'd be outside Miami. I didn't bother to look at a map. I moved into a storefront in Ybor, paying $85 a month. That's when Ybor was really raw and interesting. The police didn't even go there. I'm still a Yankee at heart, but I love the people here; they're laid back and nice. Tampa doesn't have an ego like San Francisco or New York. It's a great fertile ground to try new things. If you fall on your face, so what? I love Tarpon Springs, the old part of town where the people live. People put it down as a tourist trap, but there are very few places like that. I love the beaches, Fort De Soto Park — I used to take my kids camping there — Treasure Island, Longboat Key, Sanibel, Gasparilla Island. Gasparilla Inn is one of the best-kept secrets. I love working for the Planet. It has the same feel as when I worked for Rolling Stone.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.