Creative Loafing Tampa — December 8, 2022

PUBLISHER James Howard

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa

DIGITAL EDITOR Colin Wolf

MANAGING EDITOR Kyla Fields

STAFF WRITER Justin Garcia

FOOD and THEATER CRITIC Jon Palmer Claridge

FILM & TV CRITIC John W. Allman

IN-HOUSE WITCH Caroline DeBruhl

CONTRIBUTORS Josh Bradley, Julie Garisto, Alexandria Jones, ArielleStevenson

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Decker, Phil DeSimone

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5 Story

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jack Spatafora

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joe Frontel

ILLUSTRATORS Dan Perkins, Cory Robinson, Bob Whitmore

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SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Anthony Carbone, Scott Zepeda

SeaWorld in February, animal rights claiming the practice of keeping wild dangerous. But even though public many don’t see a parallel between the kind and the practice of displaying animals asking for too much? Or is it time for a “entertainment” animals?

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR

Alexis Quinn Chamberlain

at SeaWorld in February, animal rights claiming the practice of keeping wild and dangerous. But even though public widespread, many don’t see a parallel between the kind Vick and the practice of displaying animals activists asking for too much? Or is it time for a “entertainment” animals?

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Lauren Caplinger

EUCLID MEDIA GROUP

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Andrew Zelman

Music: Tampa Bay Blues Fest 40

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERS

Music Week ...................................................42

Chris Keating, Michael Wagner

Concert review: Artic Monkeys 42

Music: Tampa Bay Blues Fest 40

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sarah Fenske

Music Week ...................................................42

The List ..........................................................46

VP OF DIGITAL SERVICES Stacy Volhein

Concert review: Artic Monkeys 42 The List ..........................................................46

REGIONAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Hollie Mahadeo

Movie reviews 63

Free Will Astrology.........................................64

Movie reviews 63

Puzzler ...........................................................66

Free Will Astrology.........................................64

DIGITAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Jaime Monzon

Savage Love 69

Puzzler ...........................................................66

Savage Love 69

euclidmediagroup.com cltampa.com cldeals.com

EDITORIAL POLICY — Creative Loafing Tampa is a publication covering public issues, the arts and entertainment. In our pages appear views from across the political and social spectrum. They do not necessarily represent the views

Creative Loafing Tampa is published by Tampa Weekly, LLC, 633 N Franklin St., Suite The physical edition is available free of charge at locations throughout Tampa Bay and online at cltampa.com. Copyright 2021, Tampa The newspaper is produced and printed on Indigenous land belonging to Tampa Bay’s Tocobaga and Seminole tribes. Our main number: (813) 739-4800 Letters to the editor: comments@cltampa.com Anonymous news tips: cltampabay_tips@protonmail.com

The work contains hundreds of photos celebrating the relationship-deepening, horizon-expanding, joy-inducing nature of travel. Becca McCoy is back on stage in Tampa Bay, p. 43.

How was your Date? cltampa.com/movies cltampa.com/PartyPics

tampa.creativeloafing.com/cltv

How was your Date? cltampa.com/movies on cltampa.com/PartyPics

twitter.com/cl_tampa facebook.com/cltampa editors Connects,

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Ybor Festival of the Moving Image cltampa.com/arts

Ybor Festival of the Moving Image cltampa.com/arts

Ho yeah

Give yourself the gift of movement this weekend.

By Ray Roa

Who needs a partridge in a pear tree when you’ve got party boy Pat Maroon? The three-time Stanley Cup champ (aka “Big Rig”) is the emcee for onBikes’ annual holiday Winter Wonder Ride and fundraiser, which is being dubbed the “Ho Ho Hoedown” thanks in part to musical headliner, country duo Locash (stylized “LOCASH”).

For the uninitiated, Maroon, is the Tampa Bay Lightning’s resident Florida man, and really the only guy you want to hand the mic to at a party. Locash, fresh off a single “Beach Boys” with Mike Love & Bruce Johnston are no strang ers to the area, having played NHL playoff parties at nearby Sparkman Wharf. The event at The Curt starts at 2 p.m., while the costumesencouraged ride through downtown and up and down Bayshore Boulevard kicks off at 4 p.m.

A bike valet is included—and don’t worry about drinking and riding because you have until 11 a.m. the next day to pick up your bike. Money raised helps the nonprofit onBikes pur chase and power volunteer builds that provide hundreds of bikes for at-risk and foster kids. onBikes 11th annual Winter Wonder Ride: LoCash, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N Ashley Dr., Tampa. onbikes.org

Veg out VegFeast is one of the best ways to sample all of the vegan treats that Tampa Bay has to offer—and it’s finally back for another year.

From sushi, cupcakes, hot dogs, artisan cheeses and more, next weekend’s 4th annual VegFeast will feature a range of local plant-based busi nesses, vendors, and makers. Read more on p. 34. VegFeast IV, Saturday, Dec. 10, noon-4 p.m. Free to attend, bring money for food. Good Intentions, 1900 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. @vegfeast.fl on Facebook

Go streaming Next weekend brings a barrage of motorized boats to the waters near downtown Tampa, but on Saturday, something more serene lands on the shores of the Hillsborough. About five miles upriver, nonprofit environmental groups Friends of the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay Sierra Club welcome boats—and especially paddlers—to get in the water, all decorated and shit complete with battery oper ated lights, for a short trip to Sulphur Springs as part of the “Hillsborough River Holiday Boat Parade.” The route officially launches at the Lowry Park boat ramp just before sunset, and goes to the Bird Street overpass, then paddles back. Life jackets must be worn at all times, and the deadline for mandatory advanced reg istration is Saturday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. Heavy rain will force a cancellation, but if it sprinkles, you’ll have plenty of company—some years there have been as many as 200 people. Hillsborough River Holiday Boat Parade Sunday, Dec. 11, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Free, registration required. Lowry Park boat ramp, 1204 W Flora St., Tampa. 813841-3601. bit.ly/3D6jn4d

PAT-RIDGE IN A PEAR TREE: Pat Maroon MCs the onBikes Winter Wonder Ride on Saturday.

Drei Day: Events to get you in the holiday spirit

Every day, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay readers submit events to the CL event calendar. We’ve pulled out some of the best local events happening this week, with a special focus on the holidays. So have a look, put this paper down, call a friend, and get out there. To be considered for this listing, please submit your event at cltampa.com.

Holiday Spirit of Lights Festival Stroll through downtown Clearwater’s holiday lights and experience an extra special night of holiday festivities, with free family activi ties including glow in the dark putt-putt mini golf, train rides, bounce houses, crafts, face painting, Kona Ice, and special holiday picture opportunities. Enjoy festive carolers, bands, live music, stilt walkers, The Grinch, Elsa, Ana, Olaf, reindeers, and Santa. This is a free event with free parking! Friday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Free. Downtown Clearwater from Cleveland Street to Osceola Avenue and East Avenue. downtownclearwater.com

Celebrate Outreach: ‘Still... No Room in the Inn’ Sing at homeless shelters and other sites in downtown St. Peteg. People of all ages, professions, economic condi tions, beliefs, and singing abilities carol together at this joyful holiday tradition, united by their support of decent hous ing for all. The evening ends with cookies and hot chocolate. The caroling reminds us that 2,000 years after Jesus was born as a homeless refugee there is still “no room in the inn” for many in Tampa Bay. Celebrate Outreach is a coalition of St. Petersburg area faith-based aid groups. Friday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Free. Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Mirror Lake DrDr. ive N., St. Petersburg. celebrateoutreach.org

Nicole

brings her “In The Mood Tour”, which is not just a celebration of the internationallyacclaimed techno producer, DJ, and artist’s highly influential record label and global party brand, but also a back catalog of incendiary house and techno releases, and a range of philanthropic endeavors. Saturday, Dec. 10, 9 p.m. $40 & up. PTL, 1507 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. ptlybor.com

Regi Oliver Benefit Festival: Selwyn Birchwood Birchwood has organized a benefit concert for one of his dearest friends and bandmate for the past 13 years, Regi Oliver. One year ago, a sizeable aneurysm was discovered in the right frontal lobe of Regi’s brain and despite all efforts, the only option remaining is brain surgery. The benefit concert will take place at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa on Sunday, December 11, 2023. Other performers joining Selwyn for these shows are Joey Gilmore, Damon Fowler, Shawn Rounds, Bobby Blackmon, Josh Miller and some surprise guests. Sunday, Dec. 11, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Skipper’s Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Rd., Tampa. skipperssmokehouse.com

Chase the Dreidel 5K Chase a life-sized Dreidel down 58th Street and the Pinellas Trail on a chip-timed, police-monitored course. Families and walkers are welcome. New this year are hand-made ceramic medals for all runners as well as t-shirt, swag bag and potato Latke supper. Sunday, Dec. 11, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. $36 & up. Congregation B’nai Israel of St Petersburg. 300 58th St. N, St Petersburg. tinyurl.com/chasethedreidel2022

Moudaber & Juliet Fox Moudaber

Big things

Photos by Phil DeSimone and Tracy May

Acommonly used phrase at last weekend’s 21st annual 97X Next Big Thing was “end of an era.” Don’t worry, it had nothing to do with the legendary festival ceasing to exist next year. It just meant that for some bands and artists—specifically Machine Gun Kelly, lovelytheband, and The Maine—it’s time to scrap their own respective “fresh outta COVID” era, and move onto new horizons. Luckily, the artists preparing for the holidays found it in their hearts to end their year— and current era—in the Sunshine State, no matter how familiar they are with Tampa. Read a full review of the festival and see more pictures via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Josh Bradley

POLITICS ISSUES OPINION

End of the road

By Justin Garcia

Tampa’s Police Chief Mary O’Connor has resigned after less than a year on the job. She submitted her resignation less than a week after public records requests by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay unearthed body cam video showing her flashing her badge to get out of a traffic violation on a golf cart.

A press release sent Monday says Tampa Mayor Jane Castor—who appointed O’Connor just nine months ago despite a contentious police chief search and pushback from the community— requested and accepted O’Connor’s resignation.

Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw, a 25-year veteran of the department, will serve as acting chief while a comprehensive national search is conducted.

Last Friday, Castor announced that O’Connor would be put on administrative leave, while an internal investigation was launched into the golf cart incident on Nov. 12. The release added that the investigation conducted in part by Captain Patrick Messmer has concluded.

O’Connor and her husband Keith were pulled over in Oldsmar by a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy for operating a golf cart on a pub lic road without a license plate. In the video, O’Connor can be seen flashing her TPD badge and telling Pinellas County Sheriff Deputy Larry Jacoby that she is the police chief in Tampa. She then asks if he is recording the stop and says “I’m really hoping that you’ll just let us go tonight.” After receiving her business card, and thank ing each other for their service, Deputy Jacoby let the couple go.

Castor—who is running for re-election in March—said in the press release that TPD has a code of conduct that includes high standards for ethical and professional behavior that apply to every member of our police force.

“As the Chief of Police, you are not only to abide by and enforce those standards but to also lead by example. That clearly did not happen in this case,” Castor wrote. “It is unacceptable for any public employee, and especially the city’s top law enforcement leader, to ask for special treat ment because of their position. Public trust in Tampa’s police department is paramount to our success as a city and community.”

O’Connor was confirmed as chief last March in a 4-2 vote by City Council, with the two no votes coming from councilmen Bill Carlson and Orlando

Gudes. Her confirmation followed heavy criticism regarding lack of transparency by the mayor in the selection process, and concerns over a 1995 incident where O’Connor assaulted a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy during a DUI stop.

During the incident, O’Connor, who at the time was an officer with TPD, was riding in the passenger seat of a car when her future hus band, Keith, was pulled over on suspicion of DUI by a Hillsborough County Sheriff deputy. Keith—at the wheel again during this latest incident—was charged with drunk driving, and deputies claimed O’Connor kicked the windows

the release. “Which is one of the reasons that the disappointment today runs so deep. I had high hopes for Chief O’Connor, as she was off to such a strong start by reducing violent gun crime, proac tively engaging with our community and focusing on officer wellness. But these accomplishments pale in comparison to the priority I place on integrity.”

The disposition letter from the TPD Professional Standards Bureau investigation says that O’Connor compromised her and the city’s professionalism and eth ics, adding that the evidence found the chief in violation of TPD policies.

It also does not say if or how O’Connor was made aware that the video was being released, but in a lengthy email to TPD sent around the same time the video was released to CL, the chief told officers, “I want you to hear it from me first prior to news stories circulating.”

LOCAL NEWS

The findings show that O’Connor called Castor to make the mayor aware of the incident on Nov. 30—that’s 18 days after the traffic stop and over a week after CL first submitted a pub lic records request for the video. It was also the

In her resignation letter, O’Connor said that she became the chief “against all odds,” adding that she promised to serve the community she loves to the best of her abilities. “I feel like I’ve done just that,” she wrote. She listed off some of her accomplishments, like tak ing over the community forums started by her predecessor, Butch Delgado, who was acting chief following the retirement of Brian Dugan. She also touted her own efforts to focus on the wellness of officers through the chaplaincy program and the introduction of a therapy dog.

and punched a deputy when she was put in the back seat of a patrol car. The future police chief was charged with assault on an officer, obstruc tion and disorderly intoxication.

“This is especially disappointing because I gave Mary O’Connor a second chance, as I believe in second chances for people,” Castor continued in

same day that CL was informed by PCSO that the public records team was preparing the video for release the next day. Castor did not see the video until Dec. 1, the same day the bodycam footage was released to CL.

The investigation does not say what com pelled O’Connor to tell Castor about the incident.

“I would never want my personal mistake to stand in the way of the progress I have made in mending relationships between the police depart ment and the community, so for that reason, I am resigning,” O’Connor added. “I plan to use this time to reflect and spend time with my family and chil dren before moving on to any future endeavors.”

“This is especially disappointing because I gave Mary O’Connor a second chance.”

HAIL MARY: O’Connor (right) said that she became the chief ‘against all odds.’

TAMPAPD/TWITTER

TPD chief resigns after flashing badge to get out of ticket.

ShoppingHolidayat Press pause

TPD chief leaves amid questions over body cam mute function.

By Justin Garcia

Apolice body camera provider says Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor’s claim that the mute function on TPD cameras can’t be tracked is inaccurate. On Nov. 18, O’Connor sent council a memo saying that camera com pany Axon’s software can’t track the use of a mute function.

O’Connor resigned 17 days later after a pub lic records request unearthed body cam video showing the chief using her badge to get out of a traffic stop (read more on p. 13). It’s unclear how her departure will affect the work being done to address the mute function on TPD body cams.

City council had requested O’Connor to look into the use of the function because it has caused controversy around the country after being used by police in highly sensitive situations.

“Since August, the Tampa Police Department has been working with Axon regarding the tracking of a body-worn camera’s mute feature,” O’Connor wrote in the memo. “Currently, Axon’s software does not have this func tionality. Axon frequently upgrades their software, and they realize that several cus tomers have inquired about this functionality.”

But after an article about the memo was published by CL, Axon sent an email respond ing to O’Connor’s statement. An Axon press representative said that both the sleep and the mute function on the body cameras can in fact be tracked by the software, and sent an example of how the tracking works via a report from an anonymous body camera. “The audit trails for each individual device indicate if a camera is recording in mute or if it’s in sleep mode, as well as duration,” Axon wrote. “Thus, mute and sleep mode can indeed be tracked.”

When O’Connor sent the memo to city coun cil claiming the mute function can’t be tracked, council planned to remove the discussion of body cameras from the agenda item for the Dec. 5 city council meeting. But after CL’s article about the subject, council changed course and requested that O’Connor or a representative of TPD appear to discuss the issue.

However, O’Connor asked the council for more time. “I spoke with Chief O’Connor this morning, and due to some additional informa tion, she’s asking for a continuance so there’s more time to figure out what’s going on,” Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak said.

Hurtak added that O’Connor had not given a date yet, and Hurtak offered the tentative date of Jan. 5, which council approved.

In Axon’s statement to CL, the company made it clear that there is not yet a way to track the sleep and mute functions outside of

downloading the audit report, but added, “it’s important to note that use of sleep and mute fea tures is captured within the device audit trail.”

In her memo, O’Connor also mentioned that TPD and Axon will work to “find an automated solution” to the tracking function. But city coun cil didn’t ask TPD to find an automated function. Councilmembers were concerned that the mute function has been used in situations around the country, such as police shootings and wrongful arrests, thus obscuring police transparency. It’s why departments like Saint Pete Police have opted not to use mute or silence functions. Earlier this year, council asked TPD if there was any way the mute function could be tracked.

In the last paragraph of her memo to council, O’Connor said, “The Police Department conducts regular quality assurance audits of many dif ferent things, including the random review of body camera video.”

Nowhere in the memo sent to council does O’Connor mention that there is the ability in Axon’s soft ware to track the sleep and mute functions. At last week’s meeting, Councilman Bill Carlson chimed in on the situation, saying that he hopes the report back from TPD next year is transparent.

“We’ve seen a lot of information coming out that, although it may seem technically accurate, it’s not exactly accurate and may be mislead ing,” Carlson said. “And so I would encourage in the [TPD] report that’s coming back that we be transparent and accurate with the informa tion that’s given.”

A Tampa police officer in August 2020.

Under pressure

By Arielle Stevenson

Voting unanimously last week, St. Petersburg City Council opted out of the county’s new Tenants Bill of Rights in favor of its own. That’s after Pinellas adopted a new bill of rights in August, strengthening some protections for renters. St. Petersburg appears, so far, to be the only city in the county choosing to use its own bill of rights instead.

“We found out that there’s been some differences between ours and the counties that actually make the county’s more favorable to tenants than ours is. And I gotta say, that’s disappointing,” council member Richie Floyd said.

In the county’s guidelines, landlords are now required to give notice of late fees and rent increases of more than 5%. The county prohibits source of income discrimination meaning land lords can’t just deny someone because they’re using a government voucher. Those receiving public assistance often are subject to rental property inspections within five days. The county increased that number to 10 days.

“We have an ongoing housing crisis wreak ing havoc on working-class tenants of our city,” Karla Correa, with the St. Pete Tenants Union or SPTU said last week. “You’re sending a clear message that poor people aren’t welcome to live here in the Sunshine City.”

William Kilgore with SPTU says they con tacted the city and county housing authority about inspection timelines.

“They both confirmed that five days is not enough in all cases,” Kilgore said. “And that’s why the county made it 10 days.”

Former council member turned community and neighborhood affairs administrator Amy Foster says the housing authorities were, “fine with the five-day timeline,” when they intro duced it originally to the city ordinance.

“The county has the 10-day timeline, which certainly has, you know, a bigger window for those inspections to happen,” Foster said.

The Bay Area Apartment Association’s Eric Garduno cautioned council against adopting the county’s stronger protections.

“I think there’s a lot of vagueness and other possible unintended consequences that could come about as a result of the ordinance in par ticular,” Eric Garduno said.

“The only consequence is that their industry is finally being regulated,” Correa said.

In a 6-1 vote, the council approved an ordi nance amendment prohibiting certain types of income restrictions, mandating landlords accept government assistance as part of move-in costs. Council member Ed Montanari voted against the measure.

The city is essentially saying that the Tenants Bill of Rights, despite some admittedly weaker protections, is better than nothing. This comes after the council voted not to pursue rent control, not once but twice. Chaired by realtor/ council member Brandi Gabbard, the Housing Land Use and Transportation committee, or HLUT, voted against even a symbolic housing state of emer gency declaration. Millions of dollars have gone to developers for affordable housing that has waitlists five years long. Even St. Pete’s pursuit of tenant’s right to counsel sits in committee after months of meetings.

“The right to counsel issue came before the committee in April,” Bruce Nissen, labor histo

“There doesn’t really seem to be much dis agreement that it shouldn’t pass,” Nick Carey, of Faith in Florida, said. “But it’s just sitting there.”

A final vote on the ordinance is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 8.

Tampa rents are actually going down

After spiking to record levels over the last two years, Tampa’s grossly engorged rental market finally began to cool down this month. According to a report released last week from online rental giant Apartment List, average rents in Tampa decreased by 1.4% month-overmonth in November.

As of now, median rents in Tampa are currently at $1,421 for a 1-bedroom apart ment and $1,753 for a two-bedroom, says the report. Tampa’s 1.4% rental decline surprisingly exceeded the national trend, which saw a 1.0% average decrease. Overall, Tampa was one of 93 of the nation’s 100 largest cities which witnessed decreased rents this month.

city for rent in the nation, and it’s currently cheaper to rent in places like Seattle, WA ($1,716), Long Beach, CA($1,686), Austin, TX ($1,662) and Orlando to name a few. But according to the report, there are worse places to rent in the Bay area than the Tampa. Average rents in St. Pete, for example, are currently at $1,345 for a one bedroom, but The Sunshine City is also wit nessing the fastest annual rental growth rate in the area at 3.2%. Wesley Chapel, home of a Texas Roadhouse location and a big outdoor shopping plaza, is currently the most expensive area to rent in the Tampa Bay metro at $1,671, but it also saw the biggest decrease in rates this month with -2.3%, and a whopping -6.5% year over year.

The report follows similar trends of cooling across the country over the last few months. A report released last month from Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast and University of Alabama, showed that 38 of 100 measured housing markets across the county experienced a slight decline in rental prices in September.

rian and local activist, said. “It’s now December. And we haven’t heard anything, it hasn’t yet been passed.”

The SPTU says they’ve seen an uptick in evictions and local legal aid organizations aren’t taking new people. Rent control resulted in a hours-long bitter council showdown back in August. By contrast, tenant’s right to coun sel seems favorable to Mayor Ken Welch’s administration.

While November’s dip in rents is certainly a relief, it’s import to note that Tampa’s rental market is still overwhelming bad. According to the report, while year-over-year rent growth in Tampa currently stands at 2.4% (a significant slowdown from 2021’s 33.4% jump), the market is still bloated by 39.1% since the start of the pandemic in March 2020

It’s also worth mentioning that Tampa cur rently ranks as the 26th most expensive large

“It seems that an increase in supply helped relieve the pricing pressure on rental units around the country – and that’s exactly what had to happen,” said Ken H. Johnson, Ph.D., an economist in FAU’s College of Business.

“The added supply appears to have come from delivery of units under construction, an increase in unit density and the conversion of many Airbnb-type units to long-term rentals.”

—Colin Wolf

WRITE STUFF: St. Pete City Council bucked a county tenants bill of rights.

St. Pete adopts its own tenants bill of rights.

In the running

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor makes re-election campaign official.

By Justin Garcia

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor filed for re-election on Nov. 28. As of now, Castor faces two oppo nents, Jeff Godsell and Belinda Noah, both Republicans. Castor was a longtime Republican before switching to Democrat ahead of her first bid for mayor, which she won against the late busi nessman and philanthropist David Straz in 2019.

During the past three months, Castor has raised over $36,000 under her Tampa Strong PAC. Most of the donations have come from development, construction and business inter ests—which marks a trend of where Castor receives a majority of her financial support. Over half of Castor’s election PAC dona tions have come from development interests. Tampa’s nonpartisan mayoral election takes place on March 7, 2023. Other municipal posi tions are up for grabs too, including city council. Earlier this month, former Senator Janet Cruz, the mother of Castor’s longtime partner Ana Cruz, announced plans to run for Lynn Hurtak’s district wide city council seat.

During her first term as mayor Castor navi gated the city through the COVID-19 pandemic and launched a massive water and sewer infra structure repair program. A statement from her campaign team touts her increasing access to affordable housing, enhancing workforce devel opment, improving government services, and making resiliency and sustainability a central focus for Tampa.

ELECTIONS

Critics of Castor’s have pointed out situa tions such as the City Center at Hanna Avenue project, which experts say violated state law in its bid ding process. Castor kept it a secret for six months that she had approved the project. She also hid from the public that the City of Tampa is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for its crime free multi-housing program, which targeted Black renters for eviction. Meanwhile, she clashed with city council members, claiming that they needed to have more transparency and accountability. Read more via cltampa.com/news.

Making a splash

Native American charged with misdemeanor after protesting Tampa’s Columbus statue.

By Justin Garcia

ANative American man of the Choctaw Nation has been charged with a second degree misdemeanor after protesting Tampa’s controversial Christopher Columbus statue. The man, whose name is being withheld for now out of concern for privacy, is facing a charge of criminal mischief with less than $200 in damage after attending a protest on Oct. 15. At that protest, fake blood made of water and food coloring was thrown on the Columbus statue by protestors. Several people also placed bloody handprints all over the statue.

The Choctaw man’s notice to appear in court was delivered by the Hillsborough County court on Nov. 23, more than a month after the event and during Native American Heritage Month. He is currently set to appear in court in January, but the date is subject to change as he has obtained legal counsel to represent him.

The protesters were there in October because, for Indigenous people, Columbus rep resents pedophilia, slavery, rape and genocide.

It’s well documented that the explorer, who was lost and found himself in Hispaniola, committed brutal atrocities upon the peaceful Indigenous people he found there. He even fed Native babies to dogs in front of horrified parents.

Natives have protested the statue for 30 years, but their cries have been ignored by the City of Tampa.

On that day in October, the Choctaw man was pulled over by several TPD officers when leaving the protest, but was released without incident. CL asked TPD why he was pulled over but released, and why it took over a month for him to receive a charge.

TPD said that the man had splattered a container filled with red dye on the Columbus Statue in the presence of TPD officers, causing damage that required Tampa Fire Rescue to assist with the removal of the dye.

“[He} was stopped by officers as he attempted to leave after committing the act,” TPD’s PIO wrote. “Officers ultimately decided to direct

file charges with the State Attorney’s Office (SAO) rather than take [him] to jail. The onemonth delay in charging [him] would need to be addressed with the SAO.”

TPD said that charges were also direct filed for an additional individual who splattered the dye. The State Attorney’s Office for District 13 hasn’t responded to request for comment.

His notice to appear in court was delivered on the day before what most people call “Thanksgiving” but what Natives refer to as a National Day of Mourning due to the fact that the holiday actu ally represents the violent colonization of North American Natives.

Today, the fake blood has been washed away from the Columbus Statue, which is now sur rounded by a tall chain link fence. The FIA says the fence was erected in response to the group’s event to honor the National Day of Mourning in front of the Columbus statue.

The group still held the event, but couldn’t pray for their Native ancestors near the statue because of the fencing—which is where they usually prayed in past years.

LOCAL NEWS

The Florida Indigenous Alliance says that in response to the man’s charge, the group is reaching out to Native groups around the coun try to join them in “condemning Tampa as a place of hate” and to fight TPD and the state attorney’s charges against the man.

Sheridan Murphy of FIA told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the city’s decision to fence off the property is a violation of the federal American Indian Religious Freedom Act. The act says that any site classified as a ceremonial site by Natives shall be accessible to Natives for ceremonial use.

“They wouldn’t let Native people on a site to pray that we’ve prayed at consistently over time,” Murphy said. The group has filed a com plaint with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights.

SAW RED: Fake blood made of water and food coloring was thrown on the Columbus statue.

DAVE DECKER

“Natives have protested the statue for 30 years, but their cries have been ignored by the City of Tampa.”

Still rolling

HART CEO narrowly avoids suspension as investigation gets underway.

By Justin Garcia

In a tie vote on Monday, Hillsborough’s public transit board narrowly decided against sus pending the CEO who’s under investigation over allegations of a toxic workplace and mis conduct of a top executive.

The motion to suspend Adelee Le Grand was made by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) Board Chair Pat Kemp after months of turmoil that saw over 57 administrative level employees leave or be fired from the agency. Former high ranking offi cials have alleged a toxic workplace and unethical behavior by Le Grand.

best practice. I don’t see a reason to make an exception here.”

Kemp continued by saying that she wasn’t making assumptions or determinations about what the outcome of the investigation will be, but still believed suspension was best.

Six board members voted yes for the sus pension, while six voted no. A tied vote meant the motion to suspend Le Grand failed. Just before the vote, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor argued against Le Grand’s suspension.

LOCAL NEWS

At the meeting, Kemp argued that for the investigation to be uncompromised by Le Grand still running the organization, she must be suspended during the proposed 60-day investigation.

“We have this incredible repeated turnover of key administration and management staff, we also have repeated allegations of a toxic work place,” Kemp said. “To conduct an independent investigation of this kind, suspension is the

“I disagree, Chair Kemp,” Castor said. “We brought Miss Le Grand in to right this organization, to provide leader ship for it. And she has done a great job for the almost two years she has been here.”

Castor said she hadn’t heard evidence of a hostile work environment, despite former employees saying it on the record, and a leaked resignation letter from Le Grand’s fourth com munications director that called Le Grand a “dictator and a tyrant.”

Castor also said that she hasn’t seen evi dence of double-dipping by a top executive at HART, despite the Tampa Bay Times report ing on it last month.

What Castor said at Monday’s meeting echoes what she said at a meeting last week, where she advised the board to not suspend or remove Le Grand. Castor used herself as an example, saying, “I’ve been involved in a lot of investigations in my lifetime.”

Castor’s defense of Le Grand happened on the same day that she accepted Police Chief Mary O’Connor’s resignation (read more on p. 13). Castor requested the resignation after Creative Loafing Tampa Bay unearthed body camera video of O’Connor using her status to get out of a traffic stop. Earlier this year, Castor pushed for O’Connor to be police chief, despite a chorus of concern over O’Connor punching a cop during a 1995 DUI stop.

Currently, Tampa Police Department is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for its racially-biased crime free multi-housing program, which both Castor and O’Connor oversaw.

During the meeting, Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera voted the opposite of Castor and supported suspension, but with caution. He said that without passing

judgment on Le Grand, it would be best for her to be suspended because the work environment was “acute” no matter who was at fault. “With hesitation I go for suspension,” Viera said.

County Commissioner Gwen Myers also voted for the suspension. “We know that Miss Le Grand has come in and has met the require ments that this board have asked her to do,” Myers said. “And at the same time, there have been some concerns from the employees who worked there.”

Myers said that the concerns about a toxic workplace go back to earlier this year, when the board started receiving emails from anony mous employees and noticing that there was a high turnover at HART.

“And now we as a board have let it get out of control somewhere,” Myers said. “We didn’t do anything when it was first brought to our attention, and now we’re at a place today whether she’ll be suspended or remain in her job.”

HART board directors who voted against suspending Le Grand include Mayor Castor, Gil Schisler, Rena Upshaw-Frazier, Melanie Williams and Tyler Hudson. Directors who voted for Le Grand’s suspension include Kemp, Myers, Viera, Marvin Ray Knight, Michael Owen, Joshua Wostal.

SAY GWEN: Commissioner Myers said, ‘We didn’t do anything when it was first brought to our attention.’

Bird shit

Sure, let’s listen to Elon when it comes to the First Amendment.

By Jeffrey C. Billman

Itook a break from Twitter this week. It wasn’t intentional. I didn’t do it for my mental health or as an act of protest, nor did I delete my account. Elon Musk might be doing his best to make Twitter the next MySpace, but its fate doesn’t depend on whether I stick around not paying $8 a month to share a blue check with neo-Nazis.

I’ve set up accounts on Mastodon, Post, and Hive for future use, but the former is inscrutable, and the latter two are … I’m not sure. (I do not have a Truth Social account for the same reason I don’t drive a pickup with Truck Nutz on the back.) In any event, whenever the bird app crashes and burns, something will take its place as a hub for journalists and academics to trade information. As long as that thing isn’t TikTok, I’ll be fine.

own the libs by leaking internal documents to Taibbi, which included a congressman’s personal email and the names of Twitter employees who were immediately targeted by the redpill mafia.

INFORMED DISSENT

And those documents revealed that, uh, no one really pressured Twitter executives to do anything. They thought the story was sus and decided to squash it on its own, citing an internal policy against promulgating hacked materials— which pretty much everyone who lived through the 2016 campaign thought the Post story was.

The only feedback they got was from Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who told them they shouldn’t restrict the story even if it was bullshit.

Amid blowback, Twitter reversed its censor ship of the New York Post’s laptop story within 24 hours.

In any event, the exercise was relaxing. And on Friday night, when Musk and his pal Matt Taibbi released the ”Twitter Files”—inter nal documents about Twitter’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 elec tion—I thought I’d maybe take Twitter vacations more often.

Despite a lot of hype, the documents them selves were … less than revelatory. We knew already that Twitter, like Facebook, had removed links to the New York Post’s scoop about Hunter’s laptop, a weird story that popped up just before the election with all the markers of a disinformation, which didn’t stop the Post from jumping in with both feet.

In short, a guy who runs a laptop repair store in Delaware said that someone dropped off Hunter’s damaged Macbook Pro but never picked it up. So the store owner shopped the hard drive, which had thousands of Hunter’s emails about business deals, to Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon—credible people, those two—who gave it to the Post after other media outlets, being unable to verify the hard drive’s legiti macy, passed.

Over the last few months, experts hired by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CBS News have confirmed that the emails appear to be real, so the Post is taking a vic tory lap.

Stopped clocks, etc.

Musk—having spent a fortune to buy a company he has no idea how to run then fired everyone who knew what they were doing— decided now would be an opportune moment to

Taibbi also reported—sitting down?—that the Trump White House and the Biden cam paign sometimes flagged posts to Twitter execs, and sometimes Twitter execs removed the con tent. One set of tweets the Biden campaign apparently asked Twitter to delete apparently contained Hunter’s dick pics, pulled from his laptop without his permission. Another was of Hunter smoking crack and getting a foot job (I don’t mean a pedicure).

Musk deemed this worthy of a fire emoji.

In a Truth Social post, Trump deemed this worthy of doing away with the Constitution: “So, with the revelation of MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION in working closely with Big Tech Companies, the DNC, & the Democrat Party, do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”

It’s news, of course, that Twitter complied with the Biden campaign’s request to remove the candidate’s son’s homemade porn—though, according to Taibbi’s reporting, Team Biden never asked Twitter to throttle tweets about Hunter’s business records.

It’s probably bigger news that an announced candidate for president who is under federal investigation for inciting an insurrection to install himself as president thinks he should be anointed president now because a private com pany didn’t promote oppo about his rival’s son.

But let’s keep our focus on Musk, who runs what is (for now) the most influential social media site in elite journalism and politics. Responding to a screenshot of a Twitter employee saying they’d “handled” the Biden campaign’s request to remove the Hunter porno, Musk tweeted: “If this isn’t a violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment, what is?”

He then added: “Twitter acting by itself to suppress free speech is not a 1st amend ment violation, but acting under orders from the government to suppress free speech, with no judicial review, is.”

This was enough to give Tucker Carlson frothing at the mouth: He said the docu ments “show a systemic violation of the First

Amendment, the largest example of that in modern history.”

I don’t have space to explain all the ways that’s wrong. But the short version is that the Biden campaign is not the government, a request is not an order, and Twitter is a private company. The First Amendment restricts the government. The First Amendment protects Twitter’s right to run its own business.

If you don’t like the way Twitter made con tent decisions, you could always buy the company for $44 billion, welcome back white suprema cists, and watch your advertisers run for the hills and your users try to figure out what the fuck Mastadon is.

It’s a free country, man.

Rich

still having

“I don’t have space to explain all the ways that’s wrong.”

Shit Happened

SUNDAY 04

Despite TPD having an arrest warrant on him, former Bucs wide receiver Antonio Brown is actively promoting his new single, “Put That Shit On,” via social media. And we thought the chief of police was behaving in a bizarre manner.

MONDAY 05

“She’s like, ‘Yeah, I pulled some strings and drove super slow on the highway.’”

The Bucs beat a really bad football team when the Saints marched into RayJay for MNF—but at least they made it fashion. Honestly, I’m enjoying rooting for this mediocre version of Tom Brady.

‘The Daily Show’ roasts TPD chief’s resigna tion, with host Trevor Noah, calling it “the biggest waste of a scandal of all time.” “There are chiefs who’ve stolen millions of dollars in drug money,” he says.

Toastique, a gourmet toast concept, announces plans to open in Tampa’s Water Street development. We can hear every boomer in Carrollwood groaning right now.

TUESDAY 06

Tampa’s first ‘Chipoltlane’ (aka drive-thru Chiplotle) opens on Dale Mabry Highway near Waters Avenue, which is great because now you’ll have something to eat while waiting in some of Tampa’s worst traffic.

More shit, waiting for Brady to retire so it can buy a discounted jersey, via cltampa.com/ news.

HOLIDAY

DOWNTOWN CLEARWATER Extravaganza

Celebrate the holidays in Downtown Clearwater with lights, decorations, music, merriment, and festive holiday events all season long!

Holiday Spirit of Lights Festival Friday, Dec. 9, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

The Market Marie on Cleveland Street Saturday, Dec. 10, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Dinner with Santa presented by The Hispanic Outreach Center Friday, Dec. 16, 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Home for the Holidays Paws-on-Parade Benefiting the Humane Society of Pinellas Saturday, Dec. 17, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Yuletide Magic Wednesday, Dec. 21, 6:30 p.m.

Downtown Clearwater Holiday Stroll Nightly all December long

See more events and activities at downtownclearwater.com/holidays

RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES

Sweet tooth

Tampa Bay’s first Sweetgreen opens this week, and more in local foodie news.

By Kyla Fields

Tampa Bay salad-lovers and fitness fanat ics have been waiting over a year for their first Sweetgreen—and they only have a few weeks left. According to its Google page, Tampa Heights’ Sweetgreen (stylized “sweetgreen”)— adjacent to Armature Works at 301 W Palm Ave.—will grand open on Tuesday, Dec. 13. An employee from The Pearl apartments, which Sweetgreen is located on the ground floor of, confirmed next month’s opening date as well.

The “Starbucks of salad” is known for its build-your-own bowls, loaded with healthy ingre dients like roasted salmon, brussels sprouts, quinoa, blackened chicken, sweet potatoes, sesame tofu, wild rice, arugula and much, much more. Sweetgreen’s menu is divided into warm and cold bowls, and will also offer Florida-specific options. The chain is known for highlighting seasonal ingredients and team ing up with local farmers in whatever area it’s in. When the Tampa Heights Sweetgreen was announced earlier this year, permit-obsessed Tampa Tomorrow stated that the restaurant would open out of a 2,711 square-foot space and include a large outdoor patio.

Locations in Hyde Park Village and downtown St. Pete are also on the way, although Tampa Bay’s other upcoming Sweetgreens are listed as “com ing soon” on its website with no official opening timelines. St. Pete’s Sweetgreen will debut at 1114 Central Ave. while Tampa’s second storefront is headed to 722 South Village Cir. For more infor mation on Tampa Bay’s first Sweetgreen and the specifics of its grand opening, head to its Facebook or Instagram, both at @sweetgreen.

Chris Ponte’s highly-anticipated new restaurant, Ponte Modern American, now open at Midtown Tampa

After a year-and-a-half of anticipation, Chef Ponte’s newest—and perhaps fanciest—concept to date has finally opened its doors. According to its social media, Ponte Modern American’s first day open was Saturday, Nov. 26. It’s now open and accepting reservations. The new restaurant resides at 1010 Gramercy Ln. amidst the evergrowing Midtown Tampa development, which houses dozens of other restaurants and businesses.

Reservations can be made via Resy on pon tetampa.com, and slots for the next few weeks

are quickly being booked. Tables can be reserved at the newly-opened restaurant’s bar, dining room, or outdoor patio.

Although a full menu has not yet been released, photos on the restaurant’s social media depict an “elegant array of Modern American cuisine,” featuring local seafood and prime cuts of steak. A few of Ponte’s desserts include a mini carrot cake with cardamom, walnut crisp, cheesecake pudding, and butterscotch sauce as well as a picture-perfect passionfruit tart served with fresh citrus. Chef Ponte himself states that his newly-opened restaurant is inspired by his very first concept, Clearwater’s Cafe Ponte, which permanently closed during the height of 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic.

As a James Beard semi-finalist, Chris Ponte is no stranger to Tampa’s fine dining scene. Ponte was the owner of sleek Italian restaurant Olivia (stylized “OLIVIA”) and New American concept On Swann, and has made a name for himself as one of the Bay area’s most popular chefs. He also teamed up with the co-founder of Outback Steakhouse earlier this year and opened a Bare Naked Kitchen in South Tampa— a fastcasual spot that focuses on fresh ingredients and healthy alternatives. Ponte first announced the opening of his latest restaurant Ponte Modern American last summer, and it was originally slated to debut by the end of 2021.

For more information on Tampa’s new est high-end restaurant, follow Ponte Modern American on Facebook or @ponte_tampa on Instagram. Ponte Modern America follows a long list of new eateries at the ever-growing Midtown Tampa development, including recently-opened restaurants like Colony Grill, True Food Kitchen and Walk On’s, alongside upcoming concepts like Sunda New Asian.

New St. Pete Asian fusion concept The Glass Noodle will open out of former Doormét space

Downtown St. Pete’s Doormét closed a mere few weeks ago, but we already know what’s replac ing it. St. Pete Rising reported that The Glass Noodle—a new Asian concept from the owner of Central Avenue’s Mangosteen and fusion spot The Green Pagoda—will open out of the former Doormét space at 681 Central Ave. on St. Pete’s prime 600 block.

This new restaurant will feature popular noodle dishes from different Asian cuisines, in addition to home-style Laotian entrees that you probably won’t see at many other restaurants. Different types of noodles will be made every day in-house and make their way into popular dishes from countries like Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Cambodia and beyond.

Sean Thongsiri tells SPR that he’s most excited about a traditional Laotian dish called khao piak sen, saying that “nobody really serves it in the United States, except for home cook ing” (spoiler alert: Pinellas Park’s Sap Sap Lao

Cafe, just nine miles away, has the savory noo dle soup on its menu). In addition to affordable noodle dishes, The Glass Noodle will also serve popular Asian beer and wines.

St. Pete’s Doormét closed earlier this month, citing a wide variety of problems, ranging from increased food and labor costs to high rent and a “general difficulty in reaching residences and getting orders from homes at night.” Doormét’s flagship location in South Tampa is still up and running at 1155 S Dale Mabry Hwy. no. 12.

LETTUCE PRAY: Sweetgreen is known for its diehard, almost cult-like fans.

Thongsiri has made a name for himself as one of St. Pete’s up-and-coming restaura teurs with the recent openings of high-end restaurant Mangsoteen and fusion eatery The Green Pagoda—in addition to another upcom ing concept, The Crane. The Crane, which is still undergoing construction, will open at 575 Central Ave. sometime next year as Thongsiri’s first venture outside of Asian cuisine in St. Pete. The upcoming restaurant plans to feature upscale steak and seafood dishes.

Before relocating to Tampa Bay, Thongsiri co-owned several concepts throughout the greater Savannah area, including Chive Sea Bar & Lounge, Ele Fine Fusion, The King and I, Tangerine and Fire Street Food. There are no social media pages for The Glass Noodle just yet, but its Central Avenue storefront is slated to debut by the end of the year.

St. Pete’s 4th annual VegFeast returns this weekend

VegFeast is one of the best ways to sample all of the vegan treats that Tampa Bay has to offer— and it’s finally back for another year. From sushi, cupcakes, hot dogs, artisan cheeses and more, this weekend’s 4th annual VegFeast will feature a range of local plant-based businesses, vendors, and makers.

Vegfeast happens from noon-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. And while most of its ven dors will be slinging vegan goodies, there will be a few non-food vendors like Tombolo Books,

Local businesses providing a variety of plantbased eats include House of Vegano, Nah Dogs, Gabby Bakes, Seasoned Green, 3 Dot Dash, Oh My Cod and Real Rootz Juice. The event is free to attend, but each vendor’s wares will vary in price. Previous installations of VegFeast have taken place at Brick Street Farms, but next weekend’s event is hosted by vegan eatery Good Intentions, located at 1900 1st Ave. S in downtown St. Petersburg. During next week’s VegFeast, the newly-opened res taurant will also be serving plant-based brunch with dishes like strawberry-stuffed french toast and crab omelets. More information can also be found via @vegfeast.fl on Facebook.

New retro bar Lost & Found will open in St. Pete this month

Joining the ranks of its other highly-themed, late-night concepts in downtown St. Pete is Hunger Thirst’s newest bar and cocktail lounge—the nostalgia-driven Lost & Found. St. Pete Rising says that Lost & Found will open at 2420 Central Ave.—out of the space that formerly housed bar and nightclub Somethin’ Different—sometime in December. Stephen Schrutt of Hunger Thirst Group tells SPR that his newest bar “will take you back to a simpler time,” featuring popular songs, decor, and vin tage cocktails straight out of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Lost & Found will offer a variety of throwback

cocktails—like the pornstar martini complete with passionfruit, vodka, vanilla and lime— alongside a selection of local craft brews and expected domestic beers. The upcoming bar won’t offer a food menu like most of Hunger Thirst Group’s other concepts, but will host a variety of different food trucks in its outdoor, backyard area. After next month’s debut, Lost & Found will join other nostalgia-themed bars like Tampa’s GenX Tavern with its throwback decor and downtown St. Pete’s soon-to-open disco club Good Night John Boy, which will feature vinyl-covered walls and popular music from the ‘70s. Hunger Thirst’s newest bar will also fit in with its next door neighbor Tubular Tokes, a neon-lit, 1980s-themed smoke and munchie shop with a slew of controversial ratings.

Somethin’ Different opened in St. Pete’s Grand Central District in 1998 and closed some time in 2021. The club and bar was known for its late-night crowds and parties—perhaps a repu tation that Lost & Found might continue. Lost & Found joins Hunger Thirst Group’s six other concepts throughout Tampa Bay including The Avenue, Park & Rec, Tropicana Field’s Ballpark & Rec, Dirty Laundry, No Vacancy and the recentlyopened Asian fusion restaurant Good Fortune. After next month’s debut, downtown St. Pete’s newest bar and late-night spot will open at 5 p.m. throughout the week and noon on Saturdays and Sundays—although its exact closing times have not been announced yet. To find more information

about its upcoming grand opening, head to Lost & Found’s newly-formed Facebook or Instagram, both at @lostandfoundstpete.

Fat Boy’s plans to bring the ‘World’s Biggest Pizza Slices’ to Tampa Bay

New Orleans-based pizza chain Fat Boy’s is making its way to the Bay, and the company claims to have the “World’s Biggest Pizza Slices.” The pizza chain has locations in Louisiana and Mississippi, and now plans to open 10 restau rants across the Tampa Bay region in the next few years, according to a recent press release.

Fat Boy’s serves up its pizza in either a half slice, a 10 and 16-inch pie, or a “whop ping 30-inch pie.” The chain also boast wings, waffle fries, salads, meatballs, daiquiris and a full liquor bar.It’s unclear how a 30-inch pizza equates to the “World’s Biggest Pizza Slices,” when Dunedin’s Madison Avenue Pizza is cur rently offering a 32-inch pie. But according to its website, Fat Boy’s does offer a two-foot slice challenge, where it appears they custom cut a giant slice from a whole pizza, and guests attempt to consume it in under seven minutes for a chance to win $20 and a shirt.

The ultimate challenge is to defeat competi tive eater Joey Chestnut’s 39 second record for a cash prize.

As of now the company did not specify where these new locations will end up in Tampa Bay, or when they’ll debut. But for now, you can fol low Fat Boy’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for more updates.—Min Craig

O’Berry Succulents, Creative Clay and Shelter Farm Sanctuary.

FEAST AND FURIOUS: VegFeast is back with a vengeance this weekend.

DAVE DECKER

Under wraps

23 under-the-radar local taco spots you need to try before you die.

By Alexandria Jones

When it comes to tacos, Tampa Bay has some very classic, well-known haunts. But there are also smaller spots with some cult fol lowings that deserve a little shine. A few of these taquerias, food trucks, and cafes are easy to miss, but they’re hawking some of the best tacos in town. From secret gas stations tacos, to lesser-known chains, to up-and-coming, fusion-fueled twists, you certainly have your work cut out for you.

Agave Just a short walk from the beach, dishes like quesadillas, mole poblano, and bistec con chorizo taco round out a small menu. 6410 Gulf Blvd., St. Petersburg, 727-367-3448

Casa Mexicana Bar & Grill An OG authen tic Mexican spot whipping up mouth watering combinations of enchiladas, chimichangas and signature tacos. 3642 W Gandy Blvd., Tampa, 813-443-0962. casamexicanabargrill.menufy.com

Chronic Tacos The fast-casual chain is still serving up 3rd generation recipes for a menu of tacos, burritos, bowls, and way more just like their abuelas. Their chronic fries are what cheat day meals are made of. 10420 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, 813-374-6800. chronictacos.com

City Dog Cantina An all-day breakfast menu plus all the beer in the Grand Central area of town? Sign us up ASAP, and don’t skip the rolled tacos with seasoned chicken, cilan tro, potatoes, steak thinly-rolled, crispy-fried in tortillas. 1208 E Kennedy Blvd. no. 114, Tampa, 813-280-2999. citydogcantina.com

Grumpy Gringo A massive menu featur ing breakfast and seafood. Its nachos supreme sounds very IG reel-worthy. 2510 22nd Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-851-9800. grumpy-gringo.com

Esther’s Cafe Open 24/7, this true “hid den gem” located inside a street market offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner for whatever time you choose. 3001 E Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-232-6217. orderestherscafe.com

Hector’s Mexican Food Looking for a mid night snack? Hector’s extensive menu will get you right each and every time. Find this hid den gem close to two other Tampa gems: Sanwa Farmer’s Market and basically across the street from Esther’s Cafe. 3121 E Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-234-3646.

La Fiesta Mexican Store When a local corner store also has its own restaurant, just know you’re in for some of the best food of your life. The WFH crew can enjoy one of La Fiesta’s weekday $8.99 lunch specials that come with rice and fried beans. And don’t forget to leave without picking up a ready-made michelada in cellophane. 1202 S 22nd St., Tampa, 813-2412477. lafiestamexicanstore.business.site

La Taqueria El Nopal Whether you’re depositing funds at the PNC Bank or getting

an oil change at the Jiffy Lube, reward your self for adulting with a sope, quesadilla, or nopales. 8307 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. @ lataqueriaelnopal on Facebook

Loli’s Mexican Cravings With locations all over Tampa, it’s no wonder they’re one of Yelp’s top taco spots across the country. Multiple locations throughout Tampa Bay. lolismexicancravings.com

Los Comparres Yes, the little red food truck is still around slinging street tacos, plus another location off of Waters Ave. So even more options for Taco Tuesday. Want something other than the usual taco? Select from items including campechana, sopes, and tortas. Multiple locations through out Tampa Bay. 813-850-1380

DINING GUIDE

Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant People watch on Davis Boulevard while demolishing all the tacos. Wash them down with specialty margaritas and cocktails from their full bar—and do it with a live band on the weekends. 209 E Davis Blvd., Tampa, 813-251-0558. margaritasmexicanrestaurant.com

Mayra’s Tacos at Cinco Soccer Sheltered in a shack behind a soccer field, the Michocán native prides herself on the no-frills menu with an affordable price tag. Four for $10 tacos can be enjoyed with a smooth cerveza from the Cinco clubhouse a few steps away. Don’t skip the torta either. 5305 Henry Ave., Tampa. @mayra_s20ta cos on Instagram—Ray Roa

Pinch A Taco Say what you want, but a taco truck outside a Sunoco gas station selling fresh ceviche is such a vibe. 13506 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa, 813-735-6268. pinchataco.business.site Ranchero Tacos Get ready for perfection. While it boasts a smaller menu with most of the usual suspects, simple street tacos are the move here. Tortillas are pressed to order and toasted on the flat top, no double up required. Carnitas are juicy and crispy all in one, with the extra unctu ousness that comes with a slow cook in fat. The pineapple adorning the al pastor sees some time on the flat top as well, giving it that extra bit of caramelized sweetness. The chorizo comes with a lovely dose of baking spice that keeps it from being too smokey. And if you’re feeling adventurous, the lengua (beef tongue) is so perfectly tender it melts in your mouth. Don’t sleep on the tamales it offers on weekends. 4901 N Florida Ave, Tampa, 813-495-2635. rancherota cos.com—Daniel Guess

Real Del Monte Mexican Restaurant Tacos are always good any time of day whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner at this strip mall sanctuary. 1417 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-851-4812

Rene’s Mexican Kitchen Unforgettable food with traditional Mexican recipes. Oh, and they have $2 breakfast tacos. Just across the street from Southern Brewing makes this a must-visit in Seminole Heights. 4414 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa, 813-500-2510. @fenesmexicankitch enofficial on Facebook

Taco Baby “Florida’s tiniest taqueria” is still around with an equally tiny menu of street tacos, chips & salsa (or queso), and nachos. 235 Main St., Dunedin, 727-798-0293. taco-baby.com

Tacos El Borracho Let your beer munch ies lead you here to grab a couple tacos or a cheesy quesadilla before (or after) you pump gas at the Marathon the truck sits at. 2602 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-805-4430. @amigo stampabay on Facebook

TacoSon This taco OG is still kickin’ it with classic quesadillas or daily specials, including bistec ranchero, not only in Temple Terrace but Wesley Chapel too. Multiple locations throughout Tampa Bay. tacosonmexicangrill.com

Taqueria Emanuel With a brick-and-mor tar in the heart of West Tampa (2800 N MacDill Ave.), they’re “Tampa Bay’s go-to for authentic Mexican”. Take your pick between an array of taco varieties and toppings, and catch the food trick at 6906 N Orleans Ave., Tampa. taqueri aemanuel.com

Taqueria Margarita Elia Maldonado and Chantal Martinez are the entrepreneur ial mother-daughter who make America great, working hard for a better life; dad is a well-liked construction worker who knows everyone in this more or less industrial slice of Tampa. They proudly share Abuela’s authentic recipes that are homemade with the freshest ingredients, which instantly recall the pure flavors and aro mas of food stalls in the Mercado de Coyoacán (abuela comes from México, Mexico). 4001 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tampa, 813-4662482. @taqueriamargaritatpa on Facebook—Jon Palmer Claridge

Xtreme Tacos Seminole Heights’ most pop pin’ taco spot has the biggest burritos, awesome snacks, and amazing tacos. You’ll end up buying the whole menu. 5609 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa, 813-570-6407. xtremetacos.com

SHELL YEAH: Taqueria Margarita is a Drew Park gem.

DAVE DECKER

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2349 Sunset Point Road #405 Clearwater, FL 33765 O ce: (727) 216-6193 eFax: (877) 868-0981 ST. PETERSBURG

3251 3rd Ave N #125 St. Petersburg, FL 33713 O ce: (727) 498-4969

(727) 312-2040 eFax: (888) 806-9655

FL 34221 O ce: (941) 803-7939 Fax: (941) 417-2328 eFax: (866) 622-3009

769-7207

Help CL with this evolvinglisting. Did we miss a brewery or leave out an important detail? Email rroa@cltampa.com. Include brewery name, address, phone number and website, plus a short description of the unique offerings.

3 CAR GARAGE 8405 Heritage Green Way, Bradenton. 941-741-8877, 3cargaragebrew ing.com

3 DAUGHTERS BREWING 222 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg. 727-495-6002, 3dbrewing.com

3 KEYS BREWING 2505 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton. 951-218-0396, 3keysbrewing.com

5 BRANCHES BREWING 531 Athens St., Tarpon Springs. fivebranchesbrewing.com

7VENTH SUN BREWING 1012 Broadway, Dunedin. 727-733-3013/6809 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa. 813-231-5900, 7venthsun.com

81BAY BREWING CO. 4465 W. Gandy Blvd., Tampa. 813-837-BREW, 81baybrewco.com

ANECDOTE BREWING CO. 321 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach. anecdotebrewing.com

ANGRY CHAIR 6401 N. Florida Ave., Seminole Heights. 813-238-1122, angrychairbrewing.com

ARKANE ALEWORKS 2480 E. Bay Dr., #23, Largo. 727-270-7117, arkanebeer.com

AVID BREWING 1745 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-388-6756, avidbrew.com

BARRIEHAUS BEER CO. 1403 E 5th Ave., Ybor City. barriehaus.com

BASTET 1951 E Adamo Dr. Suite B, Tampa. bastetbrewing.com

BAY CANNON BEER CO. 2106 W Main St., Tampa. 813-442-5615, baycannon.com

BAYBORO BREWING CO. 2390 5th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. 727-767-9666, bayborobrewing.com

BEACH ISLAND BREWERY 2058 Bayshore Blvd. Suite 5, Dunedin. 352-541-0616

BIG STORM BREWING CO. Multiple loca tions, bigstormbrewery.com

BIG TOP BREWING 6111 Porter Way, Sarasota. 941-371-2939, bigtopbrewing.com

BOOTLEGGERS BREWING CO. 652 Oakfield Dr., Brandon. 813-643-9463, bootleggers brewco.com

BREW HUB 3900 Frontage Rd. S., Lakeland. 863-698-7600, brewhub.com

BREW LIFE BREWING 5765 S. Beneva Rd., Sarasota. 941-952-3831, brewlifebrewing.com

BRIGHTER DAYS BREW CO. 311 N Safford Ave., Tarpon Springs. 7272-940-2350

BULLFROG CREEK BREWING CO. 3632 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Valrico. 813-703-8835, bull frogcreekbrewing.com

CAGE BREWING 2001 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-201-4278

CALEDONIA BREWING 587 Main St., Dunedin. 727-351-5105, caledoniabrewing.com

CALUSA BREWING 5701 Derek Ave., Sarasota. 941-922-8150, calusabrewing.com

CARROLLWOOD BREWING CO. 10047 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 23, Tampa. 813-969-2337

CIGAR CITY BREWING 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa. 813-348-6363, cigarcitybrewing.com

CLEARWATER BREWING CO. 1700 N. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater. clearwaterbrewing company.com

COMMERCE BREWING 521 Commerce Drive S, Largo. commercebrewing@gmail.com

COPP WINERY & BREWERY 7855 W Gulf Lake Highway, Crystal River. 352-228-8103, cop pbrewery.com

COPPERTAIL BREWING CO. 2601 E. 2nd Ave., Tampa. 813-247-1500, coppertailbrewing.com

CORPORATE LADDER BREWING COMPANY 4935 96th St. E, Palmetto. 941-4794799, corporateladderbrewing.square.site

COTEE RIVER BREWING 5760 Main St., New Port Richey. 727-807-6806, coteeriver brewing.com

CRAFT LIFE BREWING 4624 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. 813-575-8440. facebook. com/CraftLifeBrewing

CROOKED THUMB BREWERY 555 10th Ave. S., Safety Harbor. 727-724-5953, crookedthumbbrew.com

CUENI BREWING CO. 945 Huntley Ave., Dunedin. 727-266-4102, cuenibrewing.com

CYCLE BREWING 534 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-320-7954. cyclebrewing.com

DADE CITY BREW HOUSE 14323 7th St., Dade City. 352-218-3122, dadecitybrewhouse.com

DARWIN BREWING CO. 803 17th Ave. W., Bradenton. 941-747-1970, darwinbrewingco.com

DE BINE BREWING CO. 933 Florida Ave., Palm Harbor. 727-233-7964.

DENTED KEG ALE WORKS 5500 Main St., New Port Richey. 727-232-2582, dentedkegaleworks.com

DEVIANT LIBATION 3800 N Nebraska Ave., 727-379-4677, deviantlibation.com

DISSENT CRAFT BREWING CO. 5518 Haines Rd. N., St. Petersburg. 727-3420255. facebook.com/ dissentcraftbrewing

DUNEDIN BREWERY 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. 727-736-0606, dunedinbrewery.com

DUNEDIN HOUSE OF BEER 927 Broadway, Dunedin. 727 216-6318, dunedinhob.com

EIGHT-FOOT BREWING 4417 SE 16th Place, Cape Coral. 239-984-2655, eightfootbrewing.com

ESCAPE BREWING CO. 9945 Trinity Blvd., Suite 108, Trinity. 727-807-6092, escape brewingcompany.com

FLORIDA AVENUE BREWING CO. 2029 Arrowgrass Dr., Wesley Chapel. 813-452-6333, flori daavebrewing.com

FLORIDA BREWERY 202 Gandy Rd., Auburndale. 863-965-1825

FOUR STACKS BREWING 5469 N. US HWY 41, Apollo Beach. 813-641-2036, fourstacks brewing.com

FRONT PAGE BREWING CO. 190 S Florida Ave., Bartow. 863-537-7249, frontpagebrew ing.com

GRAND CENTRAL BREWHOUSE 2340 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-202-6071, grandcentral brew.com

GREEN BENCH BREWING COMPANY 1133 Baum Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-800-9836, greenbenchbrewing.com

GOOD LIQUID BREWING CO. 4824 14th St. W., Bradenton. 941-896-6381, thegoodliquid brewing.com

GRINDHAUS BREW LAB 1650 N. Hercules Ave., Clearwater. 727-240-0804, grindhausbrewlab.com

GULFPORT BREWERY + EATERY 3007 Beach Blvd., Tampa. facebook.com/GulfportBrewery

HIDDEN SPRINGS ALE WORKS 1631 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-226-2739, hiddenspringsaleworks.com

HOB BREWING CO. 931 Huntley Ave., Dunedin. hob.beer

IF I BREWED THE WORLD 2200 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-201-4484, ifibrewedtheworld.com

IN THE LOOP BREWING 3338 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. 813-997-9189, intheloopbrewingcompany.com

INFUSION BREWING CO. 6345 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey. 7272-484-4757

KEEL FARMS AGRARIAN ALE + CIDER 5210 W. Thonotosassa Rd., Plant City. 813-7529100, keelandcurleywinery.com

KING STATE 520 E Floribraska Ave., Tampa. 813-221-2100, king-state.com

LAGERHAUS BREWERY & GRILL 3438 East Lake Business, Palm Harbor. 727-216-9682, lagerhausbrewery.com

LATE START BREWING 1018 E Cass St., Tampa, latestartbrewing.com

LEAVEN BREWING 11238 Boyette Rd., Riverview. 813-677-7023, leavenbrewing.com

LIQUID GARAGE CO. 1306 Seven Springs Blvd., New Port Richey. 727-645-5885. theliquidgarage.com

MAD BEACH CRAFT BREWING 12945 Village Boulevard, Madeira Beach. 727-362-0008, mad beachbrewing.com

MAGNANIMOUS BREWING 1410 Florida Ave., Tampa. 813-415-3671, magnan imousbrewing.com

MARKER 48 12147 Cortez Blvd, Weeki Wachee. 352-606-2509, marker48.com

MASTRY’S BREWING CO. 7701 Blind Pass Rd., St. Pete Beach. 727-202-8045, mastrys brewingco.com

MOTORWORKS

BREWING 1014 9th Street West, Bradenton. 941-567-6218, motor worksbrewing.com

MR. DUNDERBAK’S 14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. 813-9774104, dunderbaks.com

OFF THE WAGON BREWERY 2107 S Tamiami Trail, Venice. 941-497-2048, otwbar.com

OLDE FLORIDA BREWING 1158 7th St. NW, Largo. 727-2298010, facebook.com/oldefloridabrew

OVERFLOW BREWING 70 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-914-0665, facebook.com/ overflowbrewingco

OZONA BREWING COMPANY 315 Orange St., Palm Harbor. 920-392-9390, ozonabrewing.com

PEPPER BREWING 9366 Oakhurst Rd., Seminole. 727-596-5766, angrypeppertap house.com

PESKY PELICAN BREW PUB 923 72nd. St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-302-9600, peskypelicanbrewpub.com

PINELLAS ALE WORKS 1962 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-235-0970, pawbeer.com

POUR HOUSE 1208 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. 813-402-2923, pourhousetampa.com

PYE ROAD MEADWORKS 8533 Gunn Hwy., Odessa. 813-510-3500, pyeroad.com

RAPP BREWING COMPANY 10930 Endeavor Way, Seminole. 727-544-1752, rappbrewing.com

RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER 2244 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-360-0766, stpetearcadebar.com

ROCK BROTHERS BREWING 1901 N. 15th St., Ybor City. 813-241-0110, rockbrothersbrewing.com

SARASOTA BREWING COMPANY 6607 Gateway Ave., Sarasota. 941-925-2337, sarasotabrewing.com

SCOTTY’S BIERWORKS 901 East Industrial Circle, Cape Coral. 239-888-5482, scottysbierworks.net

SEA DOG BREWING 9610 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island/ 26200 US Highway 19 N, Clearwater. 727-954-7805, seadogbrewing.com

SILVERKING BREWING CO. 325 E Lemon St., Tarpon Springs. 727-422-7598, silverking brewing.com

SIX TEN BREWING 7052 Benjamin Rd., Tampa. 813-886-0610, sixtenbrewing.com

SOGGY BOTTOM BREWING 660 Main St., Dunedin. 727-601-1698, soggybottombrew ing.com

SOUTHERN BREWING & WINEMAKING 4500 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa. 813-238-7800, southernbrewingwinemaking.com

SOUTHERN LIGHTS BREWING CO. 2075 Sunnydale Blvd., Clearwater. 727-648-4314, southernlightsbrewing.com

ST. PETE BREWING COMPANY 544 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-692-8809, stpetebrewingcompany.com

STILT HOUSE BREWERY 625 U.S. Hwy Alt. 19, Palm Harbor. 727-270-7373, stilthousebrewery.com

SWAN BREWING 15 W Pine St., Lakeland. 863-703-0472, swanbrewing.com

TAP THIS! BAR AND BREWING CO. 10730 US-19, Port Richey. 727-378-4358, tapthisbar.com

TBBC 1600 E 8th Ave., Ybor City/13933

Monroe’s Business Park, Westchase. 813-2471422, tbbc.beer

TEMPLE OF BEER 1776 11th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. 727-350-3055, templeofbeer.com

THREE BULLS TAVERN & BREWERY 4330 Bell Shoals Road, Valrico. 813-381-3853, threebullstavern.com

TIDAL BREWING COMPANY 14311 Spring Hill Dr., Spring Hill. 352-701-1602, tidalbrewingfl.com

TROUBLED WATERS BREWING 670 Main St., Safety Harbor. 727-221-9973, troubledwatersbeer.com

TWO FROGS BREWING COMPANY 151 E. Tarpon Ave., Tarpon Springs. 727-940-6077, facebook.com/twofrogsbrewing

TWO LIONS WINERY & PALM HARBOR BREWERY 1022 Georgia Ave., Palm Harbor. 727-786-8039, twolionswinery.com

ULELE SPRING BREWERY 1810 N. Highland Ave., Tampa. 813-999-4952, ulele.com

UNREFINED BREWING 312 E Tarpon Ave., Tarpon Springs. 727-940-4822, unrefinedbrew ing.com

WELTON BREWING CO. 2624 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’Lakes. 813-820-0050, thebrew craftery.com

THE WILD ROVER BREWERY 13921 Lynmar Blvd., Tampa. 813-475-5995, thewildroverbrew ery.com

WOODWRIGHT BREWING COMPANY 985 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. 727-238-8717, facebook.com/woodwrightbrewing

WOVEN WATER BREWING CO. 456 W Columbus Drive, Tampa. 813-443-9463, woven waterbrew.com

YUENGLING BREWING CO. 11111 N 30th St., Tampa. 813-972-8529, yuengling.com

ZEPHYRHILLS BREWING COMPANY 38530 5th Ave., Zephyrhills. 813-715-2683, zbcbeer.com

ZYDECO BREW WERKS 902 E. 7th Ave., Ybor City. 813-252-4541, facebook.com/ zydecobrewwerks

MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE

Gone global

Becca McCoy returns to Tampa Bay stages after three years away.

By Julie Garisto

What do you do when your marriage ends and you feel “directionless”? If you’re Becca McCoy, you take off in every direc tion for a year, publish a book about your travels and then cobble together a one-person show and multimedia experience from it all.

And that’s how “The Year of Extraordinary Travel” came together. Local theater’s beloved prodigal daughter tells her travel tales through visually aided and theatrical storytelling Dec. 8-18 at the Studio Grand Central in St. Petersburg.

The world-premiere event follows the release of McCoy’s photojournal, “The Year of Extraordinary Travel,” first published in 2021 by the St. Petersburg Press. The 138-page book chronicles trips taken from September 2018-August 2019 across eight states in the U.S. and seven other countries with five dif ferent travel companions and sometimes alone.

In the show, she describes “full-on glamp ing in a heated dome next to a yurt with an executive chef” in Alaska, what it was like to travel with her adolescent daughter to New Zealand and how her relationship with life part ner Justin Groom developed over the course of their various trips together. (Spoiler alert: They now run a fine art studio together in Atlanta.)

An openness to living in the moment pervades each of the stories as well as evolv ing toward a humbling awareness.

THEATER

The Year of Extraordinary Travel

Thursday-Monday through Dec. 18. $25. Studio Grand Central, 2260 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. 727-202-7019; beccamccoy.com

“In Myanmar in particu lar, where I basically knew how to say hello and thank you in Burmese, people were so kind,” McCoy said. “I took photographs of people more than I ever have before because they were just warm and compelling, and it just gave me so much to think about.”

According to McCoy, The Year of Extraordinary Travel “contains short tales and hundreds of photos celebrating the relationshipdeepening, horizon-expanding, joy-inducing nature of travel, and the beauty of our diverse earth and common humanity.”

The new production integrates literature and photography into a solo performance for mat. Director Vicki Daignault brings both personal and professional experience with the one-person show process. She shepherds McCoy in her storytelling and visuals, helping her strike a balance between intimacy and fascination.

“Vicki (Daignault) is extraordinary at helping me see things that I can’t,” McCoy said, adding that Daignault helped her create a truly singular experience—a reckoning with life experiences vs. expectations, relationships, memory, and “how we fill the spaces between the no longer and the not yet.”

“The Year of Extraordinary Travel” also marks McCoy’s first performance on a Tampa Bay-area stage for the first time in three years.

McCoy is emphatic that the journeys changed her, lending a natural arc to her nar rative. The first tale, she said, is “a kind of this name-droppy story” about seeing Ian McKellen live, and the journey ends with her in Asia alone, sitting with her own ignorance realizing that the journey as a human being is what’s really extraordinary.

“What exactly is extraordinary?” she asks rhetorically. “Is it extraordinary to go to 12 places in 12 months, or is it the deepening of your connection with yourself and the people around you or the world at large?”

As for the skeptics, McCoy acknowledges that the prospect of dropping everything to travel the world sounds as frighten ing as it is exhilarating, and she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the sale of her home allowed it all to happen.

“Wonders unveil themselves to us in life when we are guided by the belief and possi bility that when you believe that everything is going to work out, it kind of usually does,” McCoy said. “A flight getting canceled and ending up in the airport for eight hours and getting to a destination later than expected

adds the extraordinary aspect to the rest of the story to follow.”

Indeed, philosophical and philanthropic intentions underlie McCoy’s narratives as well as a hope that spreading the gospel of global awareness will remediate our sense of hope lessness and isolation.

“When you end up somewhere like Thailand, flying in a metal tube for 24 hours and then land ing someplace alone where people don’t speak your language or you don’t speak their language, things look different. People have different customs, and it’s a very vulnerable thing. I think that Americans in particular should go through that experience.”

THE REAL MCCOY: Becca McCoy’s latest invites theater goers to take off.

“When you believe that everything is going to work out, it kind of usually does.”

Noche buena

‘Christmas Contigo’ will leave your soul overflowing with the holiday spirit.

By Jon Palmer Claridge

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

So goes the ubiquitous carol first intro duced by Andy Williams. But for many the holiday season is a two-edged sword. However, fear not, Christmas Contigo (literally “with you”) is Stageworks Theatre’s “holiday gift” for all, regardless of ethnicity—much like Fiddler on the Roof’s celebration of “Tradition” is as universal as it is Jewish.

The play celebrates a Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) family reunion with an unex pected twist seen through the prism of a Cuban family that sets us up laughing out loud and then punches us in the gut. If Carlos-Zenen Trujillo’s script is a bit of a sit com, it really doesn’t matter because director JL Rey has his cast believing. They’re as excited, true, and enthusiastic as a youngster waiting in line to sit in Santa’s lap and spill their dreams for Christmas morning. Playwright Trujillo balances real life situations with a slapstick world bubbling over with the magic of family, apologies, and unalloyed joy. And Rey has his excellent cast functioning on all hilarious cylinders.

loud, hysterical uncle Pucho, who in his effort to speak perfect English gives playwright Trujillo a mouthpiece for a series of malapropisms. The extended family constellation is complicated by the LGBTQ cousin Maravilla (Diana Lopez) and aging Abuela Violeta (Lillian Almodovar) with Alzheimer’s. Trujillo explores the chaos before Christmas for this multi-generational family through mother-daughter relationships and remembrance of things past with univer sal echoes.

THEATER

Christmas Contigo

Through Dec. 18. $15-$50

Stageworks Theatre. 1120 E Kennedy Blvd., Suite 151, Tampa. 813-374-2416; stageworkstheatre.org

But this roller coaster of a comedy is also about secrets. Only child Iris (Gaby Alezard) is full of guilt; she lives in an anxious place as she returns to Hialeah from law school at Berkeley. She’s about to surprise her very blue collar Cuban family with something she picked up in law school—a Filipino fiancé named Brian (Chris Cordero) who has other secrets that are best discovered in the play.

On clear display is the generational conflict between Rosa (Jessica Moraton) who remembers the repression of living under Castro and her Americanized daughter who, though born in Cuba, has no taint of politi cal repression. However, the show is a riotous comedy. Father Juan (Paul Casteneda) reminds his daughter that “we’ve been through so much— dictator, after dictator, then immigration, then being alone in a place where we didn’t speak the language and didn’t know anyone. If we didn’t laugh, what would we do.” And Rosa emphati cally reminds her daughter, “We’re COO-BAHN; everything is dramatic.”

There is a cartoon atmosphere to certain elements—a flatulent dog, a whole hog butch ered for the traditional “lechon” feast with plenty of garlic and oregano, but it’s easy to go with the flow and suspend your disbelief. Director Rey is also a comic warrior as the

Producing Artistic Director and Sound Designer, Karla Hartley, keeps the design elements at Stageworks in the top tier by con tinuing her aural magic and hiring perennial award win ners Frank Chavez (Sets & Costumes) and Joseph P. Oshrey (Lighting) whose artistry is a gift that keeps on giving. Chavez’s Hialeah residence is a wonder with nooks and beams, a balcony and an altar. It overflows with garlands and bows and mul tiple Santas. Rosa, you see, suffered under the regime and the lack of liberties which didn’t allow the effusive accouterments of American Xmas—Mr. Claus, an abundance of lights and garlands plus a Christmas tree which requires a Marx brothers routine to get it in the front door and attached to the wall where it soars two stories high. Oshrey’s lighting, as always, is by turns subtle, evocative, and dramatic. And Chavez’s contemporary costumes are appropri ately stylish or gritty and, in the case of Abuela, sur prisingly vivid.

Director Rey, who cre ated his uncle role in the world premiere in Oregon, keeps the action humming and full of telling details as we explore dominos, dancing, Cuban coffee as rocket fuel and enough offstage rum to continue the Marx Brothers analogy. The script doesn’t require any knowledge of Spanish, but I must say the large Latino opening night crowd roared many times when I was just try ing to recover.

What Christmas Contigo reminds us all is that we humans are more alike than we are dif ferent, that strong family ties breed happiness, and that true love means allowing others to be themselves to pursue their dreams. In a season swirling with so many religious traditions, it’s still unquestioned that an open heart brings pure joy. You can’t possibly leave Christmas Contigo without your soul overflowing with the holiday spirit.

GOOD EVENING: Director JL Rey has his excellent cast functioning on all hilarious cylinders.

JL REY HEADSHOT

“This roller coaster of a comedy is also about secrets.”

By Josh Bradley & Ray Roa C CL Recommends

THU 08

Blue October Texas rock band Blue October is currently in the midst of one of its big gest projects ever. The group behind “I Hope You’re Happy” is in the process of putting out a triple album. Not a 3-LP album, but a record being released in three separate install ments. Spinning the Truth Around ’s first part emerged in October, while part two is sched uled to drop sometime in the spring (part three is still in development). In the meantime, you’ll probably get to hear a yet-to-be-released track or two on Thursday, when the band takes over Jannus for the first time since last fall. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

FRI 09

The Dirty Janes w/The Anni Dukes/ Sligh Tampa's Sick Hot had its final show in October when it opened for Tyler Bryant, but members of the outfit—which previ ously played throwback rock & roll for fans of Zeppelin and smoking weed—are back under

a new moniker, The Dirty Janes. “We’re so grateful for every experience and opportunity we had under our old name,” the band wrote to fans, “but we’re feeling fresh with all of this new music we’ve been recording and are ready to start a new chapter!” There’s a heavy AC/DC vibe to a promo reel for the Dirty Janes’ debut gig, and with the kind of players Sick Hot had, this new endeavor is sure to turn heads. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)

for King & Country Before they return next year for the Florida Strawberry Festival, Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone stage their annual “Drummer Boy Christmas” spectacular. The duo is a very common presence on contempo rary Christian radio, but its melodies don’t sound over-manufactured, and lyrics go outside your typical Sunday morning ser mon. (Amalie Arena, Tampa)

Girl Talk Once upon a time (11 years ago, to be exact) Greg Gillis brought his then-revolutionary laptop mashup proj ect to Jannus Landing for a sweaty show described by Creative Loafing critics as “an endorphin blast of uninhibited fun for any one not living under a pop music rock for the past 40 years.” This time, Gillis, once

a biomedical engineer by day, arrives with his first-ever collaborative album, Full Court Press , where he melds together his love of acts like Three 6 Mafia, soul samples, high hats and big 808s, sometimes all in one song. The 41-year-old has described his cur rent show as a mix of the old and new, plus remixes and mashups of past shows. “A 2022 version of what I’ve been working on since 2005—giving people a fresh version of what they’ve been listening to for years,” he recently told The Pitch. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin

Evening Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones remain reclusive on and off, and Robert Plant himself has admitted that he has moved past Led Zeppelin, and is fully focused on his solo career, with and without Alison Krauss. But the late John Bonham’s son Jason—who took his father’s place behind the kit at Led Zep’s legendary 2007 reunion concert—is still all for squeezing those lemons, even when he’s opening for Peter Frampton. Bonham and a three-piece band make their debut at the Hard Rock for their first post-COVID appearance in Tampa Bay. (Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa)

Keller Williams There are going to be a lot of bare feet on the dance floor at Skipper’s this weekend when two kindred spirits—solo prince of the jam scene, Keller Williams, plus community radio station WMNF 88.5-FM—come together under the Skipperdome for a night of strummed looping in and out of genres like rock, bluegrass, dance music, funk, folk, jazz and reggae. The gig is sold-out, so you’ll have to convince a hippie to sneak you in the back door or something. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)

Moore Kismet Ever since being a beatbattle finalist at the A-Track’s 2019 Goldie Awards, Moore Kismet has raised count less eyebrows in the EDM community. Their latest album Universe , emerged earlier this year on the heels of appearances at Coachella, Bonnaroo, and even this year’s installment of Sunset Music Festival, over at RayJay. (The Ritz, Ybor City)

SAT 10

Cannibal Corpse w/Dark Funeral/ Immolation/Black Anvil One of the most interesting factoids we got out of this year’s Best of the Bay awards is the fact that cur rent Cannibal Corpse vocalist George Fisher attends just about every metal gig at Orpheum, and it’s not for show. He headbangs, sings all the words, and talks to fans and friends as if they go years back. This weekend, it’s your turn to support Fisher and his band, set to reprise a show promoting its latest album Violence Unimagined, which dropped last year. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)

Displace album release w/Tropico Blvd. Bay area fans of sax and violin-fronted psych-funk and disco-jazz probably have Displace on their radar, but they might want to make a special trip out to see the band celebrate a new album, Accidental , that adds a little soul and wall-of-sound-esque production to the formula. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

Katatonia w/The Ocean Collective/Cellar Darling

A lot has happened since Swedish metal outfit Katatonia last toured the U.S. The band went on hiatus in 2018, just to come back the next year to celebrate the anniversary of its 2009 record, Night is the New Day. And as if that wasn’t exhilarating enough, City Burials released in April 2020. The band which gave us “Old Heart Falls” now finally has a chance to play those songs live, as well as a few new ones from an album set to release next month, Sky Void of Stars . The Ocean Collective and Cellar Darling open Katatonia’s first Bay area gig since a 2017 stop at the since-reconstructed State Theatre. (Orpheum, Tampa)

Row Jomah’s Annual Toy Drive w/ Shoeless Soul Joe Roma is one of the most solid people in the Tampa Bay music scene, so it’s no surprise to see him tapping his instrumental rock band, Row Jomah, to continue its long-running tradition of collecting donations and toys to help Pinellas’ at-need kids have a happy holiday. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)

SUN 11

John Tesh Your mom’s favorite pianist is finally coming back into town for a jazzy Christmas gig. Don’t be surprised if the 70-year-old gets a little preachy when he’s telling stories about his 50-plus year career, but Mr. “Roundball Rock” will surely have a few things to say about hang ing out with the cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Oprah Winfrey, and even “Weird Al” Yankovic. (Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo)

Taylor Dayne It’s been a heavy year for Dayne. The singer received a load of criti cism after performing at a New Year’s party at Mar-a-Lago, hosted by none other than El Trumpo himself. And in July, Dayne under went surgery for colon cancer, and though she was declared cancer-free shortly after, it was a horrifying time. Thankfully, the ‘80s star is back onstage, and set to per form her hits inside the Palladium’s big room. (Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)

TUE 13

Kenny Loggins The world finally got a two-night Loggins and Messina reunion it had longed for since the last time the boys toured in 2009. We don’t know if this is a sign for what’s to come in 2023—you know, being 50 years since making a Top 10 album and all—but in the meantime, Loggins is doing a two-night stint at Ruth Eckerd this week, which is said to celebrate his legend ary contributions to movie soundtracks of the ‘80s. Lose your blues, Tampa Bay. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

Turnover Virginia Beach indie band Turnover’s first memories of composing its latest album Myself in the Way was during an off day on tour in Switzerland in 2019.

“This is a record about home and feeling lost, fear and love, freedom and safety, friendship and introspection, rhythm and space,” the band wrote in a statement upon release. Before COVID-19 hit, stopping in Tampa was an annual affair for Turnover. But cry those tears of change no more, as the band returns to The Ritz Ybor for its first post-COVID affair on Tuesday. (The Ritz, Ybor City)

WED 14

The Spill Canvas w/Mom Rock

Last year, emo veteran The Spill Canvas released Conduit , its first album in nearly a decade. The recording hiatus had to do with band members taking on solo projects, and “personal and health issues” cofounder Nick Thomas was going through. Nonetheless, it still toured for the sake of touring alongside acts such as Motion City Soundtrack and Punchline. Twenty years after the release of the band’s first album, The Spill Canvas finally makes its Tampa proper debut (there have been gigs at the old State Theatre in the past) (Orpheum, Tampa)

GROUND CONTROL TOURING

Billy Strings has been on a rapid rise since he played Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival in 2018, and that journey comes back to Tampa Bay next spring. Tickets to see Strings play Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday, April 18 at 8 p.m. go on sale Friday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m., with tickets starting at $39.50.

The show is in support of the Michigan-born, Nashville-based picker’s 2021 inward-look ing album, Renewal, plus the release of this year’s Me/And/Dad . The latter is a covers

Malachi Gagnon w/Special Guests TBA Sunday, Dec. 18. 6 p.m. $10-13. New World Brewery, Tampa

Dean Spunt (of No Age) w/Alien House/ mtvh1n1/Afterworld Thursday, Dec. 22. 7 p.m. $5-10. Hooch and Hive, Tampa

Crowbar Christmas: Mortal Sons w/The Dirty Janes/Mason Pace/Giorgi Friday, Dec. 23. 7 p.m. $10 with toy donation, $20 without. Crowbar, Ybor City

Goatwhore w/Caveman Cult/ Herakleion/Must.Not.Kill/The Path Friday, Jan. 6. 7 p.m. $20. Orpheum, Tampa

NocturniuM w/F.I.L.T.H/Cypher Machine/Love The Hate Saturday, Jan. 14. 7 p.m. $10. Brass Mug, Tampa City of Caterpillar w/Horsewhip/ Vacancy/Walled City Friday, Jan. 20. 7 p.m. $15. Crowbar, Ybor City

Rockabilly Battle Royale: Round 8 w/ Rod Hamdallah/Hillbilly Hellcats/Gold Hope Duo/The Wildtones/more Saturday, Jan. 28. 3 p.m. $15. New World Brewery, Tampa

Soulfly w/Bodybox/Half Heard Voices Friday, Feb. 10. 6 p.m. $22. Orpheum, Tampa

Roger Daltrey Saturday, Feb. 11. 8 p.m. $68.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

record where Strings and his father Terry Barber play new renditions of 14 bluegrass and country songs that they’ve been playing together since Strings was a child. Outside of a three-night stand at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, the Tampa show is the only chance for Floridians to see the 30-year-old bluegrass extraordinaire whose 2019 album Home won the Best Bluegrass Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards.

See Josh Bradley’s full new concert rundown below.—Ray Roa

Curse Mackey w/SINE/Aeon Rings/DJ Jet Friday, Feb. 17. 8 p.m. $15. New World Brewery, Tampa

The Beach Boys Wednesday, Feb. 22. 7:30 p.m. $53.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

Ballyhoo! w/Joey Harkum/CLoud9 Vibes Sunday, March 5. 6 p.m. $20. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Fleshgod Apocalypse w/Obscura/ Wolfheart/Thulcanda Wednesday, March 8. 7:00 p.m. $25. Orpheum, Tampa

Greta Van Fleet w/Houndmouth/Robert Finley Friday, Mar. 10. 7 p.m. $45.75 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa

Bryce Vine w/BLAck pARty Sunday, March 26. 7:30 p.m. $25 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Magnolia Park w/Arrows In Action/ Poptropicaslutz Saturday, April 1. 6 p.m. $18. Orpheum, Tampa

Mac Ayres Tuesday, April 18. 7 p.m. $24.50. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Natalie Merchant Wednesday, April 26. 7 p.m. $43.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

Quickies

By Dan Savage

I’m a 29-year-old cis straight male. What are the ethics of having a minor cum/breeding kink? Thanks, Dan!

No one chooses their kinks—our kinks choose us—so having a kink doesn’t raise ethical issues. Acting on our kinks… making choices that impact others… that’s where ethi cal concerns kick in. So, if it turns you on to “breed” someone, as the gay boys (very problematically!) like to say, and you never act on it, if you just sit in your apartment wank ing about it, there are no ethical issues. But if you act on this kink with another person—if you want to have unprotected sex with a woman— you need to make sure she’s aware of the risks going in and that birth control is her respon sibility. And you should be fully aware—going in and out and in and out—that child support could be your responsibility. (Also, you should read Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Blair.)

married, but this one has me questioning if I’d be happier as a fully-fledged lesbian. How do I work out if this is just NRE (new relationship energy), a specific connection with her, or actually a waning interest in men altogether?

SAVAGE LOVE

Wanting to be with your new girlfriend all the time—that’s NRE for you—doesn’t mean you’d be happier as a lesbian, fully-fledged or otherwise. But it doesn’t not mean that either. You won’t know how you’re going to feel until the NRE wears off, which it should soon.

My boyfriend doesn’t want an open relation ship and won’t have sex with me. But he looks at Grindr and watches a lot of porn. What do I do?

now), that would be hot… if your boyfriend was into it… which he’s not. So, tell your master that involving your boyfriend is a hard limit. And if your master can’t respect that limit, end things with him.

How do I convince straight men that con stantly pumping me full of vacuous, superficial compliments is not a substitution for a personal ity, a conversation, or flirting?

By refusing to fuck them, one vacuous, super ficial, meaningless-compliment-spewing straight guy at a time. (That said, compliments > negging.)

Urban Dictionary and most folks consider ‘cocksucker’ to be an insult. Most of us consider “muffdiver,” on the other hand, to be a compli ment. Is there a complimentary term for someone who sucks cock?

“Husband material.”

problem for us. Is this a common hang-up for straight guys? Our sex life was really good for a long time, but I suddenly feel zero agency. He feels bad about it, too, but we can’t seem to get past it. Your thoughts?

Sounds like your husband needs to see a therapist; preferably a sex-positive therapist, and preferably in 1998. Your husband might think women aren’t supposed to feel lust, and so a woman who initiates is a turn-off, or your husband might be uncomfortable—as some men are—being the object of desire, so you initiating turns him off. One or the other, both or neither, he needs to see a shrink.

Is it OK to keep seeing someone who caught feelings for you when it’s not mutual? I’ve commu nicated where I’m at emotionally and reiterated that this isn’t exclusive. Am I doing my friend a disservice by continuing to see them? I don’t want to give up my only intimate outlet but being kind is more important to me.

I have misophonia. Blowjob noises make me sick. Is it possible to give a quiet blowjob?

Misophonia is a sensory disorder that makes certain sounds extremely unpleasant; eating sounds—mouth noises—can be particu larly triggering for sufferers. Noise-canceling headphones seem like an obvious solution, but they won’t work, as noises made in your own mouth have a very different path to your eardrums. So, what you need are noise-gener ating headphones, i.e., regular ol’ headphones blasting music cranked up so loud you liter ally can’t hear anything else—not even those plunger-being-used-in-desperation-as-thewater-rises-to-the-top-of-the-toilet-bowl sounds someone giving a blowjob makes when their work is almost done.

Beginning to think I’m bad at sex. I try to be GGG. Any tips?

Sex isn’t just about giving pleasure; it’s not just about being GGG for your partner. It’s also about taking pleasure and giving your partner the opportunity to be GGG for you. So, figure out what it is you like and what you want—sex acts or scenarios or dirty talk or materials that turn you on—and find someone who wants to give you those things, and take them.

I’m a mid bi woman in her mid-30s a few years into an open/poly marriage to a man. I’ve fallen pretty hard for my girlfriend of six months. I’ve had relationships with women before getting

“I love you, honey, and I can do a sexless relationship—I mean, that’s what we’ve been doing for a while, so I can obvi ously do it—but I’m not going to lead a sexless existence. So, we’re either opening our relationship or we’re ending it. One or the other, your choice.” (My hunch is that your boyfriend has already opened things on his end, literally and figuratively. Guys don’t get on Grindr for the recipes. So, it’s ultimatum time.)

I have a vanilla boyfriend (of three years) and a Master (of three years). My boyfriend knows. My Master wants my boyfriend to start asking Him—to call and ask Him—for His permission whenever my boy friend wants to have sex with me, since I’m His “property,” but I know my boyfriend won’t want to do this and will be angry that I asked. I love both, in very different ways, and I don’t know what to do. (My Master uses He/Him pronouns, always uppercased. If you respond, please use uppercase He/Him in reference to my Master.)

I am not your master’s slave. So, you can uppercase his pronouns on his orders all you like, but you can’t order me to. Which I prob ably would’ve done if you hadn’t told me I must. (I usually capitalize “Master” and “Mistress” and “Dom,” too, but I’m making an exception for your master, as I’m kind of annoyed.) Now, your boyfriend having to call and beg him (your master) when he (your boyfriend) wants to have sex with you (the person who annoyed me just

No.

My husband of more than 20 years once told me he’d prefer to be the one initiating all sexual contact between us. It was fine as long as I didn’t think about it too much. Recently, I have begun to feel restrained by this and it has become a big

It’s OK to keep seeing/fucking someone who caught feelings for you. But since you can’t know how that person is really feeling—they might be miserable and hiding it because they hope your feelings will change if they can just fuck you long enough—then calling it off is the kinder choice.

Should I keep fucking my best friend who doesn’t want to be more than friends?

If you’re enjoying the sex, you’re not feeling used, and you don’t have false hopes, yes. If you’re hoping the sex will lead to something more, no.

My previously very sub maso partner now has PTSD after a workplace injury. No idea if his relation ship to pain will ever reset so we can play again. I can deal, but this is a big part of what got us together in the first place.

Like a horny new dad whose wife is still recovering from the trauma of childbirth… you’ll have to deal while your partner heals. If your partner can never again enjoy the kind of pain play that brought you together, you can explore less physically intense kinds of pain play, perhaps supplemented with more intense psychological play.

Send your question to mailbox@savage.love, and get podcasts, columns and more at savage. love.

Do you owe your romantic partner 100% honesty about everything?

EUDPIC /ADOBE

Mr. Cassini

Behind by a single point

Something worn short?

Ancient Italian

Soft mud

“Let none enter, ___ break your pate” (Shak.)

80

78 SPUN WITH FOONERISMS by Merl Reagle BEFORE AFTER

Prince Valiant creator Foster

1966 drama, / Sade

Gift for Cleopatra?

President’s first name

Munich’s river 88 Sinuous 89 The Oxford English Dictionary?

Intro to intellectual 97 Bursa, for one 98 “We’ll tak ___ o’ kindness yet ...” (line from “Auld Lang Syne”) 99 Fix 101 Impresario Hurok 102 Gomer’s exclamation 104 Hamilton’s bill 105 Like some stocks: abbr.

Game cube 109 Tooth feature 112 Mess up a taxidermy assignment?

___ in the right direction

Common possessive

Spot on the screen ALSO FOR HAIR REGENERATION JFW21

3

2

4

Commenced

Like cantaloupes

Cashes in

Founded: abbr.

Bible verb ending

Officer’s title

Young pigeon

A Labor of Hercules, cleaning the ___ stables

“Fooey on Yule!”

N.Y.C. subway

Vowelless degree

Book before Daniel: abbr.

Speakeasy offering

He’s Hank in Touch of Evil

Hydrox alternatives

Internet abbr.

Pure oxygen

Body guards

Indy Jones prop

Ring of light

Lodge members

Strasberg’s role in The Godfather, Part II

Beginning

With -Aid, a drink

76

Deserve

Been brought up

Army grade abbr. 103 “Over There” writer George ___ 104 Newcomer

Formosa, today 107 Caesar’s 191

Hindu social class

One on the aisle?

Take the wheel

Offends

Haley epic

Hawkeye’s outfit

Hardbound alternatives: abbr.

79

82

Where Pam goes

Yes, 27 Across

A wife of Jacob

1983 taxi comedy

Star-crossed kid

Greek liqueur

___ the crack of dawn

Chow chart

Cabinet branch that oversees land: abbr.

Slay

Preamble start 117 Buddies 121 As we speak 122 Overly 123 Ring outcome, briefly 124 The Crimean, for one 125 Earth, in combos 126 Spell 127 Saving meth. 128 Huck’s chum

L.A.-to-Manhattan flight path PUZZLEFANS! Forinfo on Merl's Sunday crossword anthologies, visit www.sunday crosswords.com. Solutionto The Hollywood Shuffle (2)

Chilled, as champagne

Why the little girl dislikes her fork?

Prop for Tiger Woods

Observe

Hartford giant

Sandwich or saver 133 Screw up

Faints

Der kavalier 136 The GRE, e.g.

Therefore

Enjoys Maui

Bible mountain

Fellini classic, La

Squirrel, often

Strait man

Busy ___

Toll rte.

“Pretty maids all in ___”

A magazine or a cereal

rapping sound