Downtown Tampa

  On Saturday we decided to head into Tampa and wing it. We didn't have a plan other than Tampa Farmers Market on McDill Ave. It was a small operation, nothing like the farmers markets in PA. Doreen stocked up on veggies such as tomatoes, corn, squash, and some fruit and I scored some huge jalapenos- all locally grown. The south has two growing seasons so there are fresh vegetables and fruit year round. While we were there I got a call from my UPS store whom I had called earlier inquiring about my mail that they supposedly sent out on Tuesday that I still hadn't got. Apparently the girl at the store sent my stuff to our last stop in South Carolina. The guy I spoke to at the store had just started working there and the owner Ashley wasn't available. I will have to call her Monday to straighten it out. After the farmers market we headed over to the Hyde Park area of Tampa.

  Hyde Park is a conglomeration of shops and restaurants and entertainment. It is a very upscale area with stores like Brooks Brothers and Tommy Bahama and Cinebistro where you can dine while seeing a movie. At $15 a pop plus a menu that includes a cheeseburger for $12 it was too rich for my blood. We stopped in a fancy chocolate store and bought four truffles for about eight bucks.

 

  We walked around for a while and took a break in the park.

 

  After Hyde Park we drove over to Ybor City and Centro Ybor. Ybor was the home to many Cuban emigres and is still the heart of the cigar trade. Centro Ybor is the center of Ybor City between 7'th and 9'th Aves.

 

There is an active street car system that goes through town.

 Doreen needed a restroom and I needed a cold beverage. We found a watering hole on the upper level of Centro Ybor overlooking 7'th Ave. While Doreen used the restroom I knocked back a couple of cocktails and took in the view.

We then headed over to the Tampa Bay Brewing Company. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed their brews: Doreen a Moosekiller Ale and I the Iron Rat Stout.



 

We nibbled on some appetizers and I had another beer: Olde Elephant Foot IPA. Nice and hoppy.

 

After finishing our beers we took a walk down 7'th Ave. Seventh Avenue is a lively stretch with bars and cafes even though it was still early for a Saturday night. We stopped in King Corona Cigars and had a smoke and an espresso. I had a Ybor City hand rolled and Doreen had a girly vanilla flavored smoke. Mine was a mild and mellow toro with a nice draw and burn. Doreen enjoyed her little cigarillo:

 

 

After getting wired on espresso we headed back to the truck and drove back to the trailer. I found a nice easy route so the drive is only about ten- fifteen minutes. We had a nice time without ever having a plan so we will go back and hit some of the bars for some people watching and night life.