Is your favorite on our list of 50? Do you have some to add? Vote for your favorite waterfront bars and restaurants below. And if you don’t see your favorite, write it in the comments at the bottom of the ballot.

Think of it as your first chance to fire a salvo in this fall’s 2008 Best of the Bay battle. Because what’s better than a Best of the Bay winner that’s actually on the Bay (or the Gulf, the Hillsborough or the Intracoastal)?

(Photo by Marina Williams)

Voting ends May 28 – so get your ballots in soon!

[poll=2]

What’s that? You want Max Swimming on your video iPod? Click me and add the file to your iTunes video playlist.

To play again, hit refresh. (If it doesn’t play, you need get the quicktime plugin)

Courtesy of your brand-spanking-new Online Producer, Alejandro ;)

Made any progress for what you’d like to call this puppy?

Any idea when you want to launch?

If you can’t make up yer minds, we can launch with the current title “Planet Talk” and current URL “creativeloafing.typepad.com/planet_talk.”

– LauraFries.com

It’s good to be back in Tampa, if only for a night. And how charmed was I to see my Stella glass still in circulation in the kitchen?

I share with you this: my official Weekly Planet breakfast.

Totally excited for the Planet holiday party tonight. Are we drinking scotch again? Or was it whiskey? Joe and I debated this last night …

– LauraFries.com, (crossposted)

C’mon, gang, this thing ain’t live. If you want to make changes to it, figure out a name, and a design theme (personally, I think tacky Florida would be awesome), and then we can have one big long blog talk.

Add suggestions to this post instead of sending me 100 emails. I get lots of emails; it’s easier to follow one train of thought on the blog. Plus, this way you don’t overlap each other.

USE OF IMAGES ONLINE

You may be blogging, but you are still *publishing* for Creative Loafing Media. Which means we can still get sued if you use copyrighted images without permission on the web.

Don’t give me any claptrap on the likelihood of being sued. We have the same legal standards for publication in print and online. You are not allowed to use images without permission.

Here’s what to do:
a) get permission
b) use images you have permission for … a good place to look is Flickr. Images marked with certain Creative Commons licenses can be used online. It’s good etiquette to send someone a link to let them know what you’ve used.
c) don’t use images you don’t have permission for.

ALL BLOG POSTS MUST BE EDITED

Yep. Same idea as above. *Someone* must act as the editor for the blog, reading all posts before they go live, ensuring that images are ok for publication, and in general being the scapegoat for all things that Max does wrong. I suggest not Max.

This ain’t live yet …

Which is why you are using illegal images and not being edited. Before we go live, all of the above must be addressed.

This is the blog of Creative Loafing Tampa staffers. Sure, it’s all over the map. You got a problem with that?

About this blog

Blurbex is our place for the weird, the informative, the breaking news that otherwise doesn’t make it into each award-winning issue of the Weekly Planet. There are no rules; each writer has his/her own interests, just like you. Want to know the latest concert announcement? Read Blurbex. Want to know the inside scoop on local politics? Read Blurbex. Want to know how the City Council voted on zoning last night? Read the freakin’ daily newspapers.

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Credits

The following people make this blog happen:
Writers: Wayne Garcia, Max Linsky, David Warner, Kelli K, Scott Harrell, Eric Snider, Joe Bardi, Leilani Polk, Anne Arsenault, Mark Sanders, Cooper Baker
Web work: Alejandro Leal, Lea Holland.
Design by: Katie Kaiser

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Corporate Stuff

As the third largest newspaper in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, Creative Loafing Tampa offers readers a valuable alternative to the two mainstream daily publications. Our sister paper, the Creative Loafing Sarasota offers the same great journalism for the Sarasota-Brandenton market.

Our award-winning news stories are rooted in a commitment to the community and an independent perspective that puts the greater interests of that community first.

In addition to a comprehensive listing of local happenings covering everything from gallery openings to sporting events, CL offers Floridians the most respected and authoritative critics on the subjects of food, film, theater and music.

Plus, we’re funny.

A tradition of spirited and thoughtful journalism and indispensable entertainment information has made Creative Loafing a vital voice to readers along the Gulf Coast.

Our Tampa offices are located at:
810 N. Howard
Tampa, FL 33606
[map]
813-739-4800 (main)
813-739-4899 (fax)

The Sarasota offices are here:
1385 5th St
Sarasota, Florida 34236
[map]
941-365-6776 (main)
941-365-6854 (fax)