Congratulations to my new friends Nhan Nguyen and her husband Hai Chu and their family, the owners of the new Ha Long Bay restaurant, which is expected to open (hopefully) by the end of this month in the space previously occupied by Aroi Thai-Tsuyu at 20685 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Several months ago, we announced in these pages that the restaurant would be a new location of Hana Sushi, but when that deal fell through, Nhan, Hai and their family jumped at the opportunity to open the fourth location of Ha Long Bay (the others are in St. Petersburg, Dunedin and Largo). Nhan and Hai also previously owned Ocean Blue Sushi Bar in Carrollwood.
The new Ha Long Bay will feature a variety of Vietnamese and Asian fusion favorites, including pho, banh mi sandwiches, Chinese-style stir-fry dishes, poké bowls, rice combination plates and a large variety of boba teas. Check our Facebook page for updates about Ha Long Bay’s opening. — GN
Even More New Eateries Are Now Open At The KRATE Container Park!
Almost all of the restaurants at the KRATE Container Park at The Grove at Wesley Chapel have now opened — and the word is definitely getting out that KRATE is a great destination for a wide variety of cuisine types from all around the world.
The newest KRATE to open is Boba Mac’s Tea & Eat, which combines the seemingly unlikely pairing of a variety of teas with boba pearls (made of tapioca starch from cassava root, not gelatin; photo below left) and a number of varieties of macaroni and cheese, as well as some Filipino dishes. I sampled the frozen banana tea with bobas and it was both super-tasty and filling like a smoothie.
“We’re still trying to add some employees,” said owner Rich Bussey the day we went to press with this issue, “so we’re just opening with the boba teas for now, but we will add our full planned menu when we really get rolling.” — GN
Carrabba’s Opens On The North Side Of S.R. 56!
Speaking of Italian, Jannah and I were fortunate enough to be invited to the pre-opening of the new Carrabba’s Italian Grill, located at 25298 Sierra Center Blvd. (between Bonefish Grill and Aussie Grill, on the north side of S.R. 56). The restaurant officially opened to the public on Sept. 13, and there’s no doubt it’s going to be a local favorite.
The newest location of the chain, which serves 130-year-old recipes created by the family of founders Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, is one of more than 200 in nearly 30 U.S. states, with about 70 of those being located in Florida.
And, while I’ve never been the biggest fan of most chain eateries, the new Carrabba’s is beautiful, has a great bar area and I already like many of the made-from-scratch dishes I’ve sampled, including the lasagne pictured above, the Tuscan-grilled pork chops and steaks, the mezzaluna ravioli and more.
For more info, call (813) 261-2691 or visit Carrabbas.com. — GN
Townhalls and other community meetings may sound boring to many, but sometimes, they produce action that otherwise wouldn’t happen.
Alexandra Gilmore, a Tampa Palms resident since 2007, attended one hosted by Tampa City Council member Luis Viera and other city planners back in 2020 and when she took the mic, she wanted to know why there weren’t more — or any, actually — public basketball courts in New Tampa.
Her boys, Caleb and Bryce, had searched for places to play, but were always booted off the courts.
“You have to live in a community that has them, or a certain neighborhood, or have a membership somewhere,” Alexandra remembers telling city officials. She told Viera and the others there were courts and space behind Liberty Middle School that could be used but were fenced off to keep kids out.
“Why can’t those be public?,” she asked.
It was a great question, and one that finally got answered on Aug. 25, when the Tampa City Council voted 5-0 to pitch in with the Hillsborough County School District to spend $1 million to upgrade the aged tennis courts behind Liberty.
Gilmore had no idea her suggestion had even become a reality until the Neighborhood News called her.
“Oh my goodness,” she said. “You’re kidding me! This is absolutely amazing!”
Gilmore stayed in touch with Viera via email while the councilman did the pushing behind the scenes to initiate the project. The Tampa City Council agreed to enter into an interlocal agreement with the School District to improve some of the athletic facilities that adjoin Liberty and Freedom High.
The current facilities — six hard court tennis courts — between the two schools will receive a new design and a court cover to shield those playing from the elements.
The “all-fields facility,” as it is called, will feature three resurfaced and outfitted courts for basketball, tennis, pickleball or volleyball, depending on the needs. The other three existing tennis courts will be replaced by an artificial multi-purpose turf field and will be covered. Restrooms also will be a part of the new facility.
The School District will control access to the fields and their usage — most likely for recess and other school-related activities — during daytime hours when Liberty and Freedom are in session. The city will control public access in the evening hours and on weekends.
“Utilizing unused school space for recreation activities for the larger communities, including basketball…is going to be a great thing,” said Viera, who represents the New Tampa area in District 7.
The cost of upgrading the courts is expected to be roughly $1 million, and the City Council voted that the city would pay up to 50 percent, or $500,000, of those costs, using Capital Improvement Plan funds.
During the public comments portion of the City Council meeting, only one person, South Tampa’s Stephanie Poynter, commented and she was in favor of making the courts open to the public.
“If the City of Tampa is paying half for the basketball courts at Liberty and Freedom schools, those courts should be accessible 24 hours a day if the schools are not in session,” she said. “This is the only place I have ever lived where every single school has a fence between it and the kids who live around it. I’ll never understand that.”
Before the vote took place, the motion was pulled for discussion by District 3 Council member Lynn Hurtak. She favored the interlocal agreement, and asked that the city’s Parks & Recreation Department explore more opportunities like this.
“How when many of us when we were kids, that at our neighborhood school, after school, we could go play on the playground, in the field, on the basketball courts, do it on the weekends, do it all summer?,” Hurtak asked. “Now, with the advent of school shootings, many of those open spaces have been fenced off for student security, and they don’t allow the public to utilize those facilities, which is a bigger strain on our parks system. So, when I saw this interlocal agreement, I was really excited about it. “
Viera made a point of crediting Gilmore during the meeting.
“This is going to be a wonderful thing,” Viera told the Council.
Gilmore agrees.
“I remember a couple of people reached out to me after that meeting in 2020 to thank me,” said Gilmore, who was running for the Hillsborough County School Board at the time. “This will be great for kids in the local neighborhoods to have a place to play.”
Is the proposed recreation center at Cross Creek Park a slam dunk (preferably on an indoor basket in a potential air-conditioned facility!), as District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan hopes?
You would think so, considering the $8-million price tag and number of proposed amenities for what would be the first county-owned public indoor recreation center in New Tampa.
At the very least, it’s a three-point swish, according to online polling.
As the county proceeds on the new upgrades at Cross Creek Park, which is located next to Pride Elementary (at 19025 Bassett Creek Dr.), it continues to gauge support for the endeavor.
The project would potentially include things like an indoor facility for basketball, volleyball and pickleball (as well as senior and adult programming), bathrooms and after-school and summer programs for children, a new shaded playground and upgraded outdoor basketball court, a splash pad, a walking trail and more.
Of the 179 responses filled out online, 84% of respondents said they were in favor of the upgrades at the park, 10% were opposed and 7% percent said they were undecided.
When it came to what amenities respondents were most interested in, 66% wanted an upgraded playground, 64% favored a recreation center with programming, 59% wanted a walking trail, 55% wanted a splash pad and 35% chose some of the other amenities.
One of the respondents wrote that they would like to see more of the wide-open field — which gets a lot of use by people playing soccer, cricket, flag football and flying kites — preserved, despite early renderings showing that much of it would be eliminated and replaced by a retention pond under the county’s plan.
A lot of commentors agreed and suggested that the pond could be moved across the street to replace two overgrown baseball fields that are almost never used.
Others loved the idea of upgrades, and chimed in with their own suggestions, most of them advocating for a skate park, dog park or tennis courts.
However, when the county held a public input meeting on Aug. 15 in the lunchroom at Pride Elementary, only five residents, including two couples, attended. Most of the questions at that meeting centered around preserving the park’s green space.
Pride principal Paulette English attended the meeting that night, and voiced her support.
“I think it’s a very positive thing for the community and school as well,” English said. “It opens some after-school programs for kids that they don’t otherwise have access to, and having staff there will keep it a safer place for kids to be.”
English said that her school gets a lot of requests for after-school programs and club-type activities. The school offered a drama and tennis club this year “and it filled up just like that,” she said.
Pride has waiting lists of roughly 30 students for each of those clubs.
While Hagan said the online support for the rec center has been great, K-Bar Ranch resident Beth Bodai was one of the residents at an Aug. 22 community meeting in K-Bar Ranch attended by Hagan (story on pg. 4) who questioned whether the county would be able to handle a new park. Cross Creek Park has a dirt parking lot, overgrown baseball fields and no bathrooms, along with other issues.
“It sounds fantastic, but who will maintain it, because you haven’t maintained what you have now,” Bodai said.
Bodai also said that the park is often called the “Forgotten Park” by residents. She cited the dirt parking lot and lack of lighting at night, leading to a number of cars parking in the unpatrolled lot after dark, the porta-potties being turned over numerous times every weekend, and the playground equipment being too hot, due to a lack of shade, so that it can’t be used. “And the (baseball) fields are a disgrace,” she said.
Hagan explained that the county would maintain the upgraded park, at a cost of roughly $100,000 a year, and would employ full-time attendants.
He even said he would look into having the parking lot lights installed now.
However, another resident in attendance at the K-Bar Ranch meeting expressed concern the park would end up being a burden to taxpayers. And Bodai, who said she hopes the park is everything Hagan says it will be, is still a skeptic.
Hagan promised it would be a facility that K-Bar Ranch (a City of Tampa development) and the rest of New Tampa would be proud of. “I can tell you, If NT doesn’t want this facility, I promise you there are a million other communities that will,” he said.
Regardless of whether Cross Creek Park gets upgraded, the traffic and road study that comes with the planning could result in the kind of positive change that those who drive in the area have been seeking. Many of those who participated in the online forum (see next pg.) said the area’s already tangled transportation woes prevented them from fully supporting the new park.
If Hagan wants his slam dunk, that will have to be an issue that gets resolved in conjunction with a new rec center.
“And we understand that,” he says. “We’re taking a close look at everything.”
LOCALS CHIME IN Here are some of the online comments submitted for local (presumably) residents on what they think of the new upgrades proposed for Cross Creek Park, and what other things they would like to see at the park.
It would be great for the gym to have pickleball courts. Adding lights to the basketball courts would also be a plus, as a lot of kids play basketball there in the evenings. For being a little park it gets a lot of use. (Would) love to see these improvements going in.
New Tampa desperately needs public tennis courts and public soccer fields (doesn’t have to be regulation size). Benito soccer fields are under lock and key by the Chargers program and not available for public use.
There are no public tennis courts in this area. Need one in this park.
Please add a skate park!!
I think this is a brilliant plan! This is a major community that needs these improvements. The splash pad intrigues me the most. Considering we live in the Sunshine State, there aren’t many places to cool down for kids. I also agree with everyone on an updated playground with shade!
Park definitely needs an update. Splash pad would be great for those hot summers. None nearby.
Love this idea! The current playground is run down, it needs an upgrade as it’s used daily (by) neighborhood kids. An adjacent splash pad seems like a great idea, too, as those are popular in many other communities across Tampa. The area is in desperate need of lighting also.
I would like to see a dog park, and obviously more covered picnic tables with bathroom facilities
Many people use the extensive field space currently for field sports such as ultimate frisbee, football, soccer, cricket, baseball, kickball, and others. It appears that the proposed plan will cut down on field space to the point that field sports will not have enough space to be played. As a hub for local kids playing sports, this field space is particularly important as it is the only park with this space in the area.
Shaded play area is needed
Paved parking lot and shaded areas.
Why would we need additional basket ball courts while we have two existing courts?
Tennis court and a leveled kickball field
The parking lot needs to be paved and there needs to be restrooms. Shaded play area. Litter pick up not just trash can pickup because people can’t put trash in trash cans.
Please add more trees
The roadway is already too crowded by the park. Consideration would need to be taken if any changes are to be made, to deal with additional traffic.
The traffic by this area is already too much. This will cause too much congestion and people who live in Basset Creek will (have) too much traffic traveling in and out of their home area.
Please preserve the open field space at Cross Creek Park. Numerous individuals and organized groups regularly use the space for games and training. Move the retention pond, parking lot, and building across the street.
This “improvement” is a terrible idea. The park is already amazing and I use it all the time with my friends. We love the large field that we can play any sport on, as well as exercise. Sprint workouts, football, frisbee, kickball, baseball and many other sports are only possible because of these fields. You cannot play on a small field, rec center, or retention pond.
Paint the basketball courts so it’s smoother and not the basic concrete.
This is a great plan to upgrade the park. It does look very old.
Traffic is high speed through there, and there’s already school traffic. Plus additional traffic from current development in KBar 3 and 4. People currently can take their dogs there to exercise, and it would limit the park to children’s use primarily. There’s already a city park being developed in KBar and Mistflower (?) for kids.
For you oldtimers out there, it doesn’t seem that long ago that the debate over who had the best food in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel came down to the ABC Pizza on S.R. 54 and the gas station in front of Pebble Creek (Spoiler alert: It was the ABC Pizza).
In fact, in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa alone, there are close to 200 restaurants, and pretty much everything is covered, except for maybe Vietnamese, although a quality full-on Vietnamese restaurant is going to be opening soon just south of County Line Rd. (scoop alert!).
Otherwise, if you have a hankering for something, there are multiple places to satisfy your cravings.
But, to determine what the best places are (or, at least, your favorite places), we need your help. Any Reader Survey is only as good as, well, its readers. So whattya say? Take a few seconds and fill this out.
There may be a few more categories this year than usual, but we think we’ve actually made it simpler for you — just type in your favorite choices, although we do ask that your rank your favorite three restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel overall. Of course, if you see this in your copy of the Neighborhood News, and throw it in an envelope and mail it to us.
Heck, if you prefer writing it out, you can take a picture of your ballot once you fill it in and even email it to john@ntneighborhoodnews.com.
We even have prizes for a few of the lucky ones that do!
We — and the local eateries — do truly appreciate your participation.
So, what’s different this year?
Well, we’ve added a “Best Dish” category, because sometimes, that’s the reason you’re going to a certain restaurant. Maybe the place isn’t your favorite overall, but the spaghetti and meatballs are simply to die for. Some restaurants just do one thing better than anyone else, so fill us in!
We’ve also added a “Favorite Appetizer” category because it can make or break a dining experience. These days, mozzarella sticks and loaded potato skins simply aren’t enough. Restaurants are really putting some serious effort into their pre-meal offerings. And really, who hasn’t ordered nothing more than an appetizer (or two) as their meal?
We’ve also added a Covid-19-inspired category — “Best Coffee Shop,” because a lot of us work out of a coffee shop these days.
We’ve also added “Best KRATE at The Grove,” because, well, duh! While you can certainly vote for any of the container restaurants in any other category, we decided that the container park really needed its own category. Plus, we’re curious to see how this one will turn out.
We decided to split the dessert categories into “Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt (FroYo)/Gelato” and “Best Bakery” sweets, and added a “Best Fried Chicken/Wings” category, given “Best Indian Food” and “Best Latin (Other Than Mexican)” their own categories for the first time, added “Best Breakfast/Brunch” and brought back the “Best Burger” category.
And, with the exception of the KRATEs, any of your favorites can be in New Tampa (zip code 33647, as well as in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave. in 33613) or Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545, as well as 33559, which is technically Lutz, but it allows you to include picks near the Tampa Premium Outlets, since so many locals love so many of those places to eat).
We think we have everything covered this time around. While it might be a little more work for you than when we gave you the names of pretty much every restaurant in our distribution areas, our goal was to present enough choices so that this year’s Reader’s Survey would present the most complete and accurate snapshot of your views of the dining experience in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa.
Now, it’s your turn. Thanks in advance for entering, which, one more time, you can do by CLICKING HERE. — JCC & GN
Jennifer Bugos, Ph.D., is heading up a study at the USF School of Music that will examine the effects of music training interventions on memory and motor function. (Photo: Charmaine George)
Music touches people creatively and socially, but it also deeply affects our brains.
Jennifer Bugos, Ph.D., first considered that idea when she was much younger, as a secondary caregiver for her grandparents. With her grandfather’s ability to speak declining to the point where he could barely utter a sentence, she would play the piano, and he would sing every word to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Nearby, her grandmother was in a near vegetative state, but her toe would still tap along to the music.
These experiences led Dr. Bugos to her life’s work, studying, as she says, “what it is about music that is so special.”
Her background in music education includes Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Master of Education and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music Education, plus studies in gerontology and post-doctorate study in neuropsychology. She serves as Associate Professor of Music Education in the School of Music at the University of South Florida (USF), with two decades of research and a 22-page curriculum vitae detailing the research she has done to understand the connection between music and cognitive performance, among other accomplishments.
“Music is a powerful stimulus that we know can help to improve memory,” she says. “It’s a powerful way to exercise the brain.”
Last year, the National Endowment for the Arts chose USF as one of just six nationally designated research labs in the area of “the arts, creativity, cognition and learning.”
As principal investigator, Dr. Bugos will lead researchers who will study the effects of music training interventions — specifically, subjects will participate in music classes — on memory and motor function.
Dr. Jennifer Bugos
The study is called Cognition and Coordination Across the Lifespan in Music, or the acronym CALM. It is open to adults ages 18-25, as well as to adults over age 60, with plans to recruit children ages 8 to 12 in the future. Participants should have no or very little formal training in music.
“One of the key components of the study is that the task must be novel — or new – to participants,” explains Dr. Bugos. “We’re looking for people with three or less years of previous formal private musical training and not currently reading music and engaging in musical performance.”
She defines “previous formal private musical training” as one-on-one instruction. If someone has participated in a band or chorus in high school, or something similar, that would not disqualify them from participating in the study.
Those who do participate will be randomly assigned to a group for their music lessons. Because the groups are assigned at random, participants will not get to choose the type of music lessons they will receive. The classes will meet twice a week for 12 weeks and study participants are asked to also practice at home 30 minutes a day, or three hours a week. There are various classes available to accommodate different schedules.
Cognitive training interventions contain task novelty, progressive difficulty, practice components, social elements, and are “ecologically valid,” which means that individuals can use the new skill in everyday life.
“Many of our previous participants can play for their own enjoyment or report playing ‘Happy Birthday’ for their grandchildren. Dr. Bugos says. “Some even perform at church or just for their own enjoyment.”
She adds, “It’s a very rewarding experience. Music training contains all of the active ingredients of a cognitive training intervention.”
Because the programs are structured as cognitive training programs, Dr. Bugos says, “They are a bit more intense than a traditional music lesson.” She explains that it’s important for the lessons to be rigorous — and for participants to attend regularly and practice at home — so they can see gains.
She also notes that the programs are engaging and that people who participate will notice benefits in terms of cognitive performance. They also will make social connections. She says previous participants still sometimes get together for coffee, for example.
Lessons are offered free of charge, and participants will receive all materials and access to instruments for the duration of the program. In addition, they are required to participate in four research sessions, for which they will be compensated. USF parking passes also are provided.
“It’s a great program,” Dr. Bugos says. “There are cognitive benefits, motor system benefits, and learning a new skill that can last a lifetime.”
Additional studies are open for participants who are currently cancer patients or have experienced heart failure.
All studies require participants to follow Covid-19 procedures, including wearing masks during the lessons.
The first session begins in September, but new sessions will begin every four months, so those who are interested can feel free to reach out, even if their schedule doesn’t permit them to participate in the September sessions.
Partners include Kuumba Dancers and Drummers and the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. The Gasparilla Music Foundation also is a partner on a series of studies examining the effects of music training on coordination and cognition in children.
To see if you qualify to participate in the study, or for more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Bugos at (813) 974-2753 or email her at BugosJ@usf.edu.
