A Day in Tampa!
Landing in Tampa. Beautiful day! Tampa International Airport has just completed phase one of a complete renovation plan. We landed in the United terminal… it was spotless and very modern. Comfortable areas to sit while waiting for a flight, outlets to charge phones and a variety of restaurants. Luggage came out quickly and the hotel shuttle bus waiting area was efficient. It’s become one of my favorite airports!
After a short shuttle ride, we checked into The Barrymore Hotel on the Riverwalk. This was the perfect hotel for us… airport pickup, cruise port drop off. The hotel recently implemented a shuttle schedule that drops off at several locations around the area. We didn’t make it to Hyde Park Village, which is a new shopping and dining area. Next time...
Barrymore Hotel: http://www.barrymorehotel.com/
Shuttle Schedule:
http://www.barrymorehotel.com/docs/barrymore_shuttle_schedule_summer2017.pdf
Quick and efficient check-in process. Our room was ready early. Our room had a nice view of the Hillsborough River. We dropped off our things and headed out to explore.
This Riverwalk is much different than San Antonio. More of a pedestrian path, we strolled past a couple major hotels and several museums. Though we saw signs for water taxis, there was not one to be found.
Just down the path from our hotel we came upon a dog park. A fenced in area along the river with AstroTurf and structures for dogs to climb. Where’s our little Sapphire now???
Curtis Hixon Waterfront park is located in the Waterfront Arts District. Surrounded by Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa Museum of Art and Glazer Children’s Museum. The eight acre park includes wide open grassy areas, fountains and benches. Children played in the fountains that shot streams of water up from the ground.
As we approached this bridge, we could see just behind it a draw bridge! There is so much construction going on in this area… cranes, equipment… buildings going up all over.
We crossed over this bridge to continue on our journey. Calm waters and very little traffic crossing the bridge made for a perfect walking adventure. I was just surprised that the river wasn’t lined with restaurants like in San Antonio.
This thirty-one story tower could be seen from pretty much everywhere. It was the first building that caught my eye in the Tampa skyline. Its residents consist primarily of tech and tech support businesses.
We finally found an outdoor restaurant located inside the Sheraton. River’s Edge had a nice wine list and amazing shrimp tacos!!! They were slightly spicy and full of flavor! Barry had chicken, bacon, avocado sandwich and a beer :-)
On the way back, we walked along the opposite side of the park. This also had fountains and a nice view of the Tampa skyline. I’d like to return to visit the museums and definitely the new Hyde Park Village area.
The only item on our agenda for the short visit to Tampa, was to enjoy a cocktail and appetizer at Eddie V’s Tampa. We took a $10 Uber ride to the restaurant. When we walked in, it was fairly crowded but we quickly found a place to sit. The waiter welcomed us and as he handed us menus said, “All drinks $15 and under are complimentary tonight, as well as a nice variety of appetizers in the room against the wall.” We each ordered a drink and grabbed a plate of delicious apps… seared ahi, shrimp, sliced beef, breads, cheeses, deviled eggs, crackers and many more items. Eventually, we invited a couple to join our table as they couldn’t find a place to sit. We were instant friends! They told us we were fortunate enough to have wandered into the fifth anniversary of Eddie V’s. It was a very quiet word of mouth event. Lucky us!!!
Barry had his favorite Smoked Old Fashion and I enjoyed a Cosmo. We had three each… Barry never has three but he decided it was a drink he loves but doesn’t have the opportunity to enjoy very often… so he went beyond his normal limit :-) Tomorrow... cruise day!
