(j) we knew that when we came to this area that we wanted to spend a day exploring tampa but decided to wait until we got here to determine what they had to offer. One help was this really cool free paper called "creative loafing." We like tourist stuff to a degree, but our passion when visiting an area is to find the unique and exciting adventures off the beaten path. This magazine offered us most of the local fare while leaving out all the "touristy" junk. With great articles about local events, we spotted an advertisement for a church for "people who don't go to church." This caught our attention...well because we really weren't planning on going to church while on vacation. It's not that we are in rebellion, but that vacations for us have never included finding a body of believers to worship with. But the marketing scheme of this church, called "element church" was really creative, plus they were hosting an art show on Saturday which made Rachel more interested. After checking out their website, www.iamelement.org, we decided that Sunday would be our day in Tampa and that element church would be a part of the agenda.
After arriving almost 10 minutes late (par for the course for us, but at the fault of the GPS who took us the LONG way into town...not the interstate) we found the location of the church in an industrial area of town in a warehouse. No kidding, it was in a huge bay of a warehouse. Many signs and banners led us to the right entrance as well as the sound of rocking music, which made me giddy. We were greeted with nametags and a "first timers" card. The worship was already in full swing with a full 6 piece band. The pastor, Bobby Triplett, was leading worship and the crowd was pretty much dominated by 20-somethings. Worship was very refreshing and the message from Bobby, who was probably 30, was a great nugget of encouraging a "child-like acceptance." The church is in its 2nd week and the service and crowd seemed to have energy. We stayed and chatted with Bobby after the service who is an uber-nice guy, one that I would love to really chat with over a cup of coffee. We found out he is a "foodie" as well and he recommended "Dockside Dave's" as the best grouper sandwhich in Tampa Bay. We'll check that out before we leave. Overall, the service was great worshiping with people trying to reach the postmodern culture who have been jaded by church. Rock on Element Church.
After element, the Garmin GPS took us through $4 worth of toll roads through downtown to an area of Tampa called Hyde Park. :) It was in Hyde Park where we heard about an Art Fest (also through creative loafing.)
This was an ultra hip area of town with renovated homes and a very chic shopping park complete with boutiques and Athropologie...a new favorite store, eventhough they don't have mens clothes, they are very creative in their presentation and I was very impressed and inspired. Rachel was also drooling over just about everything in there.:) The art fest was very cute and we enjoyed our packed lunch in the center of this area next to a fountain. The art was good, it was interesting to see what's happening in this area. We enjoyed the culturing as well as the homemade custard we got at Abbott's...rachel with pumpkin and myself with heavenly butterfingers...both delicious.
Next, we ventured to a historic part of town called Ybor city. Ybor is an old tobacco production part of town known for being "little Cuba" and for its cigars. Now, it is a collection of "litte Cuba", "little Italy", and a nightclub spot. On a Sunday afternoon afternoon, it was kind of dead but still fun to stop at for a bit.
We smelled the cigars, watched a guy make fresh crepes, and roamed around Urban Outfitters getting our trendy inspirations. It was interesting to go from Hyde park- which had shops like pottery barn, williams sonoma etc.. and was well preserved, with everyone walkig a little dog on a leash, or in a designer bag... And then going across town to Ybor city. Even just the people walking around were the polar opposite, lots of piercings and dyed spiky hair. It almost had a French Quarter-like feel.
Rachel wanted to post this pic from the area, someone got creative for Breast Cancer Awareness.
It was fun time but quickly drew to a close as we needed to head off to our last adventure of the day, Ethiopian cuisine. I had researched several places to help us find the best restaurants in the area and one that came up was "Queen of Sheba." The reviews called it Tampa's "hidden gem" and said it was well worth the experience. And, let me tell you, it was fabulous. All three waitresses and the cook, who turned out to be the owner were all Ethiopian. We orded the "Queens special" which turned out to be a sample of several meals on the menu.
Ethiopian food is different in that you eat with your hands with bread called injera. You take the bread, which is spongy in nature, and you scoop the food. It was awesome. The food was absolutely wonderful. Mainly vegetables, chicken and beef, but the seasonings were spicy and full of tumeric and saffron. The cook came out to greet us and asked what our favorites were. She then went back to the kitchen and brought out more of what we liked. She was very enjoyable and loved the fact that we came on an online recommendation. We love these kinds of restaurants and the unique experiences they give.
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