I love St. Pete @ ARTpool

A couple of weeks back while loitering around the streets of downtown I stumbled across several advertisements for an event called I Love St. Pete. A showcase of local artistic talents and all around cool show featuring live music, held at the ARTpool gallery / vintage boutique on First Ave. Because of transportation issues and a lack of cultured friends I had all but counted out the event as something I could realistically attend.

As the Saturday of the event arrived, I had surrendered all hope and accepted the fact that my evening would be spent munching on stale store brand potato chips and flattened Jolt Cola. Thankfully at the very last second a moment of clarity shined down upon me in the form a instant message from none other then long time friend / high school chum Mindy Van Devin. We managed to arrange plans on short notice and before I knew it we were on our way downtown.

Being that I am a virgin to the ARTpool experience I was really unsure of what to expect and went in with very few expectations. With that said, ARTpool is simply amazing. Sort of a glorified thrift store that feels more like a nostalgic playground filled with retro clothing and knick knacks. Also available are hand crafted jewelry and artwork from local artist. There is so much going on inside of the store that the building itself begins to take on a life of its own.

I must say, ARTpool sure knows how to throw a shin-dig. Everyone in attendance seemed to be having a blast roaming the cramped isles of the store and snapping personal photos to commemorate the experience. The DJ, located above the main entrance, was a nice touch as were the creepy mannequins that seemed to be dressed up flamboyantly around every corner. Outside of the building in the neighboring parking lot a second party was taking place featuring live bands and various vendors.

Next month the folks at ARTpool will be throwing another event just in time for Valentines Day, for more info on that or anything else I highly recommend swinging by their website, http://www.artpoolrules.com/.

Trip To The Bulgarian Bar

Life is funny sometimes. One minute your lying on the couch half naked under a pile of snack food wrappers, the next your getting drunk in a bar surrounded by foreigners.

Recently "Laid Off" AGAIN and surviving under the threat of constant boredom, it was nice of my old work chum Mitco to swing by the crib last Friday and taking me out for drinks and bullshitting, both of which were desperately needed.

Rather then heading to the local dive bar or trendy afterwork hotspots, we went to a barely noticeable hole in the wall joint down the road from my house that turned out to be a clubhouse for Bulgarians. Complete with a full bar, food and satellite TV's broadcasting from their native Bulgaria.

First off, I have been passed this place a thousend times and never knew that it was a bar or a spot exclusively for Bulgarians. At best I had always suspected it was an unpopular coffee shop ran by beatnics or something. Second thing is, the amazement that there is a large enough population of Bulgarians in this area to support not one but several establishments like this in the city of St. Petersburg. I had no idea.

The doors on this place are tinted dark black with a small sign printed that says "Private Party" with the picture of a muscle bound bodyguard. Upon entering the building, which was roughly the size of my apartment, there were several couches filled with men playing cards and drinking. Everybody knew everybody, nobody wanted to speak english and it had the feeling more so of a house party then a public bar, which was pretty awesome.

Never one to appreciate a good beer, I ordered a cranberry and vodka which I must say caught me completely off guard. Normally you get a small glass filled with ice and a watered down drink. Not here, this was a huge glass with three tiny ice cubes and a ton of vodka. The owner / bartender hooked it up.

Feeling a little buzzed I did the the most American thing I could do and turned my attention towards the TV. I was fascinated. First was the Bulgarian Jay Leno, his name escapes me but he is apparently huge over there and occassionally convences big Hollywood stars to appear on his show. Next was their national equivalent to MTV. I always wondered how B and C list musicians and entertainers sustained an income after their fame in the U.S. had fizzled out. Well, now I know. They are huge overseas! I saw artist on this channel I had forgotten about years ago, still making music videos like they were in their prime. For some reason I got a big kick out of this.

All in all it was a nice few hours of escapism on a Friday afternoon. Especially when one is broke with asperations of traveling the world it is nice to know that "the world" can be found in my own back yard a few blocks from my house.