Hilton
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Hi, I’m Hilton, your friendly Inkwatu blogger. I’ve lived in the Tampabay area since 1969, with the exception of a few years following my retirement from the University of South Florida School of Music where I was a Professor of Music and am now Professor Emeritus. Most of that time, I was so caught up in day to day responsibilities that I didn’t notice where I was. Finally, after retiring and moving away for awhile and then returning, I discovered that This Was Home and I loved it here. I’ve seen it with new eyes, ever since. There’s a list of helpful links on this site for the Tampa Bay area of things I enjoy. And, bit by bit, I hope to describe, and have snapshots of, the places and things and people that mean so much here. Most of my life I lived on the Tampa side of the bay, but now I live in St. Petersburg. I believe St. Petersburg is a model city for the future because its downtown is so human friendly. Downtown has many shops and restaurants, few of which are national chains. The shops are not tourist traps. They include real business: architectural firms, galleries, furniture stores, antiques, bookstores, niche businesses of various sorts. And they are all close together in a pedestrian pleasurable core with many condos, old-style boarding houses, little B&Bs, boutique hotels, and single family homes. And parks! Parks hidden everywhere. If you are a stranger who plans to visit St. Petersburg and Tampa, I hope you find some things here that interest you so you’ll seek them out in real life. If you’re a local, I hope you rediscover some things that will make you smile. This blog mainly contains descriptions and photos of places, events, food, people, arts, and ideas in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Florida. Occasionally, however, it will cover the same things in locations to which I travel. In the “real” world, I’m a composer and performer of classical music. Here’s a free sample of some of my music — Salve Regina, composed by Hilton Kean Jones, performed by Robert Helps, San Francisco, 1999 |
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Listening to Salve Regina and looking at some of the photos you’ve taken — particularly on the piers, particularly of the birds — and I begin to get a sense of the man. Tampa Bay (as I’m sure any location — maybe Beijing?) is lucky to have you. I look forward to meeting you real time.
David
Kind words–thanks, David. Looking forward to meeting you in Beijing. All the best…
Hilton
Aloha Dr. Jones-I am a student of Lucy’s-her Psy 275WI class-we all adore her. I am developing my first blog-but just getting started so I do not want a seasoned blogger to see mine yet. She has offered your website as an example and think it is wonderful. I am a foodie and enjoyed the pics of food and restaurants! Will send you my URL when it is ready-Thank you- Sheryl Ross
Aloha! Here is the very beginnings of my blog-boy do I need advice-yours is so vibrant and alive. I want to do that with education like you do with food and travel. Any advise is welcomed. I have been ill-but well now-so I hope we can “talk” often. Mahalo Nui Loa! Sheryl Ross
May I ask what INKWATU means? I have been enjoying your posts immensely since stumbling onto them during a web search for things to entertain my out-of-town guests. Thank you!
Hi Elaine
I’m very glad you’ve enjoyed the posts. I enjoy writing them and taking the pictures for them.
You’re the first person to ask, on the site, what Inkwatu means. It’s just a made up word I came up with about eight years ago. There was an internet company–I think it was Yahoo, but I don’t remember for sure–that, instead of the term, “username,” that most companies use now–used the word “alias.” I think it was because the company allowed the user to have several different identities, they called aliases. I was never very good at devising clever usernames that didn’t sound too dumb or obvious. I sighed and said to myself, “I never know what alias to use!”
Now, composers have a peculiar affinity for codes and things kind of mathematical so it occurred to me that the first letter of each of the words in that sentence created a collection of consonants and vowels that, linguistically, somehow made it sound like a “real” word in some unknown language. So…I adopted that as my username. Later, it became my email address, and then eventually, the name of my blog.
I’ve heard many guesses as to what language it might come from, what it might mean, how it was pronounced. I’m pleased to share that it’s just a made up word because I never knew what alias to use.
Hilton
Thank you for sharing the story of your “handle.” and again, thank you for sharing your experiences; it truly has helped me find MY Tampa Bay!! -Elaine
Thank you for your site.
I was born in St.Petersburg and never fully appreciated it. I couldn’t wait to go to college out-of-state, move up here to New England and conquer the world. It has only recently dawned on me how truly beautiful St.Pete is, and how much I’ve missed being there. (My theory is that this year’s seemingly endless winter caused an epiphany, and I have now realized that I have been dreadfully homesick for years). Like Dorothy, I now know that I need not have looked past my own back yard for my heart’s desire.
Until I can click the heals however, reading sites such as yours are a nice temporary substitute.
This long pier is so much fun!! I fly down from Chicago every year in October. The weather is like 82 degrees everyday and the fish are biting. I love fishing on a wooded pier, it’s easy on your feet if you want to fish for 8 hours. The birds will entertain you or beg from you. Keep your lunch closed up tightly. This pier is a real working pier, it can be smelly at times, some bird poop about, but it is a natural setting. People from many nations on vacation visit this pier, I just wish they brought their fishing poles with them! They would have a blast!
I bring my freshwater tackle, 20 lb test line, with a wire leader…No. 6 hooks with fresh frozen shrimp. You can catch almost anything with that. Even a smaller hook, is just as good.
Good luck in fishing, Sue
Thanks for the great comment, Sue!
Hilton! INKWATU is super groovie. What a great article you wrote about Oktoberfest. Thanks for the props. (to all; 2 of those are my young kids dancing with the Gulf Coast Enzianer Schuhplattler) And yes Café Vienna…uhuh jaaaah….ser gut!
chipneville
Hilton, I just stumbled on your blog while looking for breakfast (so – am heading for Jo-El’s). I love the insights and will be sampling more of your recommendations. I blog from a different perspective – exploring the merits of retiring early to Florida from some less eccentric part of the world – but it’s clear that I have found some “living room” here. Your blog helps with the furnishings. Thanks.
Newt
I just stumbled on your blog from urbanspoon.com. I love it that you showcase local restaurants. I’m going to try some of your recommendations.
Hi Hilton,
Wow! What a HUGE change from choir days at St. Lawrence on Himes Avenue! You introduced me to Pachelbel’s Canon back in (circa) 1984 – ring a bell? Funny how life takes us all in different directions. Wayne’s in Boise, ID and works at a TV station as a sales rep; Erin is a Chef at Ten-22, a restaurant in Old Town Sacramento. Try real hard, I know we’ll pop back into your memory (good or bad!)
Take care, hope things continue to go so well for you, it looks like you’re having a blast!
Phyllis Bright Karr
realty it’s very nice site
This long pier is so much fun!! I fly down from Chicago every year in October. The weather is like 82 degrees everyday and the fish are biting. I love fishing on a wooded pier, it’s easy on your feet if you want to fish for 8 hours. The birds will entertain you or beg from you. Keep your lunch closed up tightly. This pier is a real working pier, it can be smelly at times, some bird poop about, but it is a natural setting. People from many nations on vacation visit this pier, I just wish they brought their fishing poles with them! They would have a blast!I bring my freshwater tackle, 20 lb test line, with a wire leader…No. 6 hooks with fresh frozen shrimp. You can catch almost anything with that. Even a smaller hook, is just as good.Good luck in fishing, Sue
+1
I was looking for reviews for Ben Thanh restaurant when I came across your blog. Thank you for all the work that you put into the blog.
Hi Hilton,
Just wanted to tell you how funny it is that we both live in the Tampa Area (me for thirty five years) with siblings that live in Hawaii. I found your sister’s blog from searching for a liliquoi butter recipe and found you through her blogroll. My brother has been on Maui for thirty years and flies to the Big Island frequently as he works for Sunshine Helicopter. He is an ole Florida boy, we grew up in Melbourne. I send him Sonny’s barbque sauce, grits, yellow rice, garbanzo bean soup, hush puppy mix, and raw peanuts to make boiled peanuts! Nice blog you have and I really like your sister’s blog. Batten down the hatches, it’s almost Hurricane party season!
That’s great. Thanks for reading. What my sister craves from here are the Cuban style crab cakes. She took some home, frozen, on the plane last time.