Happy New Year to our friends downtown and on the beaches. Make a resolution to visit downtown St. Pete in 2019. There’s so much changing daily. New are Park & Play electric charging stations for this year, a collaboration between the City of St. Pete & Duke Energy.
Just saw The School of Rock will be opening, training young performers and hopefully entertaining us with their concerts. Rubio’s Coastal Cuisine from my San Diego hometown is now on 4th St. downtown, a happy dance for fish tacos and me.
930 Central Flats looks like a fun place to live and with The Reading Room around the corner for charcuterie, craft beers and vino at night, it’s a perfect location. Next door is our glamour photographer friend Valerie Bogle, who is the person to contact for Valentine’s Day boudoir shots… or any head shot for business or pleasure.
Kahwa introduced two new canned caffeinated drinks—traditional cold brew and nitro brew. Need something stronger?
The craft brew scene continues to explode downtown. Avid Brewing offers IPA and Jenga as well as home brew supplies and a gardeners’ cornucopia to freshen your living space.
Music is everywhere, with Gloria West at Marchand’s or Annata’s, Bette Fox at Ale & The Witch, the fabulous Hideaway, Ringside, Ruby’s Elixir & Jannus Landing celebrating everything Amy Winehouse Jan. 31 with tribute music. You can “Get Winehoused.” Stick Martin is at @Bar548 Jan. 18.
On February 2, Localtopia celebrates all things local with 200 vendors and community organizations will take over Williams Park as specialty villages showcase arts & culture, makers and merchants, a family zone, and more. Indulge in local food and craft beer while you listen to some of the area’s most popular local bands on the park’s bandstand. Free and family-friendly event, 10 am – 5 pm.
If you want to look your best, check out Paint Nail Bar St. Pete offering 5-free treatments (polishes without formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor, or DHP).
Love meat? Renzo’s Steakhouse is now open. Says one diner on YELP: “It’s a great little place for delicious Argentinian steak at a reasonable price. My meal was fantastic: an appetizer of Provoletta Parillera (essentially melted cheese with bread), Churrasco de Entrana (very flavorful and tender outside skirt steak), simple mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Everything was great, and we also really enjoyed the bottle of Malbec they recommended. The decor has a bit of a split personality, but the service was excellent. Two thumbs up!”
Did you know St. Pete is one of the 4 top destinations to visit in Florida?
We’re getting a lot of attention these days, for our craft beers, our dining, our world-class museums and arts including The Dali, Imagine Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater. TripAdvisor just gave Bonefish Grill, Ruth Chris Steak House and The Melting Pot a shout-out in Top Restaurant Chains in America for 2019.
Article by Nanette Wiser
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