Ybor City Lights

One evening when the sun was setting and shades of midnight blue painted the sky above Ybor City I decided to stop in to the Italian Club on 7th avenue and go to my favorite spot in the entire historic district. From the third floor of the L’unione Italiana looking out the window towards the main street I could see the lights of the Bernini restaurant from a short distance away and heard the sounds of people in cars in the distance. My Ybor was alive. The images seen from my vantage point of the third floor window was the proof I was looking for.

The mornings are quiet on La Sétima. Often times I make my way to King Corona or La Tropicana for cafe con leche. I am greeted by the usual crowd. I shake the usual hands. All is quiet in Ybor City. For a moment I close my eyes and travel back in time. I can almost feel like I am in the past and the residents living above their businesses on the main street are still asleep. For a moment everything is once again perfect.

I will never forget the man who grew up in Ybor City and told me that decades ago everyone started moving out of the area. Decades later these same people look back and wonder what happened to their beloved stomping grounds. Things are different now. The Columbia restaurant offers a beacon of the old days. Many but not all of the brick buildings on Seventh still stand. Many are empty shells of days long gone. A few are home to new residents and businesses but Ybor City is alive and well. I know this because I see it with my own eyes.

Fiesta Day, Festa Italiana, Sant’ Yago Knight Parade, and the Rough Riders St. Patrick’s Day Parade brings thousands back to the area. Tourists visit daily to see our history, ride our streetcar, eat our local dishes, and take in the sights and sounds of Tampa’s greatness.

Sometimes I hear people tell me that Ybor City is like a Bourbon Street. I have to correct them and say, “No, it’s Ybor City”.  This magic place is something totally different and something very special. Not too long ago we had “Alcaldes”. A little farther back than that we had Jose Marti speaking to workers. The bricks that create the roads we walk and drive on have been there for generations. Ybor City is the real deal. Ybor City is the history book that came to life.