Ybor City, Cuban Food and Cigars

A wild hair, a whim, a crazy idea, a spontaneous decision - this is what happens when your life is so busy you feel as if you haven't spent any time with your hubby. So, last weekend I surprised Kendall with a trip to historic Ybor City near Tampa. 

CARNE STEAKHOUSE SIGN

"Why Ybor City, of all places!" you ask. "Was it the great Cuban food at the Columbia Restaurant and their delicious ruby red Sangria? Was it the quaint historic town or the interesting stories about the its past? Was it a visit to La Segunda Bakery to purchase loaves of Cuban bread? Was it the chance to stroll the nearby waterfront of St. Petersburg on a lazy afternoon and watch a sailboat regatta?" Well, yes, all of the above.

This trip came about due to our love of the Columbia. We've spent a few anniversaries in St. Augustine and we love eating lunch at the Columbia located on St. George Street. It's a beautiful place and the food is fabulous! There are several locations throughout Florida but the original restaurant is located in Ybor City and dates to 1905. In fact, the place has morphed over the years into a entire city block and is still owned by the same family. I made reservations for dinner Saturday evening and the couldn't wait for the opportunity to see the Flamenco dancers!

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/ 

BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE BRICK BUILDING

CIGAR FACTORY

We spent Saturday morning on a historic walking tour of the city. We learned how and why the city was founded. We learned about the cigar factories that made the city flourish and the hard working families that emigrated from Cuba to make Florida home. We learned that if it weren't for Mr. Ybor's desire to carve a new town out the bug-infested swamp the city never would have emerged. His subsequent effort to build the city into the nation's largest and most successful cigar industry in the 1920's made it a boom town. We learned there's literally a piece of Cuba in Ybor. When you step onto that tiny patch of ground behind the rod iron gate you are in essence standing on the only piece of ground belonging to Cuba outside that country. We had an absolutely wonderful time! Lonnie, our tour guide was passionate, entertaining and full of historical facts. If you ever visit Ybor be sure to schedule a tour.

http://www.yborwalkingtours.com/

CIGARS FOR SALE IN THE MARKETPLACE

Sunday we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast then drove to La Segunda Bakery, which is also a historic piece of Ybor's past. We gleefully ordered four loaves of their famous Cuban bread. Each loaf was about three feet long so deciding how to put them in the freezer at home was a bit challenging. The first loaf never made it - Kendall, Heather and I ate the whole thing! 

http://lasegundabakery.com/

Later we drove to the Pier in St. Petersburg and watched a sailboat Regatta filled with tiny would-be sailors, ages eight to fourteen. We enjoyed a cool drink, some live music, and the scenic view of the city from the harbor's edge.

WISH YOU WERE HERE

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend getaway. If you get a wild hair yourself and decide to do something different, something off the beaten path, something involving great Cuban food, history, and cigars, consider Ybor City. Enjoy the photos I took and tweaked with Snapseed.

COTTAGES FROM THE 1920'S

FRONT PORCH WELCOME

The Moral of the Story

We recently spent the evening with some dear friends; a young couple and their adorable baby girl. They just moved to Orlando from the panhandle. Something happened that evening that made us laugh. It was the kind of thing you pray never happens when you have guests in your home. To their credit, they laughed just as hard as we did.

To protect the innocent I'll use anonymous names. Let's call the husband Kenner, the wife Missie, and the baby girl Summer. We were sitting in their living room talking and Summer was running around being her adorable sixteen month old self. She was the entertainment for the evening, even more so than we imagined.

SMILE, BABY GIRL!
Photo Credit - Her Momma

As any parent knows, little ones get into everything. They also have the tendency to swipe things from around the house and put them in the most unexpected places. You might find a wooden spoon in the laundry bin, legos under the couch cushions, or a bottle stuffed into the living room recliner. Life is always an adventure when children are part of your world.

At one point during the evening Summer toddled over to the speaker sitting on the floor, reached into a hole at the bottom, and pulled out a pair of Kenner's boxer shorts then proceeded to put them on her head like a hat! We howled, Summer smiled, Kenner grabbed his shorts, and Missie said she hoped they were clean! Apparently Kenner wads up clean shorts and stuffs them into the speaker to keep the bass down so they don't disturb their neighbors. Who knew!

So, the moral of the story is: Never stuff your boxer shorts, clean or dirty, into your speakers. Odds are your baby girl will pull them out in front of company and put them on her head.