Westchase Advice for Newcomers

Westchase Patch Facebook fans offered some great advice for folks who may be new to Westchase.

One of the biggest challenges when moving to an area is finding the local hotspots, hangout and hidden gems. To try and ease the struggle, Westchase Patch asked our nearly 1,000 Facebook fans to offer their advice to newcomers. Earlier this month, we asked, "When someone new moves to Westchase, what are the most important things for them to know and places for them to visit?" Here is what your neighbors had to say. Be sure and add your own suggestions to the comments section on this article. Thanks for helping out your neighbors. Keep the adivce coming by leaving a comment.

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Tailoring Senior Exercise to Individual Need in Westchase

'Losing our body is like losing our best friend,' said Larry Prescott, who runs a local assisted living and dementia care community. He tells caregivers that exercise needs to be adapted to a senior's needs.

As people age they tend to stay at home and get less exercise through daily  activities, such as trips to the grocery store, said Larry Prescott, executive director of Grand Villa. "The fear of falling, pain from arthritis and neuropathy of the feet, and not recouping as quickly from illnesses often keep people from exercising," Prescott said. Exercise needs to be adapted to the individual's needs. "Person-centered exercise takes the time to determine individual needs. It is completely focused on our residents and what is going to make their life enriched," Prescott said. "Losing our body is like losing our best friend. It can be very depressing and can inhibit motivation to do anything," Prescott said. The key is having the right exercise…

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Cheers, Westchase!

Opa! Mythos Lager at Greek City Cafe

Each week "Cheers, Westchase!" helps you kick off your weekend, highlighting either a beer, cocktail or wine you can find right here in the neighborhood.

Not long ago, Greek City Cafe opened in Westchase. We're always glad to welcome new businesses to the area, so this week we raise our glass to the new location of this Tampa-based franchise. And we'll toast with a Mythos! Mythos Hellenic Lager is the Cheers, Westchase pick of the week. Made by the second largest brewery in Greece, this lager has a bright golden color, and a pleasant refreshing taste with a dry finish. Greek City Cafe manager Petros Lampropoulos reccomends pairing it with their signature Gyro Pita Pizza, which has homemade feta-dill sauce, toped with pieces of gyro meat, feta cheese and onions. The restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating and a menu full of salads, flatbreads, pitas, rice bowls, wraps and panins. And …

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Cheers, Westchase!

Cucumber 'Rita at Outback Steakhouse

Each week "Cheers, Westchase!" helps you kick off your weekend, highlighting either a beer, cocktail or wine you can find right here in the neighborhood.

Cocktail fads may come and go, but the margarita’s popularity has remained steady since its invention. This week for Cheers, Westchase, it's a margarita with a twist from the "Outfront Bar" at Outback Steakhouse. The Outfront Bar is new a concept that combines a bar and a kitchen, right out front, in the middle of the resaturant. Chefs prepare bar food and hand-crafted cocktails in the center of all the restaurant. The Cucumber Rita features: Fresh cucumbers muddled with basil and lime juice, Patron Silver Tequila, and agave nectar. I reccomend pairing it with their Avocado and Crab Stack Appetizer. Margarita Fun Facts: Whether it's Cinco de Mayo or de Deciembre (December), it's never a bad time to celebrate with one of Mexico's favorite …

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'Drink 4 Ta-tas' in October at Blend Lounge

Each week "Cheers, Westchase!" helps you kick off your weekend, highlighting either a beer, cocktail or wine you can find right here in the neighborhood.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and to honor the cause, Blend Lounge is featuring a vibrant, pink-inspired cocktail called "Drink 4 Tatas." Ten percent of all sales of the drink during October will go to the  Breast Cancer Foundation. Drink 4 Ta-tas is a blend of Chambord Vodka, Zonin Rose Champagne & Lemonade, topped off with fresh raspberries. Zonin Rose is a lightly-colored sparkling rose with a delicate perlage. (Perlage is a  term meaning "steady streams of small to tiny bubbles.) See, maybe you learned somehting new today! It is well-blended, soft on the palate and smooth with floral notes and a hint of almond. Chambord Vodka: The makers of the world-renowned black raspberry liqueur recently introduced a new taste …

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Westchase Family Raises More Than $100,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

A Westchase family organzied the 11th annual Tampa Tailgate Gameday and raised $101,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Logan Bauder, a Westchase Elementary sixth-grader, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was less than a year old. Since 2001 his parents, Heather and Chip, and a committee of supporters from all over Tampa have organize the annual Tampa Tailgate Gameday. The event, held this past Saturday, benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improving the quality of life for those with CF, and to finding a cure. Attendees at the weekend event enjoyed a night out in the Club Level of Raymond James Stadium. Food, drink and other and provisions were provided by World of Beer, Catch Twenty-Three, Columbia Restaurants, Beef O' Brady's CDB's Southside, …

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Cheers, Westchase!

Black and Blue Martini at Blend Lounge

Each week "Cheers, Westchase!" helps you kick off your weekend, highlighting either a beer, cocktail or wine you can find right here in the neighborhood.

This week, we said enough with the wine -- and headed to Blend Lounge for a brightly-colored cocktail that will help get you through the mid-week monotony. Enter the Black and Blue Martini. In the mix? Grey Goose L'Orange vodka, made from freshly picked oranges. Essential orange oils from the fresh fruit are mixed with wheat spirit and distilled to achieve the signature vibrant citrus flavor. Add some Chambord Liquer, Blue Curacao, equal parts sour mix and cranberry juice and you've got yourself one delicious beverage.  Tart, sweet and garnished with a sugar rim, this is a must-try martini and perfect for a ladies' night out. When choosing the perfect food pairing for this cocktail, the sky's the limit -- because when you're hanging at …

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Gaming For Better Health

A Westchase rehabilitation center is using the Nintendo Wii to bring patients back to health.

  When physical therapy patient’s start playing the Nintendo’s Wii video game dubbed Tilt Table, they lose themselves. Standing on a balance pad, patients work feverously to use their body, shifting left to right, in an effort to guide the ball that’s on the huge mounted flat screen monitor into the circle. That’s just want physical therapists at Westchase Physical Therapy & Medical Supply want them to do. They want the patients playing the game to forget that they are being watched. “They get focused on the game and while they are playing, we are making assessments of their physical ability,” said Brian Creadon, an owner of Westchase Physical Therapy & Medical Supply. “The therapist is looking at the patient’s waist, knees, feet and the…

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Cheers, Westchase!

Skinny Mojito: A Bathing Suit Approved Summer Cocktail

Each week in our Cheers Westchase column we strive to bring you a unique spirit, wine or beer that you can find right here in the neighborhood.

It's here: swimsuit season... and whether you'll be sporting a bikini or a Speedo, you know it's time to cut out the indulgent cocktails. Say goodbye to the Mudslides and hello to the Skinny Mojito, a refreshing cocktail that packs a punch without all the sugar, syrup and empty calories. Cuba is the birthplace of the mojito, but you can find this version at Blend Lounge for $10. In the mix: Bacardi Superior Rum, organic muddled mint leaves, fresh limes, Splenda and a splash of Diet Sprite.  The sweetness of the Sprite and Splenda complements the potent kick of the rum, and the muddled citrus adds a refreshing twist. "This is one of our most popular summer cocktails," says Blend manager Dung To. It is listed on Blend's "Skinny Menu," which …

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Village Market and West Park Bagel and Deli Merge

Village Market and West Park Bagel and Deli join to form The Village Market Deli and Bagel Shop.

It’s a double marriage of sorts. Marc Rose is leaving a 25-year career as a seafood wholesaler and dedicating all his time and effort to his new venture, the union of West Park Bagel and Deli and The Village Market. On Feb. 1, Rose took ownership of both businesses which are located side-by-side at 10112 Montague St. He combined the name, dubbing it The Village Market Deli and Bagel Shop. Rose then knocked out a wall so that customers can easily look for a quality bottle of wine or a carton of eggs in the market area while waiting for a bagel. By combining the two businesses, Village Market Deli and Bagel Shop’s space doubled from 1,200 square-foot facility to about 2,500 square feet. “I’ve always loved this community,” Rose said. “This is…

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