Time to pack the bags once more....

Spending time with your family during the holidays is an important and fun activity that many enjoy as the year comes to an end.

But even though so much joy comes with visiting family members that you don’t see too often, there are also a few stressful moments you will encounter, and a lot of these will come from the actual traveling experience.   

This year, Trip Advisor projects that roughly 36 percent of Americans are going to travel this holiday. That is an increase from 33 percent last year. Of these travelers, 71 percent are traveling out of state and 41 percent are traveling more than 500 miles. 

Prices are always raised for travel during the holidays, but we will get to that. This year, if you are traveling by plane, you may encounter a new security procedure that could be a major time consumer and possibly even make you feel a bit violated. 

Many airports have already begun procedures that include extensive pat downs patting your genitals if they feel it necessary, as well as full-body x-ray scans if the patdown is denied. If you refuse the x-ray scan and decide to not fly with the airline, you could even be sued by the airline. 

Now, back to the prices. During the holidays, airlines begin to tack on fees that raise the price of your trip. For example, if you fly 14 days before Thanksgiving or later, airlines are going to add a “Turkey Fare.” 

With a turkey fare, when planes become full, the prices of the tickets begin to rise. Many airlines including American, Delta, Continental, United and U.S. Airways add of another 20 dollar holiday fee as well. 

The average round-trip ticket this November is $378, according to Fare Compare. The longer you wait, the more the tickets will cost.“A quote of $350 to $500 will be more like $550 to $600 when purchased,” The co-founder and chief executive of travel site Fare Compare, Rick Seaney, said. The average round trip during December is $420 round trip. 

If you are looking for the cheapest way to travel and you don’t mind traveling on the holidays, flights on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day are free of extra fees. 

If you are not traveling by plane, you will also notice an increase in gas prices as you travel across the country. 

The average national gas prices are averaging $2.85 per gallon, up 5 cents from last week. The average gas prices have risen 20 cents from last year, according to the Energy Department.

 

Wintzell's Oysters Deliver

Pensacola is jam-packed with seafood restaurants located all over town, including local favorites such as Peg Leg Pete’s on Pensacola Beach and The Shrimp Basket. 

When Copeland’s closed down, the building that they vacated remained empty for quite a while. Then Wintzell’s Oyster House took over the building and on June 1, 2010, opened its 12th location. 

Wintzell’s is an oyster bar that was founded in 1938 by J. Oliver Wintzell. Its menu contains all sorts of seafood, including fried shrimp, fish, crawfish and even chicken fingers for the little ones. 

But what it specializes in are oysters. 

Wintzell’s is famous for its oyster sampler. You get 16 oysters in four different flavors: oyster Monterey, oysters Bienville, oysters Rockefeller and their signature grilled oysters. All are good, but it is obvious why the grilled oysters’ are the signature dish. They come served on a piping-hot plate with cheddar cheese drenching the oyster so much that it oozes off the edges of the shell, and each oyster is topped with a single jalapeno. 

The drinks never reaching the bottom of the glass and the constant smiles and friendly attitude of the waitress accounted for a very nice lunch service. 

The restaurant was packed with hungry customers, but this did not hinder the service one bit. I was seated almost immediately, and within 10 minutes had placed my order and received my drink and a basket of buttered bread. It only took another 10 minutes to receive the oyster sampler. 

The food is fantastic, and the atmosphere is unique. There is a lot going on inside. 

The place is a little loud and cluttered with random quotes pasted all over the walls, along with large fish and neon lights. When you first walk in, there is a very nice black wooden bar to the right, which still had Christmas lights hanging from it. 

Wintzell’s is located at 400 E. Chase St in downtown Pensacola. 

They are currently only in the South but are now franchising and will be extending the restaurant chain all over the United States. 

The hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.mm - 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. They are also open on every holiday except Christmas and New Year’s Day.

 

Elyse Therose Takes the Night

Nearly 200 people packed into the University of West Florida Commons Auditorium Thursday for a night filled with hard-hitting rock music from five different local groups competing for a $400 Battle of the Bands prize.

 

The performance started with The Mainstream, a four-piece band that plays mostly 90’s alternative rock covers. They played giant hits such as Sublime “What I Got,” and AC/DC “TNT,” in which they cleverly chanted “The Mainstream,” in its place. 

“It was a really fun way to kick off the show,” crowd member Kayla Cantrell said. “We knew all of the songs that were played, so it was really easy to get into and a great way to start things off.” 

Scream out Loud, a popular scream band, was up next.It changed the pace that was previously set by The Mainstream, and entered the stage with loud, distorted guitars, and lots of screaming. 

They easily had the largest fan base, with fans dancing and moshing right in front of the stage. Someone dressed in a monkey suit even joined in on the fun. The band played their set, all originals, and the crowd was singing along, word-for-word, to every song. 

“I have been a fan of these guys for years now, ever since I moved here from California,” Scream out Loud fan Daniel Skallion said. “They have always been great, but every time they play live they just get better and better.” 

Long Division, an indie rock band, also joined the competition. It was the only band to incorporate a keyboard into its music and had the obvious influences of Silversun Pickups and the Smashing pumpkins. 

“That song is about love and zombies,” vocalist Tammy Mills said after singing the opening song. 

The last band of the night took the stage for the first time as a band and seemed to really enjoy its first concert. The band acted quirky on stage, grabbing in the crowd’s attention but just were not tight enough in their first performance to take home the title. 

The night belonged to the three-member group Elyse Therose. 

With its strong melodic rock and passionate lyrics, it captivated the crowd and judges with the emotion conveyed in their music, and it ultimately took home the grand prize. 

“They were so good,” Cantrell said. “From the opening song I knew that they were going to win, they had to. I mean, of course the others were good, but to me Elyse Therose was the clear standout of the night.” 

The event was sponsored by the Center Stage Committee of the Campus Activity Board, and was funded A&S fees allocated through the Student Government Association. 

For more information on the bands that participated in the competition, visit their facebook websites.

 

Grover’s grub grabs your tongue

It’s Sunday night, you have invited all your friends over to watch the big game, and you are about to go pick up wings at one of those major chains to have snacks for the night. 

Before you hand over your money to the corporate chains that care more about the money than the food, think of Grover’s Finger and Wings. 

Michael Graham, owner, created Grover’s as a quaint, locally owned, restaurant that serves everything from country fried steak for breakfast to fried green BLT’s for dinner. They have five tables inside and three outside that stay filled. 

He is the only one of his family that works at Grover’s, but where Grover’s truly shines is in the title of the restaurant: Fingers and wings. 

With 18 different flavors, including the traditional hot, mild and barbecue, and more unique flavors like Dijon horseradish, Cajun Ranch, Asian sweet chili and curry, there is surely something everyone will enjoy. They even have a 100-wing or finger item on the menu to cover those really big gatherings. 

I ordered the honey barbeque wings and could not have been happier with the result. 

The wings are plump, juicy and delicious. One wing is about the size of two wings from Wings To Go. They are served with a very generously sized helping of ranch; this is great because you don’t have to worry about using all of it before reaching your final wing. 

Food is not the only place that this local gem excels. 

Milkshakes and desserts are a fantastic way to finish up your meal after a plate full of wings. Flavor burst ice cream cones are the new craze at Grover’s. 

These are soft-serve ice cream cones that are vanilla mixed with different flavors like chocolate, banana, strawberry, cherry, grape, orange and more. 

Topping off the homely restaurant is popular music in the background, songs like “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry and “Say Hey (I Love You)” by Michael Franti and the Spearhead were a couple of the songs played on the jukebox. 

The place isn’t a first-date type of restaurant. But when you are looking for great food in hurry and a friendly environment, Grover’s is the place to go. 

Grover’s is located at 9418 N. Davis Hwy. The hours of operation have just been extended to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

Pensacola Bay Fishing Bridge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi9UNPcfV9w

The Pensacola Bay fishing bridge is a local landmark, a place where people from all different walks of life join together to enjoy one thing, fishing.

After the bridge was destroyed by hurricane Ivan, Pensacola quickly began working on rebuilding the bridge.

Their goal was simple, make a new bridge and make it better.

The new bridge has left many of the locals who were familiar with the old feeling “unhappy and crowded,” local fisher Charlie Weeks said.

The new bridge was designed narrower, causing traffic jams throughout the day.

Alongside a more narrow bridge, it is also a shorter bridge causing tight corners for fishers.

With a shorter bridge, fishers find themselves in shallow water unable to catch a decent size fish.

The bridge was built with many positives, it is a much more sturdy and clean bridge, but despite its positives, local fisher Chris DeFrayne said, the “negatives out way the positives.”

The bridge is currently free to all and will begin charging eight dollars per person soon. 

Black History Arts Festival

On February 20 Black History month was celebrated in the Belmont-DeVilliers area of downtown Pensacola with the 7th annual Black History Arts festival.

“The turnout has been great this year and the music has kept everyone in a relaxed and peaceful mood,” said M Hakima, local artist and owner of Wise Angel Gallery.

People were dancing in the street as the music played, most popular being the songs of Bob Marley.

Food was a main attraction at the festival as well, ranging from gator-on-a-stick to gumbo. Those cooking the food stayed busy as the lines never seemed to die down.

Cox communications was the only sponsor of this event, and the local artist hope that they will continue to be sponsors in the future.

27th Annual Pensacola Jazz Festival Celebration

Jazz Festival

On April 11, the 27th Annual Pensacola Jazz Festival kicked off its second day of the weekend in Seville Square with music, food and art.

“This is a yearly event that me and my wife love and never miss,” local guitar teacher Gary Seaman said. “The food is always amazing, the art is beautiful, and the music is excellent. Plus it gives you the opportunity to mingle with others in the area who share a common interest.”

With the lawn area full of people sitting in chairs brought from home and blankets placed on the ground, the day began by dedicating the first three hours to local school bands. The schools that contributed were the Escambia High School Jazz Band, Navarre High School Jazz Band, Tate High School Jazz Band, Northwest Florida State College Jazz Band and Pensacola Junior College Jazz Band.

“This is the first time I have played jazz fest, and it was one of my greatest experiences ever,” Tate High School jazz musician Catie Spear said. “I just hope that I will be able to experience this next year too.”

After the final school band exited the stage, there was a short break in order to get the stage set up for those performing next.

During the break the kids area, “Jazz JHams for Kids” with Mike Potter, was opened where the kids were provided harmonicas and kazoos to play music themselves.

Throughout the rest of the day, those who attended listened to music from jazz musicians such as Guffman Trio, Aaron Weinstien and Howard Alden Duo, Loren Pickford Quintet and the Donald Vega Piano Trio.

The Phillips Piano Competition Winner Trio also performed and received a standing applause from many in the crowd once his performance was through.

After 27 years, the Pensacola Jazz Festival continues to draw crowds year after year.

"When i first moved here to Pensacola, a couple of buddies told me about this jazz festival downtown," local jazz fan Tim Hauck said. "Ever since then I've been coming back, its so much fun."