Diner24 coming soon to downtown

The area around Williams Parks continues to get activated. The Galley, 27 4th Street North, recently opened its doors to great acclaim for its exquisite list of craft cocktails and unique dishes. The Frenchy — croque madame with havarti and tavern ham on 7-grain bread, topped with a fried egg and creamy bechamel — is a must try for anyone who has yet to experience their brunch. The debut seems to have inspired another business to open just around the corner.

Diner24, a 24-hour diner, is set to replace Fuego Lounge at 350 1st Avenue North. The diner will offer all of your favorite diner fare like pancakes, bacon, hash browns, grits, French toast and coffee. Visitors will be able to enjoy breakfast 24/7. With so many premier concerts and arts events slated for the downtown area in the coming years, a space to fuel up before and after the fun is clutch. You can follow the diner’s progress on their Facebook page.

Caravan Stage Company sets sail for St. Pete

The National Caravan Stage Company, a Florida not-for-profit organization, could soon return to St. Pete after nearly 15 years — the group last anchored in the Burg in April of 2002. The 90 ft. Tall Ship, Amara Zee, will anchor in the westerly basin of Bayboro Harbor and begin developing a new production for their 47th annual season.

The Amara Zee serves as a communal living environment for performers. Those on board collaborate on all aspects of the production, as well as maintain the ship.

*Photo by Clair Sabattie

The production will be presented to the public aboard the Tall Ship from April 4 to April 9. All performances will be free to attend. Caravan will invite local arts programs to observe rehearsal workshops as they develop the production. After their time in the Burg, Caravan sets sail for New Orleans, then Galveston and finally Vancouver where the production is set to be a part of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Canada.

Caravan’s 75-minute play will feature a musical score, impressive video graphics projected onto the sails of the ship and aerial artists performing from the rigging of the ship. The proposed production, Nomadic Tempest, chronicles the journey and struggles of a band of Monarch butterflies as they travel from the US to Canada.

*Photo by Clair Sabattie

Caravan is set to take up residence in St. Pete for 4 months, pending City Council approval on Thursday, Feb. 9. The Parks and Recreation Department has already approved the Caravan production. The group recently began an online fundraising campaign to help purchase meals for the group, costumes for the performance and fresh paint to maintain the wooden deck.

*Article by Andrew Harlan (andrew@rkc.me), writer/editor of I Love The Burg