Ybor, a historically diverse favorite spot right outside Downtown Tampa, is known for its party scene with all its clubs and restaurants. But despite its crazy nightlife scene, it is also worth visiting during the daytime.
Last week, my friends and I headed down to Ybor to check out a coffee shop I had heard about through another friend called the Blind Tiger Cafe. This hip little coffee shop has a very passionate and knowledgeable staff selling an array of unique gourmet coffees, teas, pastries and other baked goods. Its contemporary interior design is laid out with brick walls, cement floors, and modern industrial art. With comfortable indoor and outdoor seating, it's a perfect atmosphere for studying or hanging out with friends.
After studying for a bit we decided to explore and ran into an antique store called La France. La France's vintage feel was filled from top to bottom with things like men and women's clothes (old & new), costumes, purses, shoes, hats, accessories, and quirky decor. It was cool to mess around for a bit and just try on some things but it's definitely a spot to revisit in case we're ever looking for some vintage wear!
Our next stop was at a store called Agora. It was not my first time there, in fact I had once stepped in there during a former Ybor escapade and although my second time wasn't as hazy, it was still just as interesting to visit. There is the immediate smell of incense once we walked into the relaxing and colorfully decorated ambiance. Agora has a wide assortment of imported items like furniture, bedding, decor, dinnerware, candles, jewelry and even trinkets like finger puppets, masks and mini lipstick holders. In fact, after buying another one of the nicely decorated cloth lipstick holder, the tattooed owner gave me a free fortune as a gesture of kindness.themed artwork
We made our way further down and into the thrift store Revolve. Revolve Clothing Exchange is a trendy thrift store with used and consignment apparel from not just vintage brands but name brands like American Apparel and Urban Outfitters. Not only were their prices were reasonable and their selection impressive, the staff was very friendly and conversational.
After strolling around for a few hours, our stomachs led us to one of the many pizza places. New York New York had a very diner feel to it as they both their indoor and outdoor seating consisted of chrome but had nice comfortable booths as well. Although there was a convenient outdoor order window, we decided to eat inside with its New York themed artwork.
It was nice to visit Ybor during the day, it doesn't get enough credit for day scene. Granted it's not as crazy as the night scene, but it's definitely worth returning to.
