City Life Staff Picks

Best Place to Get Beaten By Your Lady at Pool: Central Billiards

Ladies play free every Wednesday night at this relatively new downtown St. Pete adult-recreation emporium, so you’ll be able to afford plenty of time on the table to mount a comeback after her slop shots and your scratching on the 8-ball result in a four-game lead for her. And when the frustration becomes insurmountable, just challenge her to a game of air hockey or beer pong instead, or pound on the coin-operated punching bag for a while. On second thought, better not do that — she might register a higher score than you. Just go back to the bar and get another beer, then chalk up again and try to get a run going off of your usual shitty break. 670 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-553-9212

Best Slightly Out-of-the-Way Cheap Drinks: Steve's Tavern

Everyone knows downtown St. Pete is blowin’ up, so much so that the action is starting to move west. Steve’s Tavern, better known as Steve’s Tav on the Ave. is on Central Avenue above MLK in an area that used to be called the Dome District. There’s still not a lot going on in the sector, but Steve’s is a terrific place to stop in and lube up early (or late), or if you’re a little light in the wallet, or just enjoy hanging out in a no-frills watering hole with friends. Because it’s down the beaten path a bit, it’s not mobbed like Mastry’s can be, but it is starting to draw a younger, hipper crowd. Bring a group, feed the jukebox, slap some pool balls around. Drinks are strong and affordable. 933 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

Best Frat Party Flashback: MacDinton's 405 S. Howard Ave.
[map]
813-251-8999

Ever wonder where all the douche bags go on the weekends? Come quittin’ time on Friday afternoon, recovering frat boys and sorority girls (aka Tampa Bay’s newest crop of yuppies) flock to MacDinton’s for its “Crazy Happy Hour” from 6 to 8 p.m. The $10 all-you-can-drink event has ’em lining up in the streets to see and be seen. Once inside the gates, it’s crowded, it’s hot and dudes in polos are all out to get laid. Classy. It’s kinda like those parties you felt obligated to go to back when you were a freshman, before you realized how lame they were. If you’re into that sort of thing or you need a good dose of college nostalgia, MacDinton’s is the place to be.

Best Free Educational Tour (That's Fun, Too): SeaPort Adventure Tour

Run by the Tampa Port Authority, this 90-minute-or-so jaunt is an engaging eye-opener for those who may have wondered what the port looks like from the water (you have to have special clearance to get in via land), or for those who may have wondered: What the hell goes on there? You hop aboard a spacious boat at the Florida Aquarium called the Bay Spirit and take a route that hugs the coastline to the port, where over the course of several miles you can see huge industrial edifices, docks, ships and unloading equipment. What you won’t see are stevedores with hooks in their hands; dock work’s not about that anymore. SeaPort Adventure is a terrific way to get out on the water and see a side of Tampa that people don’t ordinarily get to experience. The tour runs Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. Outside the Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa, Reservations required. Call 813-905-5131.

Best Frat Party Spillover: The Dubliner 2307 W. Azeele St.
[map]
813-258-2257

If one frat party isn’t enough, you can catch the slightly tamer, less crowded version just down the street from MacDinton’s at the Dubliner Irish Pub. Of course, the Dubliner gets some spillover from its raucous neighbor, but it’s more like the cool upperclassman hangout that all the SoHo froshes haven’t yet discovered.

Best Place to Witness the Ironic Distance Between Expectation and Reality: St. Pete Catholic High School

Think only well-behaved, quiet little boys and girls attend religious schools? Then head over to Joe Paul Stadium and allow the students at St. Pete Catholic High School to disabuse you of that notion. During a football game, this bunch can get pretty rowdy. After a visit here, you might doubt the truth of Billy Joel’s classic line, “You Catholic girls start much too late.” Almost as entertaining are the parents in the stands who hurl torrents of abuse at the referees during soccer matches. 6333 Ninth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-344-4065.

Best Funky Half-Block: A Requiem: St. Pete's Central Avenue from Sixth Street to Daddy Kool

Condos, of course. That’s what’s to become of the one-time bastion of boho in the ’burg, a run-down strip of storefronts that housed some of city’s most fiercely indie businesses, ranging from hip (Surreal Bowl, Daddy Kool) to archaically frumpy (Woodies Hatbox). For years, this little stretch was a place where folks with very little money and no inclination to join the official workforce could plunk down a bit of rent and try their hand at a dream. We’ll miss the spent vibe of the place, the meandering kids, the unhurried shopkeepers. And what to make of this condo project? The market has slowed; they’re talking about a glut. It’ll be an even bigger shame if developers mow the half-block down and just let it sit. At least they didn’t take the State Theatre.

Best Place to Bring the Family Bowling: Ten Pin Lanes

Located just before the Corey Avenue Bridge on Pasadena Avenue, Ten Pin Lanes is a cool little bowling alley that makes for a great family outing. It’s small enough that keeping track of the kids isn’t a hassle; when they feel the need to stray, two pool tables, air hockey and a handful of video games will keep the little ones entertained. Friday nights feature Glow Bowling, where you can roll gutterballs under the hypnotic trance of blacklights, while Saturday nights showcase Strike it Rich (which won’t really make you rich, but might boost your ego). Plus, they have Golden Tee! Do you need another reason? Didn’t think so. Heck, try it out even if you don’t have kids. 1453 Pasadena Ave. S., St. Petersburg, 727-381-1010, www.littlecenters.com.

Best Friday Night Dance Party: Rocksteady@8 at Yeoman's Road Pub 236 E. Davis Island Blvd.
[map]
813-251-2748

Every six weeks or so, when lead vocalist/composer Jason Nwagbaraocha isn’t on the road with The Toasters, reggae favorites Rocksteady@8 perform for their hopelessly devoted fanbase at this tiny Davis Islands pub. A few hundred people pass through on these nights, some dropping in for a quick reggae fix to go with their beers, others showing up early and staying until the last notes float away. Most take a few minutes to dance to the intoxicating, groovalicious beats, the band’s roots/dub/dancehall/ska/world-beat sound prompting all matter of booty shaking, hip swinging, clapping and good-natured shouting. A great way to close out a long workweek

» See full Good Eats listing
Upcoming Events at Yeoman's Road Pub – Karaoke – Mondays – Open Mic w/Mike Tozier – Tuesdays – Infinite Groove Orchestra – First Friday of every month – Poetry 'n Lotion – Second Thursday of every month

Best Fortress of Solitude: The Tampa Streetcar

We’re all in favor of mass transit, but the Tampa streetcar has managed to remove “mass” from the equation. The beautifully constructed cars (some new, others vintage from the ’20s) run each day in a loop from downtown Tampa to Ybor City, moving the occasional tourist and few others. The line passes through Channelside and right by several large condo projects currently on the rise. More stops will be added once the construction wraps and the new downtown community takes shape. Until then — and maybe long after — go hog wild all by your lonesome. Hop a train for one at the Waterside Marriott and read a book, catch up on some journal writing, do your taxes — anything that requires fierce concentration. You can be sure no one will bother you. www.tecolinestreetcar.org.

Best Place to Feel Superior to Tourists: Clearwater's Pier 60

Well, seriously, how many places do you go that are dependably thick with tourists? Clearwater Beach is one of those few Bay area attractions that regularly draw both lifetime locals and gawking aliens in comparable numbers. Even hometowners who hate the place inevitably end up there for some reason or other once or twice a year. When that happens, the only thing to do is sigh, order a beer and start counting pairs of black socks shoved into sandals or eavesdrop on the fisherman trying to tell the Danish couple that a dolphin is a mammal, not a fish. Hey, at least there’s plenty of sun, sand, surf and skin. It could be worse — you could be at Cypress Gardens.

Best Thing About Hurricane Hysteria: Impromptu geography lessons

Now that the media tracks every stirring of wind on the planet in the remote chance that it might someday become a tropical storm or even a tropical depression or maybe just a little tropical tristesse, we’re having to brush up on our geography with every new VIPIR report. From the lower Antilles to Cabo Corrientes, from Islamorada to Cedar Key, hurricane coverage can send you to Google Maps more often than an entire season of The Amazing Race.

Best Straight Bar for Lesbians: Emerald Bar 550 Central Ave.
[map]
727-898-6054

The demographic at St. Pete scenesters’ favorite downtown hangout and weekend live-music watering hole has changed noticeably since the lovely, always-smiling Linda started pouring drinks there this year. These days, the musicians, artists, careerist cheapskates and punk-rock types are joined by a cool, loyal crowd of women who, seriously, aren’t interested in going home with you, dude. DJ Glamazon spins the tunes on Tuesdays, and the Emerald’s Wednesday festivities and any-bomb-you-want special lend new meaning to your idea of the usual dive-bar Ladies Night. It’s always good to see a local hangout evolve without losing the personality that made it great in the first place, and the most recent shift in the Emerald’s clientele only adds to its eclectic charm.

Best Lesbian Coffeehouse for Straights: Bombshell Gallery 2543 Central Ave.
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Former St. Pete Times writer Gina Vivinetto and her partner Lea Iadarola opened this funky little gallery/music venue/beer-and-coffee bar — with a lot of help from friends and family — about a year ago, and it’s since become both a requisite weekend-night stop and a highly recommended anytime pop-in. Bored on Sunday night? Come catch a movie. Need to get out of the house on Wednesday after work and looking for an open mic that doesn’t suck? Bombshell’s got you covered, with $1 PBRs until 11 p.m. to boot. Or just kick back with a book or your laptop; the vibe is always cozy and welcoming, and more often than not you can get your lips around some of Lea’s awesome grub.

Best Mom's-in-Town Scenic Drive: Roser Park

You’ve taken Mom to Clearwater Beach. You’ve taken her to Tampa Theatre. You’ve taken her antiquing on Central Avenue and in Lakeland. You’ve shown her the Vinoy and the Don CeSar and Bok Sanctuary. You even took her to the Hurricane and had to drive the rental car back after she drank two rumrunners in half an hour and whoopsied a bit into a napkin. Now, Mom’s coming back to see you for a few days, and you’re starting to freak out. Give your brain (and your guilt over gasoline usage) a break, and take her on a leisurely drive through South St. Pete’s hilly, historic, brick-paved neighborhood. She’ll love the bungalows, the shade and the sense of having stumbled on a secret; you’ll love killing at least 20 minutes of Mom’s visit (a lot longer if you get out and walk).

 Best Unexpected Pooch Parade: Purina Incredible Dog Challenge

The sun beat down on Spa Beach Park with its usual June intensity, and while registered contenders scurried, dashed, dived, leapt and wove their way to victory with affectionate encouragement from their owners/trainers, an impromptu parade of pooches was taking place. Because the bleacher stands were jam-packed with spectators, locals who’d brought their dogs along were forced to mill about in an area set up for just that, prompting plenty of snout-to-snout (and snout-to-rear) encounters interspersed with exclamations to the effect of “Oh, how cute!” and “What type of dog is that?” Watering areas drew constant traffic and doggie pools offered the furry population a refreshing break from the heat, some jumping in for a quick dip-and-shake, others sprawling languidly until impatient leash-holders dragged them dripping away. In sum, the canine-loving community was treated to an unexpected show within a show and one that was, in many ways, more entertaining than the main event.

Best Pub Porch: Limey's 1492 Fourth St. N.
[map]
727-895-2049

A staple of St. Pete watering holes. One of the few (non-beachside) places in town with plenty of outdoor seating, Limey’s wide, wraparound porch and courtyard picnic tables make it a favorite among the St. Pete scenesters. For weeknight revelry or all-out debauchery, Limey’s is always a good standby for passing the time with a pint on the porch. Hey, it even has pool, darts and foosball, too. It’s just like you’re back in Merrie Olde England but without all the Brits and bad weather.

Upcoming Events at Limey's Pub – Tyson Marshall – Tuesdays

Best Place to Get Publicly Intoxicated: The parking lots of Ybor City

As The Blotter, our weekly foray into Tampa’s underworld, has shown, if you’re getting drunk in public and pissing off the cops, odds are good you’re somewhere in Ybor City. It’s as if all that alcohol locked away behind the bars of Tampa’s drinker paradise just can’t be contained. Instead, it flows into the streets (mostly alleys) and ends up consumed by party peeps standing by their parked cars or hiding behind a trash bin. Sometimes these good people just don’t understand the law. (For the record: Ybor ain’t New Orleans, and no matter how permissible it seems, drinking on the street is a no-no.) Other times, bad lads and ladies looking for trouble find it in their red plastic cups full of Natty Ice. Bottoms up.

Has there ever been a more thrilling obstacle course of highway death than the disaster area that currently makes up stretches of U.S. 19 from Pinellas to Pasco counties? If gridlock’s not clogging this major artery, all the construction will surely slow you down. A quick check of Wikipedia reveals that, statistically, this stretch of road is the most dangerous in the United States. According to a Florida Highway Patrol study quoted on the site, from 1998 to 2003 there were an average of 52 deaths a year on this stretch of 19. Of the 262 fatalities recorded, 100 were pedestrians who got run down while walking on, near or across the road. Construction crews continue much-needed repairs, but for the time being motorists, pedestrians, workers and highway wanderers continue their endless game of chicken. Drive safe everybody. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_19#Florida.

Best Off-the-Beaten-Path Road Rage: The 8th Street N./Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Junction in St. Pete

It was bad enough back when it was two lanes — the left-turn-only lane was plenty to confuse idiotic drivers who couldn’t understand why they didn’t see three lanes on the other side of Ninth Avenue N. But ever since this little northbound merger was modified so that its two lanes filter down to one in the space of about half a block, the Eighth Street/MLK junction has become dreaded by everyone who has to use it regularly. Well, everyone except the morons who are apparently unable to sense that their lane is narrowing until they feel their front tire scraping the curb.

Best Low-Stress Way to Head North Through Pinellas: Duhme Road

It was a tough call between this and Park Street, but Duhme gets the nod just for being a lot less industrial and having prettier scenery. Beginning just before the Tom Stuart Causeway to Madeira Beach, Duhme Road (at 54th Avenue it becomes 113th Street, although lifers still call it Duhme) is a pleasant ride that so far is free of the bumper-to-bumper and stop-and-go traffic typical of U.S. 19, Seminole Boulevard and a host of other north-south arteries in mid-county.

Best Rock Climbing Venue: Vertical Ventures 5402-E Pioneer Park Blvd.
[map]
813-884-7625

The 6,000-square-foot warehouse near Sligh Avenue houses dozens of climbing routes, a bouldering cave and a rappelling wall. Opened 10 years ago, Vertical Ventures is the Bay area’s first and only indoor rock climbing gym — and because Florida’s pancake-like topography lacks natural outdoor challenges, VV is a boon to climbers, extreme sports enthusiasts and adventurers. You can get your fill of climbing six days a week; an entire day is $11 on weekdays and $12.50 on weekends; students can check it out for half price on Tuesdays and ladies for half off on Wednesdays.

Upcoming Events at Vertical Ventures – Indoor Rock Climbing – Daily

Best Place to Feel Like a Tourist: John's Pass Village and Boardwalk [map]

For those who desire the super-happy kitschy Florida experience, all roads (and waterways) lead to John’s Pass, a magical land of souvenir shops, seafood restaurants, dolphin sightings and boat cruises. Even if you’re a native, once you enter John’s Pass, you’ll feel like a tourist being catered to by a 1950s Florida Chamber of Commerce. Sand dollars, pookah shells and postcards featuring bikini-clad babes are just some of the items for sale, not to mention the T-shirts and drink coozies emblazoned with tacky phrases that you don’t find anywhere else except on T-shirts and drink coozies. Dining options abound, from the fish joints to the fine pizza at Delosa’s. After you’ve walked off dinner, stroll over to one of the ice cream shops for a cool treat to end the evening.

Best Temporary Skyline: Tie: Tampa and St. Petersburg

Growth is a constant part of life in the Bay area. In both downtowns, new buildings are sprouting like weeds and proposed projects number in the hundreds. So take a good look around, because Tampa Bay as we know it is disappearing. In its place, two vibrant urban centers are trying to take shape. For the moment, construction cranes still form the backbone of the view, but as Skypoint in Tampa and Progress Energy Florida’s new complex in St. Pete assume their permanent place in the tableau, they also usher in a wave of permanent change to our home. Whether or not the Bay area grows in anything more than this physical sense, we’ll have to wait and see. But things are definitely looking up.

Best Proof That St. Pete is Still a Small Town: Special-Event Traffic and Parking

Sometimes, the ’burg feels downright cosmopolitan, what with its art galleries, hi-rise condos and often-bustling foot traffic. You can almost feel a big-city vibe. Then, a baseball game or fireworks display comes along, or a First Friday block party coincides with a big Jannus Landing concert, and you’re forced back to the reality that downtown St. Pete is basically eight blocks and two public parking garages. It seems like every time the city hosts any sort of big weekend event, the traffic snarls and the search for parking ripples outward far beyond the average motorist’s capacity for patience. We’re certainly not in favor of turning a beautiful area into an asphalt wasteland, but a little more synergy between event coordinators and public transportation officials might go a long way toward easing the maddeningly predictable Rays game/RibFest/Taste of Pinellas chaos.

Best Way to Piss Off the Cycling Community: Tell them they look dorky in spandex

Seriously though, cyclists are a passionate bunch. After the Planet published a tongue-in-cheek opinion piece about the battle between motorists and cyclists (“Get Out of My Way,” by Anne Arsenault, March 22), we were inundated with letters from disgruntled bikers. Some of them could appreciate the not-so-subtle mocking of their helmet and spandex accoutrements, while others made not-so-veiled attacks on the writer’s gall for even publishing such thoughts. Either way, the result was impressive, and we must give props to the cyclists for speaking up for their rights to the road.

Best Win-Your-Dinner: Team Trivia at Ferg's 1320 Central Ave.
[map]
727-822-4562

St. Pete sports bar Ferg’s shadow-of-the-dome location has made it a cherished refuge for sports fans since before the Rays began their eternal losing streak. Beaten-down baseball fans have long staggered in after a game and feasted on Ferg’s tasty burgers, wings, sandwiches and fish spread. On Monday nights, the bar lets you get in on the winning and losing by hosting a free team trivia contest. Bay area braniacs team up and answer questions on standard quiz topics (you know: sports, movies, history, music). There’s more than pride on the line: First place gets 30 Ferg dollars, second gets 20 and third gets 10 (plus the winners get assorted bad hats and T-shirts). If you’re going to test your knowledge, may we offer two good pieces of advice: 1. Bring a friend who knows geography, and 2. It pays to know your Atlanta history, as the questions come from a company based there. Monday nights at 7:30 p.m.

Best Weather Detection System Named for a Deadly Snake: Volumetric Imaging and Processing of Integrated Radar (VIPIR)

It’s gotten to the point where even watching the local weather report proves to be a nerve fryer. Hurricane Jimbo tearing across the Gulf? Tornados in Wauchula? It’s a thousand degrees and Bayshore’s flooded? Oh my! Many local TV stations have upgraded their gear recently, switching to a new system for processing radar data called Volumetric Imaging and Processing of Integrated Radar, or VIPIR. VIPIR allows meteorologists to look at 3-D renderings of storms, make more accurate forecasts and keep the viewers better informed. Sounds great, and if it saves lives fantastic, but why give it a scary name like VIPIR? Isn’t the threat of a Cat-4 horrifying enough already without adding acronyms that seem coiled and ready to strike?

Best Jukebox: Abbey Road Pub 974 58th St N
[map]
727-343-0304

No, the juke at this personable little Tyrone Gardens neighborhood tavern/British pub/strip-mall sports bar isn’t cool or retro or even full-sized — it’s one of those wall-hanging digital jobs. But this year, that’s precisely the point. It’s a digital freakin’ world, and the juke at Abbey Road has almost everything. And when we say almost everything, we mean it; that pretty little touch screen is hooked up to one hell of a full-ass database somewhere. You can’t order up literally any song ever recorded (some glaring omissions include The Replacements’ Let It Be album and the entire Fugazi catalog), but the breadth of selection more than makes up for a small dearth of I’m-the-coolest-music-guy-in-the-room favorites.

Best Architectural Facelift: Mahaffey Theater 400 First St. S.
[map]
727-892-5767
http://mahaffeytheater.com

When plans for the overhaul of Mahaffey Theater began, a study determined that the adjacent Bayfront Center was obsolete and the squat, hulking eyesore was demolished in December of 2004. Mahaffey’s much-anticipated $20-million facelift began several months later and continued to the theater’s May 14, 2006 ribbon cutting, which revealed a sleeker, more visually appealing structure designed by Clearwater architecture firm Aude, Shand & Williams. Aside from necessary maintenance and upgrades to the roof, wiring, air-conditioning and plumbing, renovations included adding 30 seats the theater, extra restrooms and concessions areas to the lobby, and making improvements to the ballroom-banquet-meeting area. The most marked change, however, is the expanded, multilevel lobby, a light and airy space with windows overlooking the sprawl of lawn where the Bayfront Center once stood, and running the length of the lobby almost all the way to its “signature component”: an elegant atrium with three-story glass windows that provide a spectacular view of Tampa Bay.

Best Hookah Lounge: Meridian Hookah Lounge

Meridian is located in a strip mall near USF, and inside the only illumination is provided by a couple of black lights on the ceiling. Half-round, black velvet couches line the walls, providing little wombs of dark and smoke. The kids who run the joint know their hookah, confidently recommending flavors and mixes and getting your smoke going in less than 10 minutes. If you like the smoothness of an iced hookah, they’ll even hookah you up with that. On Thursdays, a live belly dancer snakes through the smoke to traditional Middle Eastern music, and on weekends a DJ plays an eclectic mix of slow-groove music. There’s no smoking regular cigs, but why bother when 10 bucks will get you all the sweet smoke you want. 11404 N. 56th. St., Suite 20, Temple Terrace, 813-569-7701. www.usdhookah.com

Best Place to Get Your Eye Shot Out: Jungle Games Paintball Field

It’s a dirty, often muddy place. The bunkers — a helicopter, a fire truck, some random wood pallets stuck into the ground vertically — are all covered with sticky, fresh paintball juice: your pseudo blood and guts. In effect, all is as it should be. There’s no sense in playing paintball if you’re not willing to get a few battle scars and a little (or a lot) of grime in your hair. Jungle Games is secluded and relatively cheap: You can play a game and rent a gun for about 35 bucks; plus you don’t have to buy their paintballs like some other places in Tampa. This is no place for sissies, and getting yelled at for walking around without a mask or having the safety cover off your gun is just part of the fun. Hey, THIS IS WAR — no sense in being nice about it. Located at the end of Robertson Trail off Livingston in Lutz. 727-937-1755.

Best Anticipated Makeover: Ballast Point Park 5300 Interbay Ave.
[map]

This quaint little park and fishing pier — off Interbay in Tampa, a little way past where it breaks off from Bayshore Boulevard — has long been a popular site for anglers trying to snag a lucky catch (or four) from Hillsborough Bay, but the park has also attracted the younger, playground-loving crowd and their watchful parents, and the soon-to-be lovers who parked in the lot facing the Bay to watch the sunrise over downtown Tampa or crept over to the gazebo or one of the covered picnic areas to make out in the moonlight. All poetry aside, Ballast Point Park was in need of a serious makeover. Plans were drawn last year, the work set in motion, and nine months and $400,000 later, the first part of the renovation project was presented at a May 20 unveiling hosted by Mayor Pam Iorio. Improvements included a realignment of the entry drive; expansion of the concession patio area; the addition of sidewalks, trash cans, benches and picnic tables; new playground equipment; a refurbished gazebo; and drainage and landscaping improvements. The second half of the makeover is set to occur in 2007, during which time the city will spend around $1 million to replace the wooden planks and concrete support beams of the 1,000-foot Ballast Point Pier.

Most Deeply Ingrained Smell of Vomit in a Bar Bathroom: The Brass Mug 1441 Fletcher Ave. E.
[map]
813-972-8152

Hold it in ’til you get home; get gutsy and go in the bushes behind the building. It’s not like countless metal and thrash band members haven’t done it. You’ll probably run into a couple taking a leak while you’re out there. Just avoid the ladies’ bathroom (and probably the men’s, too). Granted, most bar bathrooms are enter-at-your-own-risk, but the Mug is reserved the special honor of smelling like the collected remains of several hundred years of regurgitated Pabst and Taco Bell. The Brass Mug is a lifeline for hardcore punk, rock and metal — and we applaud the place for that. But it also may account for the bathroom stench.

Upcoming Events at Brass Mug – Open Jam – Mondays – Karaoke w/Lazer Ray – Tuesdays

Best Incessant Fringe-Culture Rumor: The Bro Bowl's Imminent Demise

Every year, without fail, somebody in Tampa’s skateboarding scene sounds the alarm: Downtown Tampa’s “Bro Bowl,” named for its proximity to the Central Park Village public housing complex, is threatened by bulldozers. The rumor spreads to hangouts like Skate Park of Tampa, and concerned skaters notify CL writers. But after a few calls to city officials, we find out there are no plans to destroy the popular skating spot in Perry Harvey Sr. Park. The latest scare was no doubt prompted by the city’s plan to redevelop Central Park Village, but Tampa’s Parks and Recreation Department spokeswoman Linda Carlo confirmed no demolition is planned for the park; in fact, the city intends to beautify it with some public art. So it seems as long as “skaters never die,” neither will the bulldozer-defying Bro Bowl. Perry Harvey Sr. Park, 1200 N. Orange Ave., Tampa.

Best Place to Find a Hooker: 34th Street and Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

If you want a tranny hooker, you go to Nebraska Avenue in Tampa. But if you want a non-tranny, drug-addicted female hooker, you have to travel to the stretch of 34th Street just north and south of Central Avenue. This area used to have a strong anti-hooker neighborhood presence that kept the working girls/guys in check. But neighborhood sources say that in the past year, the crackdown by residents and cops has slowed and the trade is back. St. Pete crime stats would tend to bear that out: Through July, prostitution arrests in the city are up nearly 32 percent over 2005.

Best Place to Break Into After Dark with Limited Chance of Being Arrested: Philippe Park 2525 Philippe Parkway
[map]
727-669-1947

A quiet, tired park on the Pinellas edge of the Hillsborough Bay waters, Philippe juts into the bay with barnacled concrete walls and short runs of sandy beach. It’s serene and bright and breezy. But the best time to visit is when it’s technically illegal to do so. Park nearby, hop over the low fence at the entrance, and take the chance on an after-hours visit during the autumn months. You’ll see the park transformed into something creepy and mysterious — the old oaks become fairy-tale haunted and the silvery moonlight through the trees makes the whole place seem unreal. A seductive getaway. Bring a friend.

This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2006.