Hold on to Your Straps Please

I'd like to tighten up some relevant link activity taking place in these parts. Just some things worth noting.

• The Tampa Transit Utopia Google Map - A custom Google map featuring the transit vision of a one "Wslupecki" over at the Skyscraper City Tampa/St. Petersburg Forum. Wow! The map demonstrates a preference for a monorail solution. Hey, Wslupecki, I'll bring the shovels, you get the cement, and we'll start building!
• Motorman Henry calls our attention to Wayne Garcia's coverage of some recent pining by Amtrak for a bonafide intercity rail system. Just like in the real union states!
  
• Looks like HART has a new website address. I love it: GoHart.org! The old one still works, for now.
  
• Speaking of which, HART has moved its entire operations center above the urban rail operations center (you can call it "the Ybor facility" if you want to, HART, but at Tampa Rail, we're calling it the urban rail facility ).
  
• Will a private solution to Tampa's downtown urban transportation system prove effective? Maybe we should call this service Cartline.
  

Red Brick Pizza Opens at Towers at Channelside

I was trolling the beat in Channelside two weeks ago and to my grand surprise discovered the first operating retail business at the base of the Towers at Channelside.

Channelside Tower's first retail business - It's not a grocery store as I'd much prefer to see, but in financially shaky times, I'll take it!

Here I am taking it.

The restaurant is quite nice, but the entrance is a little tucked away. You kinda felt as if you were entering through an obscure side service door, once you found it. As I exited, one couple wanting in asked me exactly how I did it. I pointed and editorialized, and off they went. Glad Red Brick decided to break the ice, but their last-foot connectivity to the urban center there needs a little refinement.

Once you make it inside though, yum!