Tampa Greetings

Greetings from Tampa!

Luckily, I’m not traveling for work this weekend. Instead, Bo and I are down in Tampa to celebrate the wedding of one of his good friends from graduate school. Therefore, it means that I’m the lone wife tagging along with he and his two best friends. I’m sure it will be a weekend of debauchery and fun with a side of sunshine and pool time. Everyone attending the Rodriguez/Hoback wedding was greeted with a welcome sign, compliments of the Tampa International Airport!  How fun!

Lucky for me, I have friends in Tampa who were available for a dinner date! Meghann and Derek picked me up at the airport tonight fresh off of their vacation cruise! Bo had to stay in New York late this evening due to his work schedule but I was ready for the mini vacation to begin!

Due to parking issues and other obstacles, we ended up relying on Yelp for a restaurant recommendation last second which worked out wonderfully! It turns out they recommended the winner of Tampa’s Best of the Bay Italian Restaurant!

Bella’s Italian Café was the perfect dinner spot for a casual but delicious carbohydrate rich dinner. When Meghann asked where I wanted to eat in preparation for our 20 miler tomorrow morning my only request was “somewhere with either pizza or pasta.” Located on South Howard Avenue in South Tampa, this fit the bill wonderfully!

The restaurant was packed when we arrived but we were able to snag a table without a wait. Within seconds of sitting down, our waiter presented us with complimentary bruschetta, just the thing to hold off our hunger.

The menu was huge, with options ranging from salads, pastas, fish dishes, and make your own pizzas. My eye was immediately drawn to the pizza sections, especially when I saw the oak burning oven and read about their delicious thin crusts.

I created my own pizza including mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions as toppings along with the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. On the side, I added a small salad since I felt like my day was lacking in vegetables.

We had so much to catch up on while we waited that I felt like our food came out very quickly! In the middle of their Cozumel stories, our pizza and pasta graced the table. Derek chose a tomato cream pasta dish while Meghann took a risk on their Rustica pizza: prosciutto, caramelized onions, roasted potatoes, mozzarella, and fontina cheese.

My pizza was exactly what I was craving and the perfect size for one person! The size of a large dinner plate, I ate 3/4 of the pizza.

After our delicious dinner we stopped at Publix Greenwise before heading towards my hotel. While I double checked my list three times to make sure I didn’t forget anything for tomorrow’s 20 miler, I totally forgot about pre-run food.

Meghann and Derek were excited to share Greenwise with me, the Publix version of Whole Foods.

It was amazing! It reminded me of a Whole Foods but improved since you could buy all your favorite Publix staples there as well, such as my Jif Peanut Butter and Thomas Bagel Thins!

I ended up buying two bananas, Cinnamon Raisin Thomas Bagel Thins, Jif, and a treat for Bo when he gets to the hotel: a six pack of his favorite beer!

Now that I’m safe and sound at our hotel, over looking the gorgeous bay and surrounding islands, I’m ready for bed! I’ve organized all my gear, filled my CamelBak, and set the alarm!

Hopefully our 20 miler through scenic Tampa will be awesome tomorrow!

 

Question: Tonight at dinner we debated whether beer should be savored or enjoyed quickly upon purchasing. How long does a six pack of beer normally last in your home?