Nephew of the Week: Michael Shaw
Michael is one of the hardest working guys in GaYBOR. Even while working several jobs, he always has a big smile on his face. Stop by Hamburger Mary’s this week and say hi.
You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up: Suncoast Memories
So many crazy things happened at the Suncoast Resort. The soda lines in the Tiki Bar were cut one day. Later that week they were cut again. Owner Lester Wolf was very upset and had cameras installed. To everybody’s surprise the bad guys were not guys at all…they were squirrels chewing the lines! Lester was very upset and grabbed his rifle. Looking like Elmer Fudd, he was hunting squirrels in the courtyard. The management went crazy and took his gun away. Lester returned with a squirrel cage to trap the animals. With a big smile and pounding his chest, Lester returned with a caught squirrel. When asked what he was going to do with it he said “I’m going to toss the cage into the pool, OF COURSE!” One of the employees overheard this and released the poor squirrel! Lester returned the next day and caught another squirrel. When asked what he was going to do with it today, Lester said “I’m taking it to a nice park and I’ll release it.” With that, he put the cage into his Rolls Royce and drove off. I guess we will never know if the squirrel ever made it to the “nice park?”
Out and About in Downtown Tampa
The fun starts in seeing the changing downtown Tampa skyline. Changes from a just few years ago: Now there’s ice in downtown Tampa? We don’t mean at the Tampa Bay Times Forum either. The “Downtown on Ice” rink set up for holiday skating is open weeknights and weekends opening at noon. It is a challenging feat for the newcomers on the ice rinks. It feels like you are really up north and not in the 80-degree weather we are presently having.
December is a very busy time and a great time to show off our great city to visiting relatives and friends during the holiday season.
The Perfect Holiday Gift
Help local LGBT youth as they turn an historic house into an LGBT welcome center and coffeehouse. This will be a safe place for LGBT youth, and will be located on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Take a look at the plans for the welcome center and coffeehouse here: indiegogo.com/projects/lgbt-welcome-youth-center
The Arrival of New San Francisco Music Boxes at MC Film
This year more new music boxes arrived from San Francisco Music Box Company. The 100-year-old company is one of America’s best-selling music box companies, making them for all holiday occasions. It is a gift that doesn’t disappoint!
Five new limited edition “Wizard of Oz”-themed snow globes, music boxes and wood jewelry boxes for your precious valuables are now available at MC Film. Also, there are a variety of horse carousels, “Phantom of the Opera” and winter glittering snow globes.
I-4 to Selmon Connector to Open… YES!
At long last, the truck route that has run through Ybor City will be changing to a connector starting in January. The new toll road is going to be taking thousands of trucks from I-4 to the 
Port of Tampa on a new roadway. More than 10 years in the making, the final touches are happening right now.
A total reconfiguration of traffic, parking, crosswalks and sidewalks on the old, beaten up 21st and 22nd Streets in Ybor City is occurring. The major changes are from Adamo Drive up to MLK Boulevard. What a great change in historic Ybor City. Less noise, less dirt, fewer big tractors and trailers and hopefully smoother roads with less potholes.
