Ybor City Festivities

Last time, I took you on a virtual tour of Downtown Tampa. Today, I am going to focus on Ybor. First, let me make it clear that Ybor during the day, and Ybor at night are two entirely different things. Ybor at night is a scary place, and I do not urge anyone to visit. That is, unless you are a thrill-seeker, who might enjoy being robbed, hearing gunshots, or having your vehicle broken into. That being said, Ybor during the day is a fabulous city, filled with lots of history, and things to do. When you drive into Ybor, you will automatically get an old-time "Cuban" vibe. You will often see gentlemen hand-rolling cigars, chickens walking the streets, and small hole-in-the wall bars/restaurants, offering tasty Cuban cuisine. The Cuban sandwich is a staple in Tampa, especially Ybor City, and you can get one virtually anywhere in Ybor. The streets are brick, and a trolley runs through the city. 

One of the best restaurants in Ybor is Bernini's. It is an Italian restaurant, and let me tell you, it is phenomenal. I got a shrimp alfredo pasta, and the shrimp were giant. They were having a special that day, which was a chicken cordon Bleu, and that was simply to die for. they have $2 martinis most of the time, and the decor is simply beautiful.

Another delicious restaurant is The Columbia. This restaurant has been proudly serving delicious Cuban food to guests since 1905, and is a Florida icon. You simply have to stop here while in Ybor, even if it's just for a mojito, which is the best in florida! It is prepared with real sugar cane in each glass!! The decor to The Columbia is very intricate and beautiful, inside and out. The outside tiles are beautifully hand-painted, and well-maintained, to look exactly how they did in 1905. There is also a small gift shop, connected to the store, featuring the famous sangria pitcher, which customers can purchase. There is also a cookbook for sale,  which features some of The Columbia's famous recipes.

Centro Ybor is a very fun, and exciting place to visit, filled with shops, restaurants, bars, and more bars!!! While visiting there, I walked into a clothing store, where everything was under $20! A cool twist on this store, is that you can create your own t-shirts here for $12.99. You can't beat that. There are tons of quirky, fun stores to visit in Centro Ybor, and then stop and have a cocktail in between.

I have named a few hot spots to checkout in Ybor, but the possibilities are endless in this old city. Check it out, and have a blast....just make sure to high-tail it on out of there before dark!

Downtown Tampa

There are a few hotspots in Tampa, that I would not miss for the world. Today, I visited a few, that I would like to talk about. The first one is the Floridan Hotel. This hotel is very unique, and rich looking on the inside, and has been completely restored to it's original 1920s decor. Its beautiful on the inside, equipped with a restaurant, lounge, and even ballrooms. The chandaliers are absolutely gorgeous, and this place has a glamorous, yet eerie feeling to it, which I loved. 

The ceing decor is intricate, and lovely. 

The restaurant offers a lot of Greek menu items. It gives off a very 1920s, fine-dining vibe, with linen table cloths, and dated, but beautiful dishes. The food is excellent, but the service is slow. Only go here if you have time to relax. 

Warm pita bread, with hummus, cucumber dresding, tetrazini, and tomatoes. Great appetizer!! 

Chicken and greek salad platter.. Very good, but large portion, big enough foe two. 

The Sapphire Lounge at the Hotel Floridan was the only bar in Tampa, during the 1920s where women could go unaccompanied by a man. It was often referred to as the " sure fire" lounge, because men would often find "looser" wonen at rhis establishment, and they would be more willing to go home with them. 

The signature drink at the lounge, "Between the Sheets" speaks volumes for the intimate feeling this place portrays. Oooh la la. This place is a must-see. 

Another cool place to visit in downtown Tampa is the Tampa Theatre. This ghostly, and possibly haunted building features old films, and is an extraordinary date- night idea, for you and your honey. 

More old, eerie decor, but so cool, and nostalgic. The inside even feels cold....

Scary choice of decor, but I love it!! Goes along great with the theory that this place is haunted. 

The next place on the list of downtown Tampa is The Straz Center. It is so much fun to watch a play here, and then take a stroll along River Walk after. I saw The Rockettes, which was a fabulous play.  

Beautiful stage!!

Lights are always changing colors

Trees along Riverwalk, decorated beautifully for Christmas

The last place I want to talk about is the Police Memorial and museum. Although somber, this is a beautiful spot to check out, and you  definitely dont want to miss it. 

If you visit Tampa at night time, you will see a blue light, representing the thin blue line, in between the buildings. 

Roll call of honor, feauturing all the TPD officers lost in the line of duty.

These are just a few highlights in Tampa. There are other places to visit as well. I hope you enjoyed learning about these few places, and I am looking forward to tomorrow's destination! I will leave you with a few random pics I took downtown. 

Tampa: A week of fun and festivities.

This segment is going to be a week of places, and things to do within the city of tampa. Each day, I will take you on a virtual tour of a designated area, and outline fun places to visit, the best restaurants, including great dishes to try, and even signature drinks. Be ready for this fun journey through the city I love!  

Disney christmas shoe Ornaments

In the spirit of the holidays, I couldn't wait to blog about the Disney shoe ornaments that my mom got me hooked on. There are 19 total shoe ornaments, each having their own unique look, and I've never seen anything like them before. I wanted to share the ones I have with you, so that you can see what they look like up close.

First and foremost, is the Minnie Mouse. This one, as you can see is red with white polka dots, and a yellow heel, and the back of the shoe is the Minnie ears. If you plan on starting this collection, I would suggest getting this one, because it's a must-have.

Second, there is the Princess Aurora shoe, from Sleeping Beauty. This one is Pink with a red rose on the front, and the top is a gold crown with pink jewels. very classic, and very pretty.

Next, is the Mary Poppins one. This one is so unique, and one of my favorites. The heel part of this beauty, is the bird umbrella that Mary Poppins carries. So detailed!!!!

Next, you have Cinderella, which in my opinion is just as important as Minnie Mouse, because Cinderella, her shoe, and her castle, set the stage for everything in Disney World. This one is the blue color of Cinderella's dress, with sparkling accents, and a blue jewel. Kind of simple compared to some, but with cinderella, it can be.

Princess Belle's shoe, from Beauty and the Beast does not disappoint. It is yellow, with glitter, and a pink rose on the front and back, as well. 

Repunzel's shoe is absolutely adorable! The heel part of it is braided, just like her hair. It is probably one of the most detailed shoes that this line has made, and one of my favorites.

Snow White's shoe looks like her blue dress, but it has an Apple on the front of it, and a bow at the top, which I found very appropriate. This is a must-have!!!!

Snow White's Queen also has a shoe!!!! This shoe is evil-looking, with a rotten apple on one side, and the mirror as the heel.

Ursala's shoe is bar-far the best villain in this line, in my opinion. The front of the shoe looks like her, and the back is fabulous, with tentacles and all!

Maleficent's shoe is quite unique as well, with the top of the shoe looking like her headpiece that she wears. 

As you can see, these shoes are a must-have for Christmas 2013. They are a bit on the expensive side though, running 22.50 a pop. However, they are worth the money, and many times you can get them at Disney 3 for $49.00, which is basically buy 2 get 1 free. They look so good on a Christmas tree, and they are definitely a conversation starter, at Christmas parties. Everyone seems to love them. Why have the same old, ho-hum, every day ornaments, when you can have a unique Christmas tree, filled with character!  Every classy girl needs these for her collection.

Captain Morgan Limited Edition Sherry Oak Finish review

I've tried a lot of rum in my day, but none of them have prompted me to write a review. However, this one was so amazing, that I thought it warranted a little tlc. This is the perfect choice for holiday gatherings. Even people that are not big on liquor, will find this rum easy to drink, and enjoy the dark, yet not-too-heavy taste of it. It pairs easily with any kind of soda, or you can drink it straight up, and won't even cringe after the fact. 

First, I will talk about the smell, and initial taste of it. Normally, when you open bottles up, you can automatically detect a strong "rubbing alcohol" smell. It's over-powering, and it doesn't leave much to hope for, when it comes to the taste. This rum is different. It has a very mild, yet sweet aroma, that's not harsh at all. The taste is very deep, and you can taste the hint of oak, as well as the sweet sherry. It's a great combination, that makes your taste buds explode. 

My favorite part about this rum, is that the aftertaste is not overwhelming at all. I have found a lot of rums to have a bad aftertaste, and it's almost a deal breaker, when choosing one. Even if I like the rum, a bad aftertaste can kill it. The clean finish of this rum speaks volumes for its quality, and has been my main drive for writing this review. 

When I tried this rum, I had several cocktails throughout the night. However, the next day, I had no headache, and did not experience much of a hangover, as I have with other liquors. That is always a plus in my book. Nobody wants to pay the price for half the day after, for a few hours of fun. With this rum, you don't have to.  As far as price is concerned, you can purchase one of these bottles for about 23.99. That is the price of a middle- shelf liquor, but this liquor is clearly top-shelf quality. Keeping with the overall theme of my blog, I will say this is a classy girl's drink, and will likely be a conversation starter. Pick yours up, and be the life of this years Holiday Parties! Got a little captain in you?