photos and descriptions of what makes our world a pleasure
emphasis on Florida and the Tampa Bay area but also far beyond

April 2008

Honolulu’s Maunakea Marketplace

April 25, 2008
Thumbnail image for Honolulu’s Maunakea Marketplace

Too often, when people think of Hawaii, they think only of Waikiki. Waikiki is beautiful. Even the locals enjoy its energy and fun. Fascinating, I think, is that actual people live in locales that most of us consider exotic. They have a day to day existence there, they work there, grow old there, have families [...]

Tagged as: , , , ,

Pass-a-Grille Beach

April 16, 2008

Everyone here has a favorite get-away-and-think beach spot. For one friend, it’s an isolated dog-beach where owners and pets can run and mingle. For another, it’s a sandbar off Fort Desoto where, at low tide, one can walk out to an island and, at high tide, swim back. For me, it’s down at Pass-a-Grille Beach, [...]

Tagged as: , ,

Skyway Jack’s

April 9, 2008

By now, you must have guessed that my favorite Food TV show is Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” If not, then you’ll be convinced of it after this post. Neither St. Pete or Tampa (anywhere in Florida?) is a 24-hour town. Both are better than they used to be, but I still haven’t yet [...]

Tagged as: , , ,

The Taco Trailer

April 6, 2008

Taco Trailer front door No one remembers the real name of this restaurant; everyone just calls it the “Taco Trailer,” although, properly, it’s probably a bus. We all favor the alliteration, though, so “Taco Trailer” it is! On the left, the trailer; on the right, the building; between, outdoor dining; beyond, more outdoor dining Unfortunately, [...]

Tagged as: , , , , ,

Wat Mongkolratanaram — Palm River Thai Temple

April 6, 2008
Thumbnail image for Wat Mongkolratanaram — Palm River Thai Temple

temple front If you take the 50th Street exit off the crosstown expressway, go south across the Palm River, turn left at the first light, and then, soon after the railroad tracks, turn left into the big parking lot, you will be transported to a different mindset, a completely different approach to life and being: [...]

Tagged as: , , , , , , , ,

Good Shepherd International Dinner

April 6, 2008

Italian I was a preacher’s kid. Church potluck suppers often formed the mainstay of my family’s diet. Memories of those affairs are good ones. Everyone tried to outdo everyone else and we got food we never got at home. I drive a good 50 minutes to the far side of Tampa just to go to [...]

Tagged as: , , , ,

SPIFFS — St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society

April 5, 2008
Thumbnail image for SPIFFS — St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society

(Image credits for above posters: SPIFFS; left — right) SPIFFS, or the St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society, just concluded its highly successful International Folk Fair (poster above on left). Earlier this year, I attended the Asia Pacific rim Festival (poster above on right), which is under the aegis of SPIFFS. That was such a [...]

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,

Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish

April 3, 2008

Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish (1350 Pasadena Ave. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33707 — 727-381-7931; map) has been in operation for over 50 years. It’s a place locals love. I suppose there is the occasional tourist who wants something more high-falutin’ than this, but 99.99% of all the locals I know—and most tourists–dream about the [...]

Tagged as: , , ,

Unless specifically attributed otherwise, all Inkwatu content Copyright © 2008-2010 Hilton Kean Jones