Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Obie’s Things to do in St. Petersburg – Tampa, Florida

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Saint Petersburg

–Maazzaro’s Coffee & Italian Market – amazing selection of great gourmet Italian food, eat in or take out, catering. 2909 22nd Ave N, St Pete, Beyond Lowes/Home Depot, 727-321-2400

–Melting Pot – 4th Street and 23rd Ave North, St Pete, FL

–Moon Under Water – Beach St. between 3rd and 4th Ave N. St Pete, British Bar with Indian flare.

Old North East Tavern – Fun bar with good food for the locals. 201 7th Ave North, St Pete

Parkshore Grill – 300 Beach Dr NE # 104, St Pete, FL‎ – (727) 896-9463‎ Expensive but good downtown St Pete, water view dining.

–Red Mesa Mexican Restaurant – on 4th Street and about 50th Ave North, St Pete, GREAT authentic Mexican food.

–Taste for Wine – 241 Central Ave, St Pete, (727) 895-1623. – Second floor of building overlooks central Ave. Wine by the glass, nice place to unwind.

–Ted Peter’s Famous Smoked Fish – 1350 Pasadena Ave S. Pasadens, St Pete Beach 727-381-7931, 100,000 pounds of smoked fish per year, try the mullet

Tampa

Aquaknox, The Weston Tampa Bay Airport, 7627 Courtney Canpbell Causeway, Tampa. 813-675-8700 Glitzy waterfront, water encased walk-in wine tower, open kitchen

–Big John’s Alabama BBQ, 5707 N. 40th St., Tampa. 813-620-0603 area has a half dozen good spots

–Bern’s Steak House, Tampa. One of the largest wine cellars in the world, tour the kitchen and wine cellar. Have desert and a port in the barrel rooms upstairs.

SideBerns, 2208 W. Morrison Ave, Tampa. 813-258-2233 Next door companion to Burns,

–Channelside – Chain restaurants and bars. Howl at the Moon Piano bar. Nice place by the water with a movie theater (In Downtown Tampa).

–Dubliner, The Outdoor Irish bar in Hyde Park, corner of Azeele St and Howard Ave

Las Palmas Café: 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. 813-907-1333. Traditional Cuban food

–Ybor City, Tampa: Many places restaurants, bars clubs. Great Sushi at Samari Blue – Neat “warehouse” type restaurant atmosphere. Don’t stay out past 11PM because it can get rough here.

Surrounding Cities

Caddy’s – Beach bar -  9000 W Gulf Blvd, Sunset Beach, FL 33706

Frenchy’s – Causal Fish Dining – Clearwater FL,  various locations

–Gator’s – St John’s pass, St Pete Beach, boasts the largest “Water front Dock bar” anywhere… pull up in the boat and eat there…Also a “boardwalk” with a number of restaurants on the other side of the pass from Gators.

Hula Bay Club, 5210 W. Tyson Ave, 813-837-4852, Waterfront Bar and Grill at Marina

–Informal fish rest/bar on the bay side in Pass the Grill, St. Pete Beach ???

Salt Rock Grill – water front Dining- 19325 Gulf Blvd Indian Shores, St Pete Beach, FL

Enjoy!

RO

Obie’s Things to do in Chicago

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Jazz and Blues Clubs

Buddy Guy’s Legends – Premiere blues club, open 7 nights, 754 Walbash,  312-427-0333

Jazz Showcase – 59 W. Grand & Clark, 312-670-2473

Andy’s Jazz Club – 11 E. Hubbard, 312-642-6805, early start

Blue Chicago – 1 cover, 2 locations, 4 blocks apart  Blues@bluechicago.com

  • Blue Chicago # 736 Clark, 312-642-626
  • Blue Chicago # 536 Clark & Ohio, 312-661-0100,

Howl at the Moon – Dueling pianos! – Near Dearborn & Hubbard

Back Room – Quiet & classic, 1007 N. Rush, 312-751-2433

Green Mill – 4802 N. Broadway, 773-878-5552, Northend

Kingston Mines – 2 live bands per night, 2548 N. Halsted

Second City Comedy Club – 1680 N. Wells, 312-644-4032

Restaurants

Café Ba Ba Reeba – Spanish Tapas; 2024 N. Halsted, 773-935-5000

Billy Goat Tavern – “hole in the wall” 3 blocks from Courtyard Hotel

Fogo de Chao – Brazilian featuring 15 different meats, 661 LaSalle, 312-932-9330

Mambo Grill – Mexican, 412 North Clark, 312-467-9797

Geja’s – Fondue, 340 W. Armitage, 773-281-9191

Maggiano’s – Italian with a piano bar, North Clark, 800-983-4637

Scoozis – Fun Italian, good bar, see and be seen, 410W. Huron, 312-943-5900

Twin Anchors – BBQ ribs, 1655 N. Sedgwich, 312-266-1616

Greektown – Lots of Greek restaurants, Greek Islands, Artopolis, 200 S. Halsted

Chicago Pizza – Try Uno, Due, Gino’s East, Giordano’s, etc.

Charlie Trotters – Top 10, 816 W. Armitage, 773-248-6228

Mortons of Chicago – I’m not into steaks but it’s a great Steakhouse, 1050 North State, 312-266-4820

Downtown London… interesting places you don’t find in a travel book

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Wine Bars

Gordon’s wine bar… A MUST, basement down Villiers St. next to Charring Cross Station. Very old, buy a bottle and drink it in the arched candle lit rooms or outside in the courtyard.

Cork and Bottle Wine Bar… almost as neat as Gordon’s, wider wine and food selections. In the basement with interesting little carved-out rooms. 44-46 Cranbourn St. just off Leicester’s Square near the tube stop.

Bedford & Strand Wine Bar… 1A Bedford Street just off the Strand near Charing Cross, nice selections and atmosphere. Not as crowded.

Café Des Amis…upscale wine bar near royal Opera House and Covent Garden, Bow St to Horal to 11 Hanover Place (alley) 020 7379 3444

The Savoy Hotel on The Strand is a famous old hotel and really neat to just go, have a glass of wine and take in the atmosphere

Covent Garden…good shops, stalls, good street performers, nice wine bar/restaurant in bottom of stall area, great restaurants and pubs.

Mexican

La Perla Mexican Bar… 28 Maiden Lane, WC2 near Covent Garden. Mexican food and drinks.

Also Café Pacifico… 5 Langley Street, W2 Locations in Paris also.

Wahaca Mexican Market Eating… Neuvo Mexican, Maiden Lane Covent Garden

Jazz & Blues clubs

Ronnie Scotts…premier jazz club of London. Frith street in SOHO, go to listen not great food, some great acts some mediocre

“Ain’t ‘nuthin But” blues club on Kingly St., near Oxford Circus and Carnaby Street, young crowd, somewhat seedy, may not like it, local blues bands, open mike Sunday starts 4pm.

“Spice of life” blues, Cambridge Circus, Tuesdays

“Adelaide Road Pub”, blues, Clark Farm tube station, Tuesdays

“Heathcote Public House” blues jam Leytonestone tube station, E11 bus, Wednesday

“Globe Public House”, blues, Morning Lane E8, Monday

“Town Hall”, blues, Mare St., Bethnal Green tube station, Bu 254

Around London

Dirty Dick’s Pub, near the Liverpool Street Station, financial district (One of???) The oldest Pubs in London, est 1745.

Great Queen Street, Queen Street, Traditional English food

Carnaby Street, Oxford Circus, good shopping, trendy shops, Liberty dept store, great Soccer/Rugby store, interesting pubs

Camden Town, lots of “crazy” young people; too much “flea market” to imagine, ethnic food, old London Locks/Boats, very crowded on weekends , really neat but had a real bad fire and I am not sure how much is left.

Old Spitafield Market, the Brickline Market and the High Sunday Market. New and old things and lots of ethnic food from everywhere in a very crowded and diverse neighborhood. Similar to Camden Town, near the Liverpool tube stop

SOHO, “Bohemian” area, very, very interesting people watching, china town….be careful

Tourist musts

Greenwich observatory museum, take the Thames river boat shuttle, great views, stand on the prime meridian, read about the longitudinal clocks before you go, I love mechanical antiques.

Tower military museum, really great dark ages armament neat tour by the beefeaters, royal jewels.

Westminster Chapel, very historic. War rooms.