Since last summer’s lock-down ambience for the Republican Convention, national media have seemingly ratcheted up the pot shots at Tampa. And not just Comedy Central jokesters. Most recently there’s been George Packer’s “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America,” which puts the Tampa area in the cross hairs for a microcosmic look at the housing implosion and foreclosure hell.
So, it was nice to see that recent travel shout-out for Tampa in New York Magazine. While the piece highlighted the Riverwalk and Ybor City and made note of Tampa Theatre, the Floridan Palace and Tampa Bay History Center, it also probed beyond downtown and Ybor. As a result, readers also found out about The Refinery, edison: food+ drink lab, Ciro’s Speakeasy & Supper Club and Wat Mongkolratanaram, the Thai Buddhist Temple that also welcomes in-the-know foodies every Sunday.