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

May 2008

Shep’s Deli

May 31, 2008

One morning I walked down to the Munich train station. My hotel wasn’t serving breakfast yet, and I didn’t know where else to go. Der München Hauptbahnhof didn’t disappoint! I had beer and sausage for breakfast for the first time in my life. It was a Weißbier and a crispy, dark brown bratwurst on a [...]

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Chattaway’s

May 28, 2008

Tampa residents think of St. Petersburg as that enormous, mysterious, and unknown stretch of flatland between Tampa and the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. One never gets off the route to the beach if it is at all possible because it means getting instantly lost in the confusing (to anyone but a St. Pete [...]

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Hmong hip-hop poet

May 25, 2008

In April, as part of my SPIFFS International Folk Fair post, I briefly mentioned the Hmong people, who have a presence in the Tampa Bay Area. In this morning’s New York Times there was a very interesting and, I think, touching video on a young Hmong hip-hop poet in St. Paul, Minnesota. Now, hip-hop is [...]

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Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant

May 24, 2008

I take Mandarin classes at the Clearwater Chinese School. On my way home, I often stop at the nearby Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant for lunch (5944 34th St N # 20, St Petersburg, FL 33714, 727-521-3378). I’m very fond of Vietnamese food. Fortunately, Vietnamese restaurants abound in almost every major city in the US, including St. [...]

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The Florida Botanical Gardens

May 21, 2008
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The pictures in this post are all of the Florida Botanical Gardens and are in random order, unrelated to the text. Kids have “mountain top” experiences that key in to fundamental aspects of their intrinsic personalities and unlock an affinity that lasts for the rest of their lives. Visual memories come floating up throughout their [...]

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Old Northeast Tavern

May 17, 2008

The Old Northeast Tavern, 201 7th Ave N, St Petersburg, FL 33701; (727) 821-8070, is definitely high on my short-list of places to go when I want a quick, tasty meal in an informal setting, alone or with friends. Before I went the first time, I checked out their website. It’s an excellent website, but [...]

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As Confucius said…

May 15, 2008

Today is Bloggers Unite For Human Rights day when bloggers who participate in the program agree to post an article on Human Rights. There is a list of human rights issues at Amnesty International, an organization whose efforts I wholeheartedly support. Here are just the headings from that list: International Trade in Arms and Military [...]

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John’s Pass Village & Boardwalk (the Friendly Fisherman & Hubbard’s Marina)

May 14, 2008
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Old on top of new Once, when visiting the Roman Catholic cathedral in Mainz, Germany, I learned—and could easily see—that it was a place of worship in continuous use from the 800s right up to the present. Renovation upon renovation over the centuries juxtaposed vastly different styles of architecture: Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and 19th and [...]

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Ichiban Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

May 10, 2008

There’s already a very good Chris Sherman St. Pete Times review of Ichiban Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar (2050 16th St N, St Petersburg, FL 33704; 727-896-1101), and this is one of my mini-posts, so mainly I just heartily second Chris Sherman’s recommendation. However, I do have a few extra, quite positive, comments to add. [...]

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Mississippi Greens

May 7, 2008
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the River Strong Background In “Honolulu’s Maunakea Marketplace” we glimpsed a bit of the day-to-day life of real people living in a locale typically only seen superficially by tourists. Closer to home, but no less exotic and wonderful, are places we don’t even see because we’re looking for something “special.” I’m thinking of one such [...]

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Caddy’s on the Beach

May 5, 2008

Back before there were lots of high-rise condos littering the beach, there were mainly just little cottages to stay in and mom-and-pop snack shacks where you would eat. In both instances, you could literally walk from the back door onto the beach. Those places are a rarity now; when you find one, it’s precious. Caddy’s [...]

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Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

May 4, 2008
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Surprising people visit the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. It’s been some time since I last visited there and many new condos have been built. After two drives of the entire length of barrier islands off St. Pete and failing to find the sanctuary, I stopped for a late breakfast. On the doubtful off-chance he may have [...]

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