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HALL OF FAME CL’s Best of the Bay Hall-O’-Fame is a list of local people, places and institutions that have consistently won acclaim from readers and editors since CL ran its first Best-of issue in 1990. We inducted 10 such luminaries in the 2006 issue. Last year, we added three more deserving names to the HOF roster. We're proud to introduce this year's Best of the Bay Hall of Fame inductee: THE ULTIMATE CORNER BAR: The Hub. Virtually everyone who’s ever hoisted a libation in Tampa Bay knows that neon sign. It’s like a beacon. Hell, it’s not uncommon for partiers to close down a bar in St. Pete at 2 a.m. and blast across the Bay to down one or two more at The Hub before 3. It’s not the smartest thing to do, but not uncommon. The Hub’s been serving up strong drink at good prices since 1949. Yes, it’s a dive bar, but in the best sense of the word: friendly, relaxing, lived-in. Not skanky or blighted. The bartenders are a straight-talking lot who take care of regulars and drop-ins alike. And it’s not as if The Hub sits amid a hub of activity. The bar is one of just a handful of after-dark destination points in downtown Tampa. It’s a hangout for barflies and hipsters — they mingle easily, realizing that, at a place like the Hub, they’re not all that different from one another. 719 N. Franklin St., Tampa, 813-229-1553 -Eric Snider Previous inductees: 2006: Howard Troxler (columnist) 2007: |
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