Winter in Crystal Beach, Florida

There are lots of things to do in the Tampa area - many centers around water activities since there is water everywhere - Tampa Bay, the intercoastal island waters, Gulf of Mexico, and the myriad lakes in the area. Major attractions include Disneyworld, Busch Gardens and the Ringling Brothers' winter home. To get the flavor of the area, we visited local attractions such as the Cuban neighborhood of Ybaro for lunch, toured the Henry B. Plant Museum which was originally the Tampa Bay Hotel now displaying some hotel rooms with original furnishings, and even had a chance to visit their local state fair outside of Tampa. In St. Petersburg is the largest private collection of Dali paintings at the Dali Museum. At the museum, we followed the free tour and thank goodness we did since our knowledge of surrealism and Dali was nil.

Quick Tips:

There are so many choices of restaurants and fast food places abound. Prices too can be very reasonable.

How warm does the west coast of central Florida get in the middle of winter - specifically the first week of February? If you are like me - from southern California - it's no big deal. However, if you hail from Canada, the mid-west, northwest, or east coast of the United States, it's easy to see why there are so many "snow birds" spending their winters here in Florida.

Be prepared for variable weather...when we arrived on Saturday Feb.2, it had been in the 80's so Sunday was still nice. By Thursday, it ws 71 degrees and pouring rain from morning until the early afternoon. It was otherwise mainly in the 60's - very comfortable for touring and cool in the evenings once the sun went down - jacket/sweater weather.

Best Way To Get Around:

In case you haven't guessed, a car is a must in this part of Florida. It's the only way to see all the beach areas, and all the beautiful homes.

It's Superbowl Sunday and we are hungry after a midnight arrival at our time share the night before-there was nothing edible in the unit. Familiar with the Palm Harbor/Crystal Beach or Suncoast area of Florida? We weren't either. At 11 am, we stumbled into the Thirsty Marlin-nice looking place but with no customers in sight so we weren't sure if it was an ok place. We lucked out with a friendly smiling host and waiter. The menu had a plethora of sandwiches, fishy and not, pastas, appetizers and soups. We ordered a side of beans and rice which was delicious. Most unusual was a dessert that we couldn't resist - the Marlin Fried Cheesecake. This was a kind of cheese filled pastry shaped like an egg roll, sliced and deep fried. It was presented on a bed of crushed Oreo cookies and topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry. Prices are reasonable with sandwiches at $5.95-$6.95 and includes chips, slaw and a pickle. Pastas and dinners run from $12.95-$13.95. Most expensive was the New York strip at $16.95. These come with 2 sides and homemade Bahamian Paradise Bread.

The best part of this experience was that all the other people who eventually came into the restaurant appeared to be families and other locals, so we knew that this was a great find. The atmosphere is like a sprawling house. You are seated either outside in front of the house or outside in the back of the house. The weather in this part of Florida is such that air conditioning could just mean that all the windows are opened to the elements. If you're ever in the area north of Tampa on Alternate Highway 19, do drop in.

Ybor City is the Cuban district just east of downtown Tampa. The entire area is undergoing major renovations so while there is a new mall in the center of the area, all the natives have pretty much disappeared. Carmine's, however, remains with its Cuban/Italian/American flavors. It is listed in Frommers' guide as inexpensive and of great value and this proved to be true. Their Cuban sandwich consists of slices of Genoa salami, swiss cheese, smoked ham, roast pork, pickles, salad dressing, mustard, lettuce and tomato on a crispy submarine roll. It can be a half order with a side of black beans and rice or a bowl of Spanish soup made with sausages, potatoes, and garbanzo beans - this combo is $6 - unbelievable?? I tried their special crab roll- this comes out like a huge bun that is deep fried like a corn dog. It costs $3.95 and it was ok - not quite deviled enough and perhaps it needed a dipping sauce??? Best of all is the fried plantains - soft, sweet and tart at the same time.

Ybor City is supposedly "HOT" on nights and weekends. 7th Ave. is closed to traffic then. There are lots of storefronts "night clubs" in the area. According to one native, there's a "Bourbon Street" type of atmosphere and activities every weekend. We didn't check this out.

This is a find in the boondocks of Alternate Highway 19 North. The decor is authentic Thai with lots of wood carvings and cloth napkins are a part of the setting. Appetizers run about $2.50 - $5.95 with typical offerings. Their Chef's specials include grouper, chicken volcano, soft shell crabs tempura style running about $12.95. There are soups, fried rice, noodles, curry and meat dishes going for $7.95. The unusual touch here are the Japanese dishes. I had the vegetable tempura as an appetizer and it has to be the best and crunchiest and lightest batter I've ever tasted. The pad thai and penang curry was fine. No MSG is added to the cooking. Can't beat this combination.