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Chrome takes center stage

The Tampa Bay Motorcycle Rally offers fun for bike owners and people watchers.

By EMILY NIPPS
Published April 22, 2007

TAMPA - Inside Ybor City's Phat Kats Tattoo parlor, Jeff Ziozios and Tiffany Colantonio were taking a breather before the next rush of customers. Since opening at noon on Saturday, the tiny shop on Seventh Avenue and 17th Street had been reaping the benefits of the Tampa Bay Motorcycle Rally going on outside.

"Bikes and tattoos," said Ziozios, the shop's manager and artist. "That's what everyone is here for today."

The people watching wasn't bad, either. The bike rally, which continues from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. today, seemed to attract an assortment of oddballs and tourists, as well as some celebrities who accidentally stumbled upon the event.

Ziozios said he had just finished tattooing a guitarist for Hank Williams Jr.'s band. The guitarist told Ziozios he was visiting not because of the rally, but because the band's tour manager was being treated at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

Meanwhile, comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Tracy Morgan who is currently performing at the Improv sat across the street from the shop, eating lunch at Bernini's with his family and watching a parade of roaring cycles coast past.

On any other day, Morgan might have been a main attraction on the streets. But there were just too many other things to watch.

Bikers showed off their gleaming chrome monsters in the bike contest, trying to stand out from the thousands lining Seventh Avenue. A tough-looking, leather clad man walked around with a tiny dog wearing the same outfit and sunglasses. Women and men covered in elaborate ink sketches displayed their body parts on stage, hoping to win a T-shirt and trophy for Best Tattoo.

"I want to be a biker, but I can't afford it," said Brian Smith, 21, who won Best Color Tattoo for his neon-hued horse skull on his thigh and Best All-American Tattoo for the American and Irish flags on his arm. He planned to spend the rest of the day admiring the bikes and bar hopping.

Mike Pulaskie, a 58-year-old from New Jersey, was thrilled with his first visit to Tampa, having heard about the bike rally from his friends up north. "I love everything about biking," he said. "And this is nice. It's not too crowded, which is what I like about it."

Nearby, Edgar Bounds of 1603 Tattoo wondered if the extra few thousand people visiting town for the day would have an impact on the shop's business. A lot of people were popping in and asking about certain designs, such as skulls and Harley-Davidson logos.

"We didn't even know this was going on today," Bounds said. "Nobody told us."

Emily Nipps can be reached at (813) 269-5313 or nipps@sptimes.com

Today

Rally continues

The rally continues today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along Seventh Avenue and is scheduled to include live bands and an arm-wrestling contest.

[Last modified April 22, 2007, 00:23:41]