Hilton Head Life

Smoking bans take effect in Hilton Head, Bluffton

Smoking bans took effect Wednesday in Beaufort County and in Bluffton, a day after the Charleston City Council gave initial approval to a similar ban.

After more than seven years of debate, the Charleston council gave first reading approval to a ban on smoking in workplaces, including bars, restaurants and private clubs. The ordinance needs one more vote.

The Beaufort County ordinance bans smoking within 25 feet of doors or windows of a public building while the Bluffton ordinance requires only that smoking be done a reasonable distance from the business.

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Save the Tiki Hut!

There are plans underway to raze the Hilton Head Holiday Inn and turn it into condos. This plan would mean the end for a great island hang out, the Tiki Hut. This is an island icon.

Help save this Island Landmark. Does Hilton Head need more condos?

http://www.savethetikihut.com/

Sign the Petition to Save the Tiki Hut

Odds/Probabilities of Major Hurricane

The table below shows the probabilities of any major hurricane with winds over 111 mph passing within 80 miles of the cities below in any one year:

Odds/Probabilities of Major Hurricane

Rank	Location	Major Hurricane
1	Portland, Maine	0.3%
2	Ocean City, MD	0.9%
3	Atlantic City, NJ	1.2%
4	Hilton Head, SC	1.3%
5	Boston, MA	1.3%
6	Virginia, Beach, VA	1.3%
7	New York City	1.6%
8	Jacksonville, FL	1.9%
9	Brownsville, TX	2.2%
10	Charleston, SC	2.2%
11	Corpus Christi, TX	2.3%
12	Myrtle Beach, SC	2.6%
13	Providence, RI	2.9%
14	Biloxi, MS	3.0%
15	Mobile, AL	3.0%
16	New Orleans	3.2%
17	Nantucket, MA	3.2%
18	Panama City, FL	3.7%
19	Cape Canaveral, FL	3.9%
20	Galveston, TX	4.2%
21	Tampa, FL	4.8%
22	Cape Hatteras, NC	5.3%
23	Fort Myers, FL	5.6%
24	Key West, FL	7.7%
25	Miami, FL	11.1%

Data from Hurricane Watch by Dr. Bob Sheets/Jack Williams.

Odds/Probabilities of Any Hurricane

The table below shows the probabilities of any hurricane passing within 80 miles of the cities below in any one year:

Odds/Probabilities of Any Hurricane

Rank	Location	Any Hurricane
1	Portland, Maine	2.9%
2	Ocean City, MD	4.2%
3	Atlantic City, NJ	4.8%
4	Boston, MA	5.9%
5	New York City	6.3%
6	Virginia, Beach, VA	6.7%
7	Corpus Christi, TX	6.7%
8	Hilton Head, SC	7.1%
9	Brownsville, TX	7.1%
10	Jacksonville, FL	9.1%
11	Charleston, SC	10.0%
12	Myrtle Beach, SC	10.0%
13	Providence, RI	10.0%
14	Biloxi, MS	10.0%
15	Mobile, AL	10.0%
16	New Orleans	12.5%
17	Nantucket, MA	12.5%
18	Panama City, FL	14.3%
19	Cape Canaveral, FL	14.3%
20	Galveston, TX	14.3%
21	Tampa, FL	17.5%
22	Fort Myers, FL	17.5%
23	Key West, FL	19.6%
24	Cape Hatteras, NC	21.3%
25	Miami, FL	26.3%

Data from Hurricane Watch by Dr. Bob Sheets/Jack Williams.

Old Oyster Factory

Visited the the Hilton Head Old Oyster Factory over the weekend. This large, wide open restaurant offers a great selection of seafood, steaks and fresh oysters in a casual family friendly environment.

The restaurant, located on Marshland Road, features a stunning view of Broad Creek and it's marshes. The interior reminds me of a Vermont Ski Lodge, complete with exposed wood beams and wide open dining rooms.

The oysters were outstanding and service was excellent. Wine list was extensive and fairly priced. I'm looking foward to my next meal at the Old Oyster Factory.

Just Pasta - Coligny Plaza

Yesterday evening we pretended we were from Ohio and wandered around Coligny Plaza. After stopping into Frosty Frog's for a couple of Gin and Tonics to go (not sure if Ohio'ans do this or not), we then browsed around the shops, sipping on our drinks and doing some serious people watching.

For dinner, we wandered into "Just Pasta", an Italian Style restaurant. Even though I ordered "Just Pasta", my dinner was "Just OK".

What I did like is that you could build your own dinner, by choosing any combination of type of pasta, sauce and meat you choose.

"Just Pasta" served a decent meal, service was good, but was dinner was overpriced.

Island West Golf Course

Island West is an 18 hole public golf course located on 278 in Bluffton, near Sun City.

My timing there was bad -- I showed up to play right before a golf league started. After I played the back nine they told me the 1st tee was backed up. I had to play the back nine again. Oh well.

The half of Island West I played (twice) was in good condition for a fair price, $50 for 18 holes with a cart. The holes were long and challenging, but the course did not have as much natural scenery as other local courses.

I'll play Island West again, but next time I'm starting at the first tee.

Phone: 843-815-6660

Direct TV

If you want HD television in Hilton Head, who you gonna call?

1-800-Direct-TV. 

Local cable service provider Hargray has yet to offer a HD package. After a few months of watching a cheap picture on an expensive screen, I called Direct TV to hook me up to outer space. Satellite service works perfect!

I've had to keep Hargray, however, for my cable internet connection (works great) and phone service (poor local service).

It's been three months since I returned my TV cable box to Hargray and it's still showing up on my bill as a charge of $314. What the hell am I going to do with a lousy cable box with no cable service? $314? Don't they sell these at Target for $40?

I should call Hargray to clear this up, but it's long distance from Hilton Head to Bluffton.

Sunset Grille

It's not always a good thing to hear too much praise about a restaurant ahead of time. This tends to raise my expectations a bit. I've heard many a good thing about the Sunset Grille in Hilton Head, so I decided to go for dinner.

One online review called the Sunset Grille a "hidden gem". This this place is "hidden" -- but a "gem" is a stretch.

The Sunset Grille is located on Skull Creek with a million dollar view of the Pinckney Island Nature Preserve. It has a great western view with stunning sunsets over the water.

The food was expensive and just OK. The wine list was superior and service was top notch.

The decor was just like the bar in the TV Show "Three's Company", but with bright floral wallpaper. The crowd -- all from a "over 55 community" -- blended in nicely.

The best way to visit the Sunset Grille is to pop in around 7:30 PM after a day of golf. Order an appetizer at the bar and toss back a few wines. At 8-8:30, step out to the open air deck for a glorious sunset and watch the dolphins swim by.

Reilley's Pub

Being a transplanted Bostonian now residing in Hilton Head, I was very happy to visit a drinking establishment that welcomed Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics fans.

Most other bars seem to have NASCAR piped in 24/7. Not here. If the Red Sox are playing, you'll see it on the big screen.

Reilley's Pub, located at the Sea Pines circle, is not only the ideal place to catch all the BoSox games, but they also happen to have excellent food and drink.

And unlike Boston, where you only get a few months to enjoy the outdoor weather, Reilly's features a huge outdoor patio bar with lots of fresh air and live entertainment.

If I don't look at the window at the palm trees it's just like having few beers at my favorite Irish Pub after a Celtics game on Canal Street.

Thank you Reilley's!