Beth and I traveled 35 minutes to Tampa and picked up her cousin, Annie Ellis, who volunteered to be our tour guide for Ybor City; once known as Cigar Capital of the World!

The Historic District is a National Historic Landmark and has a vibrant and colorful night life. The chickens of Ybor remind me of St. Thomas. The chickens are protected with a Tampa City ordinance.

A cool fact is that you can visit Cuba while in Ybor. It seems we sold this 0.14 acre plot of ground to Cuba in 1956 and the city is paid $1500 annually to maintain the site, named after Jose Marti who was a poet and journalist. He died fighting for Cuban independence in 1895.

A must stop and eat is at Columbia Restaurant for a taste of Cuban high life!