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Centro Ybor in the mix
The showpiece of Ybor City's renaissance opens this weekend with music, parades and hopes of drawing more than rowdy night clubbers.
By BABITA PERSAUD
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2000
[Times photo: Kristen Schmidt]
GameWorks in Centro Ybor is owned by Sega, Dreamworks and Universal Studios. Arcade-style games include Indy 500 racer, Kick It soccer game, Shocker “electric chair” simulator and Skee-ball.
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Nearly $50-million has been pumped into Centro Ybor, a shopping, dining and entertainment mecca that has a 20-screen theater, a high-tech arcade, shops like Victoria's Secret and restaurants like Big City Tavern, borrowed from upscale Clematis Street in West Palm Beach.
But this isn't just another glitzy mall with a cineplex.
For years, Tampa's historic Ybor City has been a magnet for night clubbers, wandering teens and rowdy college kids. Centro Ybor aims to add suburbanites and families to the mix by offering shopping, entertainment and food all day long, not just late at night. Not to mention better parking, long the bane of Ybor.
Centro is establishing its own parental escort policy, too. After 8 p.m., anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by a guardian who is 21 or older. Other restrictions: In GameWorks, the high-tech arcade, no one younger than 18 after 10 p.m. And in the movie theater, Muvico Magestic 20, a special alcohol-serving section, the Premier, only permits people who are 21 and older.
So, as they sweep the construction dust off the new brick sidewalks, hang their new signs and put on their game faces, developers and merchants all have one crucial question:
Will you come to Ybor City now?
[Times photo: Thomas M. Goethe]
Trumpet player Pedro Bullaudy leads Centro Ybor’s 11-piece house band, Orquesta Infinidad, which will play most Thursday nights.
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As a further inducement, Centro's opening weekend will be filled with activities in the open-air plaza. Orquesta Infinidad, the house band -- yes, Centro Ybor will have its own house band -- will play in the courtyard from 5:30 to 8 p.m. today with covers of Latin music from stars such as Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony and Tito Puente. In addition to tapping into the current craze for Latin music, the program is a nod to Ybor City's heritage. Pedro Bullaudy, trumpet player and leader of the 11-piece band, points out that in many Spanish-speaking countries, musicians play in busy marketplaces.
This weekend's opening festivities also will include a miniparade down Eighth Avenue, live music from Dan Electro and the Silvertones and cigar rolling demonstrations. Today at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Dick Greco and a cigar roller will symbolically light the "Big Cigar" sign that juts out from the Museum and Visitor Center.
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Centro Ybor in the mix
The showpiece of Ybor City's renaissance opens this weekend with music, parades and hopes of drawing more than rowdy night clubbers.
Centro Ybor's Opening Festival
All events take place in and around the Plaza
Lots to do on the avenue
Ybor City was a hub for nightlife long before Centro Ybor. You'll find plenty to eat, drink and do in the blocks surrounding the new complex. And even if it hasn't been too long since your last visit to Ybor, you may well find something new. Here's the latest of what Ybor has to offer.
Good eating at Centro Ybor
An early look at Big City Tavern, Dish and GameWorks provides an ample sample of tempting things to come. |
Even after the grand opening splash, organizers plan to keep the energy level high in Centro.
The house band will play most Thursday nights. Trombonist Buster Cooper, Rocket 88 and Gumbo Boogie are scheduled in upcoming weeks.
Saturdays, the courtyard will become the Ybor Fresh Market, filled with farmers and vendors from Ruskin and Lakeland selling yucca, eggplant and other produce, baked goods, flowers and herbs. The market, which used to be at Centennial Park, will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Activities for the kids are planned from noon to 1 p.m. every Saturday, with storytellers, musicians and artists.
Centro will be the new departing point for Ybor City Ghostwalk tours of the area's historic sites. The caped tour guide will leave Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from the Museum and Visitor Center on Eighth Avenue. The $10 tour stops at spots such as the Italian Club and the corner of 15th Street and Seventh Avenue, where gangster Charlie Wall hid liquor during Prohibition.
Self-guided audio tours of the district in English, Spanish and German are available from the Museum and Visitor Center any time.
During the holidays, there will be children's choirs, cookie decorating and a Christmas tree lighting. On New Year's Eve, organizers plan an event similar to New York's Times Square ball drop.
WHAT'S HERE
Adobe Gilas -- With Mexican hats and maracas hanging from nails, this balcony bar offers a bird's-eye view of Seventh Avenue. Frozen drinks, including the "Gila-rita," churn from machines behind the bar.
Afterthoughts -- Accessories for girls of all ages -- rings that double as watches, hair scrunchies, bright boas, peel-and-stick heart and butterfly tattoos.
American Eagle Outfitters -- Gear for outdoorsy types, chunky Everest boots, stretch polos, waffle T's, plaid button-downs.
Big City Tavern -- Housed in the 88-year-old Centro Espanol building, this comfy blend of brick walls, tin ceiling and cushy booths is a backdrop to New American cuisine created by chef Matthew Ries, formerly of New York's Russian Tea Room.
Big Mouth Grill -- Oversized burgers and salads.
Bods.bodynits -- Gym, swim and sportswear fashionable enough for the streets.
Booksmiths Bookstore -- Multimedia megastore is Ybor's first book vendor since Three Birds closed years ago.
Camelot Music -- Mall-staple record store.
Dish -- Pick your own veggies, sauce and meat (or fish or chicken), then watch a cook prepare it all on a circular grill. Watch for a second branch to open next month in St. Petersburg's BayWalk.
[Times photo: Kristen Schmidt]
Paul Nowicki plays air hockey in the Arena bar at GameWorks. Behind him are multiple video screens on the right and the prize redemption center on the left.
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GameWorks -- Miniature theme park with 120 games, two bars that also serve food, plus a restaurant. Games are $1.25-$3 each; play cards available for $10-$25. Options include Indy 500 racer, Kick It soccer game, Shocker "electric chair" simulator and Skee-ball. Open 11 a.m.- midnight Sun.-Weds.; 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thurs.-Sat. After 10 p.m. customers must be 18 or older.
GBX Shoes -- Stylish men's shoes.
Metropolitan Deluxe -- Unique home accessories and gifts.
Museum and Visitor Center at Centro Ybor -- Look for the 8-foot fiberglass cigar protruding from the building. Displays on Ybor's turn-of-the-century immigrant community. An 8-minute film Ybor history runs periodically. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.
Muvico Majestic 20 -- Opens Friday. Not just another multiplex. Concessions include quesadillas, popcorn shrimp, fresh pizza, chicken fingers, coffees and desserts. Premier section admits only those 21 and older to its four screens, with assigned (leather) seating. Here, food includes sushi, sashimi, fancy breads, martinis, wine and champagne. Admission is $10 to Premier, but popcorn's free. Regular admission is $7, children $4.50, seniors and students $5.
Pacific Sunwear -- Surfer-inspired fashions, like Jenco jeans and Doc Martins.
Starbucks -- Famed coffeeshop opens at 7 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. weekends.
Victoria's Secret -- Fancy underthings and nightwear.
WHAT'S COMING
Ferdie Pacheco Art Gallery -- Opening in November. Prints, originals and T-shirts bearing the work of Ybor's "ambassador." For more on Pacheco, see Mary Ann Marger's art column.
Eyetems -- Opening in November. Stylish specs and sunglasses.
Silver Edge -- Opening in November. Silver jewelry.
Cafe Mezzanotte -- High-style Italian dining with outdoor terraces. Also has locations in South Florida and Mexico City.
BarleyFest -- Opening in December. Upscale ale house with beers from Ybor and beyond.
Improv Comedy Club -- Opening in December. Local outpost of national chain will be in the old Grand Spanish Theater, where Cuban and Argentine movie stars of the 1930s appeared.
Tampa Ybor Historic Electric Streetcar -- Coming in 2001. Will link Ybor with downtown Tampa and Channelside.
PREVIEW
Centro Ybor
Mall hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday (restaurants and bars open later on Fridays and Saturdays); noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
[Times art]
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