Sorry for the epic response to my question. What an awesome story. Glad I asked. I came out here to various parts of LA as an event promoter that started as a student at UF i was a talent booker and event promoter doing events at the the Florida Theater (late night events aka raves :-/) and worked with Simon back in the 90s for a couple events and I was also a part time editor and graphic designer so where to go after the Florida Anti Rave Bill? House Bill 1529, well we got it out of Gainesville by the local commission when we former the Gainesville Club & Bar Alliance. We were fighting a bill that made venues shut down the moment they stopped selling alcohol and effectively ending my very lucrative business of throwing events in Gainesville. We succeeded in getting a candidate to represent our desires and for a year Gainesville became the epicenter of the entirety of late night partying north of Miami (who had liquor licenses till 7am anyway) then little Gainesville which brought every promoter to do shows in G-ville. Gainesville is a red city which is quite conservative full of a transient population of students which tend more blue (as students tend to). Understandably they stopped all that after a year and “re districted” the areas and it all came down, in retrospect, probably for the better sooooo, I moved West. Here I still am and am still a promoter, bookers, talent buyer and for 10 years while it ran the VFX Supervisor for Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing and a couple other VFX and editing gigs. So I needed a new baseball allegiance and it was pretty easy to become a Dodgers fan and and stay one. Will always be a Gator though no matter where I am. And Gainesville will forever be the place I wish I was to this day. Go Gators! (Sorry for the long story that nobody cares about but I feel I should answer your cool story in kind). Thanks for satisfying my curiosity with that my brother. HOUSE GATOR! TLDE (too long didn’t edit)
I, whom no one would ever justly accuse of being laconic, greatly enjoyed that story. There are a few of us here that contributed to the "old Gainesville", the way things used to be. I have been thinking on my years of working for Bill Donigan at his little store on University Avenue in 1981-82. That tiny store was an asymmetrical contributor to campus life, and Bill and Cissy were the sorts of barely noticed people that faithfully and quietly helped build the foundation for what UF us today.
Great story. I love hearing about everyone’s UF background - especially the ones from the early-mid 90’s. Easy to see we had a lot of very unique and talented people at UF.
It's always the little things isn't it? For me it was Burrito Brothers on University. When I heard it was closing down I was crushed. Once I left Gainesville initially, I used to send the frozen ones to friends who had moved all over the world tbh. Because I had a friend that moved back to Australia who I tried to send them the frozen ones that they would send out. It never was quite the same frozen but if I remember correctly mine was "primo burrito, double wrapped, with Guac (if it was available which it was often not), SC, and their sauce. For some it was Skeeters but I missed the Skeeters run and then it was Dominick's which had the best black beans and rice with Yucca fries that as far as my memory goes was the best ever. Who knows if it really was but thats my memory and damn if shiz just tasted better in Gainesville. You know what I miss? Walking my dog on cold winter Gainesville mornings. I have no idea why. We are way off topic but nothing wrong with memories of our young second home.
Joe's Deli down on 13th & 16th was that place for me. I was there so often I took phone calls on the house phone. How many games of quarters did I play there...? Skeeters was also the late/early morning night spot. One homecoming weekend a prosperous alum took 20 of us there for breakfast on him. Nelly's for the best wings...
Joes of course. My brother before I was there used to work at Joes with Chris Doering. lol. Mia sushi. Regal Cinemas in Butler Plaza started to fade out in the mid 90s the hands up on the roller coaster intro. I remember as it faded as it once was the whole theater and then slowly it was just pockets. To this day Mia Sushi was awesome to me but in reality it was probably crap. Here is a deep cut place, Bhan Thai had THE BEST pad Thai that I’ve ever had and they gave you so much for nothing! It wasn’t a VERY popular spot but people that knew it loved it. Always tons of pics on their wall. Still havent stopped thinking of Burrito Bros and not the one they opened after they had to close down on University Ave. Game days with the residents on 20th ave knew how to tail gate. Those days were just like heaven on earth. Life had never been so good. I know I have a daughter and she’s the light of my life and it’s true but it’s just different. Being so young and everything new life was just so perfect at UF. I may not be a shoe salesman but I swear UF turned me into Al Bundy wanting to relive the glory days. Not for nothing (still don’t understand that phrase), watching us beat Kentucky and watching Gator basketball really emerges was amazing. I purposely outstayed my welcome because I had business there but I could have happily set roots in Gainesville. Had everything I wanted.
One of the most embarrassing stories of my life happened with about 20 people laid on my floor in my house or whatever place I lived in that particular year and everyone was sleeping and being a good host I was going to that plaza on 20th where that bagel shop/coffee place was and I was going to (tired as hell) going to pick up bagels, tuna and shiz for everyone and there was this amazingly hot waitress there that I always had a thing for. Was cold that day and put on pants a tee and a leather jacket. As I’m walking to the place from my car I do a very large stretch and the leather from the jacket pulled up my shirt and I feel a cool breeze run right past my junk and she happened to be opening the door for a customer with my zipper down for some reason and its just chillin right through my boxer hole and it was soooo cold and I swear she was staring right at my turtle neck scared cold business. I turned right back to my car and never went back to that market which I frequented. I could do this all day.
Long gone but not forgotten: Chaucer's, the original CJ's near Tony and Pat's, Tony and Pat's, Tim's Thai, The Original Pizza Palace, Ed's BBQ, Cafe Gardens, Snuffy's, Leonardo's, The Purple Porpoise, Dixie Cream ... The list goes on and on.
You used the present tense rather than the past tense in your sentence about Gainesville political leanings. If you intended to use the present tense, you're a bit out of touch with the character of Gainesville in 2025:
I said the life long pure residents of Gainesville are generally conservative with a very large transient population of blue. What are you showing me? The transient population in what I assume is a constantly spreading districts are more blue. Confused.
When they shut down the Porpoise was a sad day. It’s a stop on Gatoropoly for Gods sake. No love from anyone on BB? That was the place tho, for me and all my cohorts.
Permanent residents in Gainesville are pretty blue. Further you drive out of town, the more red it gets.
