Ybor, A Place of the Heart
I love my home, I love my area of the city and most of the time, I love the city itself. Under normal circumstances I could walk a block and get on a streetcar and travel to Ybor City. It is the nearby historic section and the most interesting area of the urban core. Its history reflects the blending of this nation. Its traditional population was composed of Italians, Cubans, Jews, Spainards, and Germans. They were both white and black and all considered themselves Americans. Social service clubs that provided community cohesion, support, and even medical services were the norm. Many of the best buildings like the Cuban Club, the Italian Club, and Centro Asturiano de Tampa are still standing and repurposed. Ybor City holds on to those roots like a mother holds a child. It has been difficult for even the staunchest politician to rattle that cage hard enough for them to stop pointing out the insanity of separatist thinking. The place represents the people and the people are amazing. There is even still a tri-lingual newspaper, La Gaceta which is published in Spanish, Italian, and English.
I normally would have lunch, get a haircut at my favorite barbershop by my favorite female barber from Puerto Rico by way of New Jersey and then finish off with a coffee con leche and a cigar before hopping back on the streetcar for the ten-minute ride back to my home. Just that small adventure had many small encounters that define Ybor City. Stepping around free range protected chickens to make my way on uneven sidewalks gave me a sense of place. Hearing at least three languages spoken at lunch, watching the older population mix with the younger segments and both mix with the colorful collection of street people constantly reassured me that I had picked the right "Place".
It is all part of this place I call home.