Coast Bike Share off to a strong start

Tampa Bay's bike-share program, Coast Bike Share, got off to a strong start in its first six weeks of operations.

Coast's program director, Eric Trull, said today his group signed up more than 1,100 members between mid-November and this week.

The company's sky-blue bikes have traveled, collectively, 6,278 miles -- the distance from Tampa to San Francisco and back. The bulk of that pedaling has been around downtown Tampa, Ybor City, Davis Islands, Hyde Park and Bayshore Boulevard.

Coast Bike Share kicked off Nov. 17 with a members-only period. It opened bikes to the general public on Dec. 7.

Memberships are $79 a year, but bikes are available on the spot to anyone with a credit card and a smartphone. You can get the free Social Bicycles app (they're the ones who built the bikes) for iPhone or Android.

Each bike carries GPS and the technology to let riders rent a bike by their smartphone. When you're finished riding, just return the bike to one of the Coast stations and lock it back up.

The bikes are built for city riding. They're sturdy, with baskets and an enclosed driveshaft instead of a greasy chain.

One important note: In Florida, helmets are voluntary for anyone over 16, but mandatory for children under 16. Coast Bikes are BYOH, but City Bike Tampa, on Cass Street, will sell you one if you need one.

Coast has 300 bikes on Tampa Bay's streets with plans for more in 2015. The bikes are stored at stations outside City Hall, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and other spots.

They the perfect way to tour the Tampa Riverwalk or travel between downtown and popular neighborhoods like Ybor City. Bike lanes and bike paths separate riders from cars.

They're also a great way to burn off lunch at one of Tampa Bay's great restaurants. Coast officials estimate their riders burned a total of 221,137 calories since the program launched. 

Charlie Hebdo suspects killed, hostage freed as French police raid building

PARIS — French police stormed a printing plant north of Paris on Friday, freeing a hostage and killing two brothers linked to al-Qaida who were suspected of slaying 12 people at a Paris newspaper two days ago.

Man shot outside Pasco strip club subdues attacker with shovel

A man shot in the arm outside a strip club early Friday attacked his assailant with a shovel in Hudson, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Tampa International starts $1b expansion

Tampa International Airport, Tampa Bay's gateway to the world, has kicked off its $1 billion renovation and expansion.

Airport officials shut down one of the two shuttle lines serving Airside A and Airside C on Thursday morning. If you're traveling to Tampa Bay by way of those airsides in the coming months, you definitely want to build more time into your trip. For the rest of 2015, shuttles to Airside A and Airside C will run about every two minutes instead of less than a minute apart.

Airside A serves these airlines: Alaska, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Spirit, Sun Country and United.

Airside C serves Southwest exclusively.

The smoking deck between Airside A and Airside C will also be closed for the duration. You'll have to wait until you get to the airside to light up.

Over the next two years, all of Tampa International's airside shuttles will get updated and modernized.

Here’s some advice from TIA to help you navigate the new situation:

• Only a boarding pass is required to get on the shuttles to the airsides. No ID is required until security, which is located at the airside.
• Passengers should move to the last shuttle doors at the end of the lobby to make room for others during peak travel times.
• Look for guidance from customer service representatives on hand to ensure efficient movement between the main terminal and airsides.

All the trouble will be worth it when the dust settles in 2017. The expansion will add more than 55,000 square feet – roughly the size of a football field – to the third floor of the terminal. It will include lounge areas and distinct spaces for business travelers and families, green zones with plenty of plants, and art installations. The inside of the terminal will become more open and spacious, making it easier to figures out get around.

The work will also create a new rental-car facility (complete with a people-mover -- the terminal is shown in the rendering above), a new taxiway bridge for airplanes and new concession areas.

Construction in the main terminal will hit its peak in August 2015 and is expected to conclude by winter of 2017.

New shops and restaurants could open in the expanded terminal by mid-2016.

Margaritaville comes to Tampa Bay

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday for Jimmy Buffett's April 18 show at Tampa Bay's MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.

Tickets run $30 to $130. They're available at the Amphitheatre box office, 4802 U.S. 301 North, online through Ticketmaster or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band hit Tampa Bay as part of their "This One's For You" tour, a 40th anniversary celebration of their "A1A" album, the first to reach the Top 40.

The A1A album included "A Pirate Looks at 40," one of the dozens of Jimmy Buffett songs any Parrothead worth the salted rim of his or her margarita glass knows by heart.

 

 

 

 

Pass Members Receive $10 Busch Gardens Bucks Throughout January!

Throughout January, Pass Members get an exciting reward: $10 Busch Gardens Bucks to spend on dining, shopping and tours at Busch Gardens Tampa! Online registration is required – just login to the Pass Member Website and follow the steps below to claim your reward today.

 

It works like a coupon, so there’s no cash value and no cash back – but there’s also no minimum purchase! Your Busch Gardens Bucks are good for one-time use on dining, shopping or tours at Busch Gardens Tampa.

You can claim this reward for each active Pass Member in your household. To claim vouchers for your other Passes, you need to login separately with each individual barcode. Use the “Check a Pass” link on the login page and follow steps 2-6 to access offers for other Pass Members. 

To redeem this offer:

1.       Login

 

a.      If you have never visited the Pass Member Website before, you will need to register your Pass to link it to your email address. Just enter your barcode, zip code, email address and desired password then click the “Join Now” button.

 

b.      If you have already created a profile on the Pass Member website, click the “Sign In” link to enter your email address and password

 

c.       If you have trouble with both options above, click the “Check a Pass” link to login using your active Pass barcode and zip code.

 

d.      If you are unable to login, please call 888-800-5447 or email bga.guestinformation@buschgardens.com for assistance

 

 

2.       Once logged in, click the box labeled “Busch Gardens Bucks” within Your Offers

3.       Change the quantity to 1 and add the product to your cart (see above for how to claim this reward for other Pass Members in your household)

4.       In the top right corner of the page, click the “My Cart” link to checkout

5.       Proceed through all the steps of the checkout process

6.        Once checkout is complete, print your eticket voucher. Scan this voucher at the Self-Service Ticketing Kiosks at the park to receive your Busch Gardens Bucks.

 

Offer voucher must be redeemed at Self-Service Ticketing kiosks at Busch Gardens Tampa for Busch Gardens Bucks coupon.  Coupon will be valid only on the date on which offer voucher is redeemed at the park. Coupon valid for one-time use on select in-park purchases at Busch Gardens Tampa. Not redeemable for cash. No cash value.  No change or credit given. Offer voucher and coupon are non-refundable and nontransferable. Guest must present his or her own active Busch Gardens Tampa 1-year, 2-year, or Platinum Pass upon redemption of coupon.  Lost, damaged or stolen coupons will not be replaced. Offer not valid for Fun Card, Preschool Pass or Friends and Family Passes. 

Stay connected on Busch Gardens' Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for park updates and offers, including Pass Member rewards all year round! 

Busch Gardens unpacks a pachyderm

There's a new tusker in town at Busch Gardens Tampa.

Ganesh (aka Spike), a male Asian elephant, has settled into the theme park's wildlife collection after relocating from the Calgary Zoo in Canada.

He's joining the five female Asian elephants Busch Gardens Tampa already has on display in the elephant habitat across from the park's Animal Care Center.

Park officials hope 33-year-old Spike will play a big role in Busch Gardens Tampa's conversation efforts.

As part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Busch Gardens Tampa is part of the association's Species Survival Plan, which calls for breeding endangered species in captivity.

Spike, who weighs 6 tons, is the largest animal at Busch Gardens Tampa, which includes a sprawling safari park home to giraffes, zebras, ostriches and other African wildlife.

Spike traveled three days by truck from Calgary last year. He has lived behind the scenes at Busch Gardens while the park expands its elephant habitat to make room for its big guy.

His arrival in Tampa Bay marked Spike's return to Florida. Before moving to Calgary 20 years ago, he lived at the Miami zoo.

Busch Gardens and its parent company, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, care for one of the largest animal collections in North America. Together, they have helped advance the care of animals held in zoos and in conservation of animals in the wild.