A Few New Places
A few weeks ago when we were in St. Pete for the Fourth of July, I passed by Bodega on Central and was bummed to see it was closed for the holiday. I added it to my list to venture back to, and a few days later I headed over the bridge to spend the morning and afternoon exploring a few new to me places in the area. First up, I went to Bodega for one of their fresh juices. Bodega specializes in homemade Cuban dishes, fresh squeezed juices, and soda frescas. You can order food at the outdoor counter and then walk inside next door to sit and order a juice or soda. The interior of the juice shop was incredible with all of the subway tile and fresh fruits displayed on the counter. Not to mention their neon sign was pretty amazing. I tried the "kale-ing me softly" which had kale, banana, honey, pineapple, and coconut water. I wish it was a little closer to Tampa so I could stop in weekly and try each of their other juices. The sodas also looked amazing; they had a pineapple soda that caught my eye. Next trip!
I next went down the street to check out Haslam's Book Store. They are a used and new bookstore that has been local to St. Pete since the 1930's. It would take weeks to sift through all of the books that they have in stock. They had several cases of rare and signed books that were fun to look through. My favorite part was stumbling into the bookstore cat, Teacup. I like to believe she reads books about travel and gardening in her spare time. They even sold postcards of Teacup at the front cash register.
Not too long ago I remember reading an article online or in the paper about how Orlando's Pom Pom's Teahouse and Sandwicheria just opened a second location in St. Pete. I had completely forgotten about it until I drove down Central and passed by. I pulled the car over immediately and ended up ordering a cup of rose petal tea and a veggie sandwich. They have a large selection of unique sandwiches, salads, dozens of teas. I've heard so many people rave about their Momma Ling Ling's Thanksgiving sandwich. It comes with turkey, cranberries, stuffing, and a side of gravy. I'll stick to my veggie sandwich or one of their salads, but if you ever try it, let me know!