“Goody Goody;”  is a happening restaurant in one of the historic districts of Tampa:   “Hyde Park.”  December, 2019. ©

This Tampa skyline photo is from 2013 by Moe Demby, Blogfinger staff, but today in 2019, the burgeoning skyline keeps changing.

By Paul Goldfinger.

Florida’s east coast was originally settled by Ponce de Leon for Spain in the 16th century.   Tampa, on the west coast, was founded after the US took over Florida from Spain early in the 19th century.  Today the city is undergoing a renaissance, and real estate prices are booming.

Tampa is on the bay, and water sports are popular.   Airbnb and related on-line services are big business now.  However, interestingly, South Beach in Miami has banned Airbnb style rentals including overnight single rooms. They did it to save the South Beach lifestyle. (see comments.)

Culturally Tampa was spiced by Cuban immigrants in the 1800’s, resulting in the popularity of Cuban food and the establishment of cigar factories.

The cigar making industry has been declining lately, but if you go to Ybor City, the oldest section of Tampa,  on the National Registry, there are still some of those old fashioned cigar shops, but they don’t use Cuban tobacco any longer, unless you can find Hernando’s Hideaway.

And there are some authentic Cuban restaurants in Ybor such as the Columbia, founded in 1905 by the same family that owns it today.

At Goody Goody we had Cuban café con leché–a delicious hot coffee drink similar to a cappuccino—served with toasted and addictive Cuban bread which comes in long narrow loaves.

Here is a BF link about food trucks in Tampa:

Tampa food trucks

CAROL HANEY    From the Pajama Game.: