Visiting Tampa and Charlotte in the spring, even for a quick one or two day business trip, is a great way to start shaking the later winter blahs. While temps can cover a pretty big range, by late March you can count on trees and flowers in bloom, usually warm daytime temps and mild evenings, the occasional spring rain, along with people who have emerged from their winter cocoons walking and enjoying the spring air.
This edition of the blog will focus mainly on food. In Tampa, their are a number of very good to great restaurants. Two of my long time favorites, Bern's for steak and Oystercatchers for seafood are standouts for great food and great service. On this trip I tried a couple of new places as well and was rewarded with more great food and service at Ocean Prime and Charley's. All 4 of these restaurants are at the pricier end of the Tampa dining scene so there are no bargains here, but all of them warrant a try if you're willing to pay for great food and service.
It's hard to describe Bern's if you haven't been there. It has an old world charm along with what has to be one of the most comprehensive wine collections of any restaurant in the world. The food is prepared with painstaking precision. Most of the wait staff have 20, 30, or more years of tenure. You can tour the cellar - only part of the massive wine collection is here, the rest occupies a nearby climate controlled warehouse - the kitchen - where they grow there own watercress under lamps - and finish the meal in the upstairs dessert room. I could write pages about this place - but in the interested of brevity, if you love great steaks, great wine, great service and are willing to pay for them, eat at Bern's on your next trip to Tampa. Located outside of the downtown area in an older neighborhood, you'll swear you're going the wrong way, but follow you GPS and you'll be rewarded with one the best evenings you've ever had.
Oystercatchers, at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, with it's view of the bay and it's offerings of fresh fish
is another must do in the Tampa dining scene. Tucked into the corner of the Hyatt property away from the hotel, Oystercatcher's features an open kitchen and dining area. A very contemporary feel along with attentive wait staff and superbly prepared food are the staples that bring me back to Oystercatchers every
change I get. With a great array of special preparations or your choice of simple grilled, blackened, or pan saute'd, you select from local favorites like yellow-tail snapper, black grouper and others or classic offerings like salmon as well as chicken and steak items. They had not gotten stone crab claws in that day, but the calamari appetizer was top notch, and the blackened yellow-fin was done perfectly. Every member of our party raved about how good their meal was. As a bonus, arrive in time for sunset and you'll be rewarded with great views along with an oustanding meal.
Having eaten at both Oystercatchers and Bern's on a number of occasions, I opted to try a couple of new (at least to me) places this time - Ocean Prime and Charley's.
Ocean Prime is a contemporary, upscale mix between steakhouse and seafood restaurant. With a solid selection of prime steaks and fresh seafood, OP tends to the more casual side of fine dining with a large lounge area and an expansive patio. A solid wine list compliments the menu, servers were attentive and knowledgeable, and the overall experience was very enjoyable. The grilled grouper was outstanding and the caesar salad before lunch was spot on with just the right bite of sardine and garlic while not being overwhelmed by the dressing. While the location near a local shopping area and amidst a number for corporate office buildings doesn't provide quite the greatest ambiance, once inside you'll be happy you gave it a try.
Charley's is another great choice for great steaks and seafood. Sandwiched between a couple of national chain hotels along a relatively busy strip, once inside you'll be reminded of the old style steakhouses that use to dot the american landscape. A bit darker inside, with wood and leather in abundance, this place harkens back to the days of tux clad waiters and business men closing deals over martinis. That said, the crowd is generally much less formal, though a number of folks were still dressed for the occasion. The salt water tank at the back of the lounge area has a nice collection of saltwater tropicals, mostly Indo-Pacific oddly enough.
There was still a 40 minute wait after 8PM mid-week, so make a reservation, but once I had a taste of the bronzed grouper with the cajun/cream sauce I know exactly why it was so busy.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Cambridge MD, Tampa, Charlotte and anticipation
It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks traveling the southeast. A nice little overnight in Cambridge, MD to celebrate our 28th anniversay, a couple of days in Tampa for a marketing event and a customer meeting in Charlotte in the last two weeks really has me longing for the warm weather to come permanently to the mid-Atalntic. Oh, and the completion of an undefeated championship season of 11 year old rec basketball has made for fun Saturdays.
March 10th marked our 28th anniversary, so along with some flowers and a new Pandora bracelet I arranged for a nice little overnight at the Hyatt Resort in Cambridge, MD. While a little on the cold and blustery side in early March, this beautiful resort is tucked just off the bay near the mouth of the Choptank River on Maryland's eastern shore. Even with all of the development of the last decade there is still a sense that driving across the bay bridge puts you in a land of a different time. Once past the strip malls, fastfood outlets and hotels that crowd the bridge, the land flattens out as you roll past farms and small towns and the pace of everything begins to slow.
Pulling into the resort itself takes you past a boardwalk trail warpping around wetlands until the drive circles up to the main resort entrance. The staff wa very courteous as we were welcomed by the valet and several front desk staff. The automated chec-in kiosk was a bit slow but soon we were armed with two room keys and on our way. With numerous nautical and water fowl accents the resort fits nicely into the MD eastern shore vibe.
After settling in, we enjoyed a nice appetizer and beverage in the concierge lounge which has a beautiful full picture window view overlooking the water. The attentive staff of the lounge provided prompt service and a gracious attitude. We then headed back to the room for a quick cleanup and then to dinner. We opted for the Water's Edge Grill for an enjoyable late evening meal. We were even provided a nice little anniversay present dessert.
While not able to take advantage of all of the amenities, the resort boasts a championship golf course, a spa, and a marina, plus two other restaurants.
We definitely enjoyed our stay, leaving there very relaxed. I would definitely visit again.
March 10th marked our 28th anniversary, so along with some flowers and a new Pandora bracelet I arranged for a nice little overnight at the Hyatt Resort in Cambridge, MD. While a little on the cold and blustery side in early March, this beautiful resort is tucked just off the bay near the mouth of the Choptank River on Maryland's eastern shore. Even with all of the development of the last decade there is still a sense that driving across the bay bridge puts you in a land of a different time. Once past the strip malls, fastfood outlets and hotels that crowd the bridge, the land flattens out as you roll past farms and small towns and the pace of everything begins to slow.
Pulling into the resort itself takes you past a boardwalk trail warpping around wetlands until the drive circles up to the main resort entrance. The staff wa very courteous as we were welcomed by the valet and several front desk staff. The automated chec-in kiosk was a bit slow but soon we were armed with two room keys and on our way. With numerous nautical and water fowl accents the resort fits nicely into the MD eastern shore vibe.
After settling in, we enjoyed a nice appetizer and beverage in the concierge lounge which has a beautiful full picture window view overlooking the water. The attentive staff of the lounge provided prompt service and a gracious attitude. We then headed back to the room for a quick cleanup and then to dinner. We opted for the Water's Edge Grill for an enjoyable late evening meal. We were even provided a nice little anniversay present dessert.
While not able to take advantage of all of the amenities, the resort boasts a championship golf course, a spa, and a marina, plus two other restaurants.
We definitely enjoyed our stay, leaving there very relaxed. I would definitely visit again.
Fun with PC's!!! A slight diversion from the travel life.
Are manufacturers ever going to figure out how to build quality into their products? HP hasn't figured it
out yet - here's a brief account of further HP personal computer hell. In the first episode, the primary hard drive in one of our home computers failed less than a year from purchase. After 3 weeks, half a dozen phone calls and several levels of management I still didnt' have a replacement. Eventualy they blamed "not having that size HD" in stock - WHAT? The eventually agreed to let me by one at a local
office supply store and send them the bill for reimbursement. Why they didn't just send me the next avaialble size is mystifying.
Now for the current episode. Shut down my PC before our anniversary overnight. The next afternoon it would not turn back on. An hour on the phone gets me to "seems like the motherboard is dead, we'll ship you one and have a tech come out to install" since it's only 6 months old and under full warranty. 5 days later, tech installs new motherboard and nothing. Next up is to wait for an empty box from them to pack
and ship my PC off, with 7 to 10 day turnaround time.
For the record, this is two mid-to-upper end HP desktop PC's each with a major system failure at less than one year, including one that resulted in $700 for a HDD recovery service to get the data off of my wife's dead drive.
out yet - here's a brief account of further HP personal computer hell. In the first episode, the primary hard drive in one of our home computers failed less than a year from purchase. After 3 weeks, half a dozen phone calls and several levels of management I still didnt' have a replacement. Eventualy they blamed "not having that size HD" in stock - WHAT? The eventually agreed to let me by one at a local
office supply store and send them the bill for reimbursement. Why they didn't just send me the next avaialble size is mystifying.
Now for the current episode. Shut down my PC before our anniversary overnight. The next afternoon it would not turn back on. An hour on the phone gets me to "seems like the motherboard is dead, we'll ship you one and have a tech come out to install" since it's only 6 months old and under full warranty. 5 days later, tech installs new motherboard and nothing. Next up is to wait for an empty box from them to pack
and ship my PC off, with 7 to 10 day turnaround time.
For the record, this is two mid-to-upper end HP desktop PC's each with a major system failure at less than one year, including one that resulted in $700 for a HDD recovery service to get the data off of my wife's dead drive.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Virgin no longer
It's been just about 24 hours since the motor clicked on and the first drop of ink was punched into my right shoulder. While still a bit tender, it looks so wicked I can hardly believe I waited till mid-way through my 49th year to get my first tattoo.
What started as a hypothetical discussion 4 years ago, days after my Open Water dive certification, has now come to it's awesome realization. Over the last 4 years as the dives rolled by I continued to gain a more and more profound appreciation, awe really, for the life in our oceans. I pondered whether to get a tattoo, when it would make sense, where to put it and what exactly it would be: reef scene, ship wreck, diver and flag.
As the pictures I took underwater began to improve, the idea of basing the tattoo on something I had shot underwater began to take shape. See some of my images here: Underwater Pics at Heresyourshot.com
Once I found the artist and decided on the time, we discussed two ideas: a reef scene with a combination of corals and fish, or perhaps a single fish or set of fish. Reviewing some of my pictures with Uncle Pauly we ultimately decided on doing a flight of rays.
With some sketches in hand and some last minute thoughts, what had once seemed so foreign - I never really thought of myself as a "tattoo guy" - now seemed a very natural expression of my love of diving. Using this picture as the initial basis:
Pauly researched rays, looked at many photos, and had sketched out an awesome representation.
From first drop to completion was just a bit over 3 hours. While it stung a bit more than I expected, the excitement and anticipation of seeing the completed work made the time fly by. While still a bit tender and a bit red, I can't believe how great it looks after one day.
Sweet.
What started as a hypothetical discussion 4 years ago, days after my Open Water dive certification, has now come to it's awesome realization. Over the last 4 years as the dives rolled by I continued to gain a more and more profound appreciation, awe really, for the life in our oceans. I pondered whether to get a tattoo, when it would make sense, where to put it and what exactly it would be: reef scene, ship wreck, diver and flag.
As the pictures I took underwater began to improve, the idea of basing the tattoo on something I had shot underwater began to take shape. See some of my images here: Underwater Pics at Heresyourshot.com
Once I found the artist and decided on the time, we discussed two ideas: a reef scene with a combination of corals and fish, or perhaps a single fish or set of fish. Reviewing some of my pictures with Uncle Pauly we ultimately decided on doing a flight of rays.
With some sketches in hand and some last minute thoughts, what had once seemed so foreign - I never really thought of myself as a "tattoo guy" - now seemed a very natural expression of my love of diving. Using this picture as the initial basis:
From first drop to completion was just a bit over 3 hours. While it stung a bit more than I expected, the excitement and anticipation of seeing the completed work made the time fly by. While still a bit tender and a bit red, I can't believe how great it looks after one day.
Sweet.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Dive Control Specialist certification at last
After a year of waiting and wondering what was taking so long, I finally received my Dive Control Specialist certification today. I am now officially a dive professional. SSI Dive Con is a combination certification for Dive Master and Assistant Instructor, and qualifies me to assist in classroom and pool instruction, teach scuba skills update, and lead divers underwater.
Suffice to say that after passing the DCS exam a year ago, I've been a bit frustrated at not having my c-card. Seems that all of my paperwork got lost somehow, got resubmitted (or so I thought after I signed everything again), yet still month after month rolled by, all the while being assured that everything was fine. Turns out the final piece to this puzzle was the DAN (Diver's Alert Network) Emergency O2 Provider class - it's just no one told me I needed this until last week. So I tracked down an instructor, took and passed the class Tuesday night, turned in my paperwork today, and VOILA - I get an email from SSI with my dive professional credentials.
Next step in my pro dive career will be to take the OW (Open Water) intstructor's course. Meantime, I'll dive as often as possible - next up is the Turks and Caicos islands the first week of April.
Suffice to say that after passing the DCS exam a year ago, I've been a bit frustrated at not having my c-card. Seems that all of my paperwork got lost somehow, got resubmitted (or so I thought after I signed everything again), yet still month after month rolled by, all the while being assured that everything was fine. Turns out the final piece to this puzzle was the DAN (Diver's Alert Network) Emergency O2 Provider class - it's just no one told me I needed this until last week. So I tracked down an instructor, took and passed the class Tuesday night, turned in my paperwork today, and VOILA - I get an email from SSI with my dive professional credentials.
Next step in my pro dive career will be to take the OW (Open Water) intstructor's course. Meantime, I'll dive as often as possible - next up is the Turks and Caicos islands the first week of April.
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