Live In St. Pete

SatMornMarket

Among my favorite things to do is visit the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Petersburg. What started out small on a single block of Central Avenue has grown into a huge market, now taking up the entire parking lot of Progress Energy Park (Al Lang Stadium, for those of us who have lived here more than a few years).
It’s wonderful to see all the interesting wares, fresh produce, live music and delicious foods that the market has to offer. (I even did some of my Christmas shopping at the market this year.) Even better is to see lots of folks walking around downtown. After the market, many people meander along Beach Drive or towards Central to brunch or lunch at their favorite spots.
In the summer, the Market takes shelter in the parking lot of the Mahaffey Theater. It was remarkably cool and shady when I went last before the market returned to its primary location. I’ll look forward to that spot for a change of scenery when the weather changes.

HolidayLights-crop

It’s wonderful to live in a city with waterfront parks and warm weather! This Friday we kick off the holiday season (although the street decorations are already up!) with the annual lighting of the tree in Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg. The park transforms into a glittering wonderland that’s just something to see. Plan an evening downtown at one of our great restaurants along Beach Drive or Central Avenue, or wherever you like.

From the City of St. Petersburg’s web site, www.stpete.org, here are the details: Nov. 27 – Holiday Tree Lighting and Park Activities.
N. Straub Park, Beach Dr. and 5th Ave. N.E. 5 to 7 p.m. Come out to celebrate the holiday tradition of the Mayor flipping the switch and lighting the holiday tree with Holiday lights across the waterfront. Activities begin at 5 p.m. with holiday entertainment featuring The St. Petersburg Community Band, Gulf to Bay Chapter, Inc. Sweet Adelines and Radio Disney. Blanket Seating and concessions available.
5 p.m. Mayor Baker’s daughter – Julann Baker performs; 5:15 p.m. – Gulf to Bay Chorus – Sweet Adelines International perform; 6:15 p.m. – St. Petersburg Community Band plays; 7 p.m. – Mayor Baker switches the LIGHTS ON!! and the Community Band plays during the closing ceremony. Festivities continue with the Holiday Movie in the Park. 727-893-7441.

ElectricMarina

On the approach to the Pier in downtown St. Petersburg you’ll find The Electric Marina Boat Rentals. Of course they’ve got kayaks and water bikes to play around in Vinoy Basin, but I was surprised to learn about their sailboats and electric boats. Every Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. they offer free 10 minute rides so you can try it out.
In addition to the recreational rentals, talk to Nancy Frainetti about purchasing an electric hybrid yacht. Find out more about the marina at www.electricmarina.com, or about the yacht sales at www.EndeavourGreen.com.

MountedPolice

Imagine my surprise to look out my office window and see police on horseback sauntering down Beach Drive! It turns out that today was the official unveiling of our newest law enforcement team – two mounted units, on horses named Brooklyn and Jacob who came to us after the Boston, MA, police department disbanded their 12 horse mounted division.
Check out the story that the St. Petersburg Times posted just after noon, apparently just before we saw the horses.
It’ll be interesting to what impact this new twist on police presence will have in the ‘Burg!

burgblastscreenshot

I’ve been getting Jon Labudde’s Weekly ‘Burg Blast for a while now, and I love it! It’s a fantastic highlight of what’s going on in downtown St. Petersburg and beyond – where to go for great restaurant specials, which movie’s playing next on the rooftop of PUSH, what festivals are going on in the week ahead, who’s on stage at the Palladium, what bands are playing at Jannus or the Rare Olive, when’s the next Little Black Dress party at Table, what crazy thing is going on next at NOVA, and much, much more. I pass it along by email to anyone who’s not getting it.
Today I got an email that there’s a web site, www.weeklyburg.com, under construction where you can go if you misplace your weekly email, or if you want to check something out anytime. They’ll have sections for Calendar items, Restaurants and Businesses. Bookmark it today, and make sure you sign up for the ‘Burg Blast if you’re not getting it: e-mail mailto:weeklyburgblast@aol.com if you’re not already a subscriber.

437-scallops

OK, so I’m a fan of Diner 437, that’s no secret. But I have to say that one of the reasons I go there so frequently is because they use Facebook so well. Chef Domenica frequently posts on her personal profile, but every day or two the Diner’s page posts what the special is, or is going to be.
Last week, about Wednesday, Chef posted that the Friday special was going to be seared sea scallops with bacon brittle. Bacon brittle? What the heck? I was intrigued and had to see for myself. I mentioned the upcoming special to my Mom, and she caught the fever, too. Well, Friday I got crazy busy, and told Mom I couldn’t spare time for a decadent lunch. One of my appointments for mid-day cancelled, so Mom piped up again, asking if I could use that time to go – she was really insistent!
So off we went and sidled up to the counter to witness Chef in action. The meal was spectacular, as we expected. So – bacon brittle really is like peanut brittle made with bacon instead. It was incredible! We even had the dessert special after seeing a counter “neighbor” order it – homemade chocolate banana bread pudding with some luscious creamy sauce. We don’t do dessert often, but this was way up there on the “worth-it-meter.”
But back to the point. Diner 437 is an excellent example of how to use Facebook to promote your business. Staying in front of your “fans” and reminding them why they want to do business with you, without trying to “sell” them can have awesome results. I can say for sure I wouldn’t be there nearly as often if I weren’t “teased” by knowing whatever the Chef’s coming up with.
I think it’s said best when, after only a month and change, Chef posts that they ran out of the daily special at lunch, or that there was a wait for dinner seatings. In this economy? Yeah, I think word-of-mouth has taken on a new level with social media, and I think Diner 437’s doing a great job of utilizing it.

Costa-BlancaTsunset6

OK, so it’s not a St. Petersburg sunset. I travel a lot, and this shot was taken a few days ago in Costa Rica, in the Guanacaste region. After ten days in CR, though, I have to say that I was really happy to be home in St. Pete.

Hard at work in Phoenix.