It was opened by Juan Moré, a Spaniard who, having fought in the Spanish-American war in Cuba, fell in love with adventure and traditional Cuban bread, the way one does. This bakery–once part of a trio: La Primera, La Segunda, and La Tercera-has been operating since 1915 and is now the world’s largest producer of authentic Cuban bread. Starting your day in Ybor City at La Segunda is more important to your day’s success than having even the vaguest idea how to smoke a cigar. Start your day in Ybor City with breakfast at La Segunda So here are 10 ways to get the full experience during a day in Ybor City.ġ. To spend a day in Ybor City is to absorb a past culture through osmosis–soaking it in through your eyes, your ears, and your straw rather than through a pre-recorded audioguide. You’ll learn more from a lunch menu here than you did during an entire semester of American History. Plus it’s one of the coolest things to do in Tampa. The act of smoking cigars on a shaded patio and sipping café con leche (or mojitos-hey, you’re on vacay) will disguise the fact that you’re soaking up history. It’s a learning opportunity you never saw coming because it’s surrounded by swaying palm trees and blotted out by the sun. Spending a day in Ybor City is like going back in time. To see how I personally used mine, read my post on using the Tampa Bay CityPASS. And it’s a National Historic Landmark.įor everything else you want to do in Tampa, the Tampa Bay CityPASS saves you 54% off the price of admission for the Tampa Bay’s most popular attractions. Just like Aretha Franklin gets all the credit and fame for Respect (originally written and performed by Otis Redding who, in my opinion, did it so much better), so does Miami get all the credit for stateside Cuban culture.īut as Miami’s is modern and relatively recent, Ybor City’s is original and innovative. Seriously, where does he finds such specimens? 813 is the original 305 and women aren’t naturally built like that. So, go ahead and forget everything you’ve learned from Pitbull music videos. Tampa’s Ybor City is the original Miami-or, better put, the original Cuban community here in the United States. And it’s that same quality of life you’ll experience while spending a day in Ybor City.Ĭuban sandwich + plantain chips At one time, the three most important jobs in Ybor CityĬlearly, Ybor City is my jam. I made a video! Watch it here: People got along, workers were well-paid, cats and chickens lived in harmony–I guess you could say life was good under a fedora. Ybor City is famous for being a town born solely from the cigar industry and almost entirely populated and successfully operated by immigrants. An industry that also brought many Italian, German, Jewish, Spanish, and Cuban immigrants (and their respective sandwich ingredients) to the area. It’s named for Vicente Martinez-Ybor, a Spanish entrepreneur who brought the booming cigar industry to Tampa from Cuba (by way of Key West) in the 1880s. Ybor City (pronounced E-bore) is Tampa’s historic district, located northeast of downtown and just 6 miles from the Tampa airport. So on my recent trip to Florida, I enlisted the help of Visit Tampa Bay in getting the most I could out of a day in Ybor City. I mean, really, how much do you know about your own backyard until it’s not yours anymore? I’m all about landing in Florida and heading straight for a piña colada by the beach… which is probably how I managed to live in the Tampa Bay area for a year and a half and never spend a day in Ybor City. Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Twitter Share on Email Share on WhatsApp
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |