(This is review #400!)…read more First Night 2012 was many kinds of fun, but could have been better for people who use wheelchairs. We stumbled upon First Night (most people stumble out!) when I tried to take my wife to dinner at the Columbia. I cackled louder and longer than I'd intended when I heard they were charging $50 per person. We came downstairs and bought flashing buttons for $10 each for a night of entertainment. We began with St. Petersburg Preservation's "Discover History in the Parks" treasure hunt. There wasn't much hunting involved; it was more like a self-paced tour of five tents. Most people seemed to be in it for the beads, which entirely misses the point. I insisted on being told what aspect of St. Pete's history each booth represents, and learned a lot about the 1920s. There was apparently a solarium for nude sunbathing somewhere in downtown St. Pete, though this sounds a bit more risqué than it really was: there were two areas, one for women and one for men, each surrounded by high concrete walls and supervised by employees (and employés, respectively). Sadly, we couldn't both get to the booths, as they were set back from the sidewalk by 10-20 feet, and the grassy dirt in between was impassable by wheelchair. So I asked volunteer docents to come meet us at the sidewalk, and generally they did. After that, we waited in line at Jimmy Meatballs and were entertained by the polyglot conversation as a Dutch group ahead of us figured out what everything was and what they'd like to order. I'll review the food separately when I've had some, but my wife enjoyed the sampler she chose. We watched fireworks at 9pm from the Museum of History and then sat down (you're welcome, feet! you're welcome, knees!) for an a cappella concert by Chorus Angelorum, a marvelously talented group of volunteers who sang madrigals, shanties, carols, the Beatles' "Yesterday" (arr. Boyz II Men), and the Scots version of Auld Lang Syne. I consider this hour alone worth the $10 we paid. We wandered around for a while, listening to Chris "Bucketman" Harris because we couldn't get close enough to see him or his donation buckets through the crowd, and fortified ourselves with lemonade and pretzels ad libitum. The visual art exhibits were fantastic, and I mean this literally about the Black Forest-themed installation. It was one of a handful of life-sized dioramas in storage units donated by the PODS moving service, and one of two that invited people to enter the storage unit and place themselves in the midst of art. Alas, the PODS weren't large enough to accommodate a wheelchair, and there was grassy dirt blocking our way. Artists, please expand your ideas about what people look like; next year we'd like to roll in on a ramp from the sidewalk! There were other participatory art exhibits. We later regretted that we declined the chance to get a T-shirt reading "I AM _____________" for a $5 donation and fill in the blank with markers, but we took advantage of the wireframe dress that invited people to write something on an index card and tie it to the chicken wire to make part of the dress. I wrote "DFTBA!" on mine and affixed it at the top for everyone to see. I also hung my wife's card for her because... yep, you guessed it, she couldn't get to the table or the art. We stole away at 11pm to avoid a clusterflock of pedestrian and vehicular traffic after midnight and were pleased to reach our hosts' home in time to say "Happy New Year!" at midnight. And I know we're looking forward to doing this again next year. I implore the amazing volunteers and staff of First Night to require that exhibits be set up flush with the sidewalk wherever possible, and ask exhibitors on their application forms to describe how people in wheelchairs will be able to engage with the art beginning from the concrete. First Night is magical for able-bodied people. Why stop there?

If you can tolerate walking outside in the cold night, select just a few venues to attend and plan…read moreyour times carefully, you can have a good time. In 2017, we attended jazz from the The Infinite Groove Orchestra, then went to watch the solo dance of Helen Hansen French, ate at Meze, then went for old bluegrass from Muddy River Bottom Waders, and ended at the park for modern bluegrass and other vibes from Damon Fowler and for the main presentation of Ryan Montbleau bringing his mix of rock, funk, soul folk and psychedelia for an amazing performance under the full moon. My elderly parents walked with us and enjoyed it all too.

Always had fun there! Had entertainment throughout throughout the day! The outdoor bars were a lot…read moreof fun!

Shrimp appetizer was really good and filling, it can actually be an entree. The chicken sandwich…read moreentree was really good. The whole ambiance was really welcoming and comforting.

The Canopy at The Birchwood is the perfect spot to relax with a cocktail and take in the views. I…read moreenjoyed a beautifully crafted cocktail while overlooking the waterfront, and the scenery was absolutely stunning. The atmosphere is upscale yet welcoming, making it a great place to unwind,

Came to the rooftop to have appetizers and cocktails and to enjoy the views…read more We recommend: Meat and cheese Platter Truffle fries Espresso martini!!!

A vibe - Cigar Lounge with an Eclectic Bar that has live music regularly? Sign me up…read more If you're sensitive to cigar smell/smoke it might not be for you. Music was great, bartenders were lovely and make a SOLID cocktail. Did not have food came in late night.

To be honest if you want to enjoy the local music, this place is for you. Along with this you can…read moreenjoy the delicious food

What a unique bar concept! They play "hi-fi" beats, which I had never heard before, but the music…read morefeels like a blend of '90s grooves with a touch of '70s vibes mixed in. The cocktails were excellent, and the atmosphere was unlike anywhere else we've been. Seating is limited, so be prepared for standing room only, especially as the night goes on. It definitely gets busier later in the evening, so arrive early if you'd like to grab a seat. We'll absolutely be adding this spot to our regular bar-hopping rotation!

So fun. I've been a few times. Great music and love decor. Great bar service bar tenders will…read morecustomize drinks to your taste preferences. Craft cocktail masters very talented.

We visited Pier Teaki when we explored downtown St. Petersburg on Wednesday. We parked our car on…read morethe street and took the free shuttle to the pier. Located on the fourth floor of the Pier Point structure, Pier Teaki offers a fantastic waterfront setting with beautiful views. We hurried into Pier Teaki because a thunderstorm was expected to arrive within an hour. Luckily, we found a cozy cabana where we could relax while watching the dark clouds roll in. For drinks, we ordered the NA Piña Colada ($9) and the NA Passionate Pineapple ($9). Both were refreshing, flavorful, and excellent non-alcoholic choices. We also shared the Dip Trio ($14), which was absolutely delicious and paired perfectly with the drinks. The service was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was incredibly relaxing! it was the perfect place to unwind, enjoy the ocean breeze, and take in the waterfront views. In the end, the strong winds pushed the storm clouds away, and it never rained after all. We had a wonderful experience at Pier Teaki and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting downtown St. Petersburg.

The weather cooled off beautifully last night, so my husband and I decided to enjoy dinner with the…read moresunset outside at Pier Teaki. Being on that upper deck at sunset was magical! Seating is first come first served and seat yourself. We were greeted right away and our server quickly took our order. Once we got our food, we never were quality checked and drinks weren't refilled. Not sure where our server disappeared to? Food was surprisingly good! We got an order of wings, ceviche, a smash burger, and mahi tacos. The wings were so crispy and delicious that we didn't even use any of the buffalo sauce or ranch that we ordered on the side. Highly recommend! The tacos and burger were both on point. Our only complaint was that the ceviche was super fresh and refreshing, but the knife cuts were terrible so we'd end up with large pieces of fish just kind of stuck together not fully cut apart which was a little unappetizing. All in all, we had a great experience!

Had an awesome time at annual 97x next Big thing at amphitheater as we have for the last 3 years in…read morea row! 21 pilots and monsters and Men gave exceptional performances. Walk the moon has shut up and dance W me, neighborhood has sweater weather, Andrew McMahon has Cecilia and satellite, Robert delong has super 80s song don't wait up but not all his songs are that great. We ended up skipping Robert Delong and going at fo fitty pm after half time of the Gators vs Bama Sec Championship game. I was really dissapointed that X Ambassadors didn't play later in the day because they're really good and I wanted to see them but I didn't want to be at the concert from 2PM or the whole day. Grow financial gave out green red and white glow sticks and the crowd looked amazing at night! :) Cons: I'm not a huge fan of the amphitheater venue. I prefer 97x Backyard BBQ's venue of the Vinoy Park because it's more spread out, it's on the water, and there's fun activities to do in between bands. They need to have some fun kiosks in between shows to Visit. They should cut the 30min interval in between bands to like 10 minutes. $10 parking, far from south Tampa, $12 brews, $8 funnel cakes, the lawn was so packed it was hard to find a spot to hang out. A large percentage of the crowd was a little bit younger at this show as is typical of the apt rock up and comer scene. My buddy was asking "where are these kids' parents!" lol

Panic At The Disco and Bastille headline the eighteenth annual 97X Next Big Thing, concert series…read more The lineup also includes Foster The People, Young The Giant, Chvrches, AJR, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Elle King, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Grandson, LANY and other acts. I was a bit shocked when we pulled up to the Amp and the lady said it was $20 to park. I'm a frequent patron here and have never paid to park prior to any event here. The funny thing is, my friends who came a little after us, the woman told them it was $45 to park. Hmmmm a wee bit fishy since they parked in the same area as us. Even Jimmy Buffet, who is a major headliner didn't have "paid" parking, you just couldn't get into the parking lot without proof of having a ticket. The musicians all put on great acts. Bastille was definitely my favourite of tonight's artists. The Coordinators of the event did a great job ensuring that plenty of vendors kept the crowd entertained. Each tent had company spokeswoman/spokesman that interacted with the crowd and gave the typical concert/event freebies, koozies, bottle openers, ponchos and carabiners. They made sure to stagger the drawings for prizes (each had stipulated that you must be present to win). If you were interested in a particular prize, you knew exactly what time to be present at the booth. The way they were set up meant you would miss seeing 1/2 of the lineup if you were trying to be present at drawings. We all had a good time, and I was very intrigued that they let you "upgrade" your tickets free by patrons giving them your ticketed seat and they gave you a better ticket. Very smart on their part since the event wasn't sold out.

Excellent choice for live music and drinks. Inside and outside seating with outside stage area…read more Full bar offerings but no food. They do permit outside food and there's a nice choice of restaurants in the area.

I just think management should know the lady working on June 13th at 12-1 is declining customers…read morebecause they claim they are not getting tips. She also insulted us. I understand not serving people who are rude or drunk (which we were neither) but insulting and calling people the names she did. I think they should have a legitimate reason, and to not insult and abuse their power of working there. Also we hadn't cashed out yet, so there was no way to tip until we cashed out. We would love to talk to a manager because the guy working acknowledged there was no issue, but the female denied serving and this isn't the first time we've seen this from her.