Write Around Tampa

Einstein Bros Bagels
10802 N Dale Mabry Highway
Tampa

I’ve been coming to this Einstein for as long as I’ve been in Tampa, which is over thirteen years now. I first fell in love with the franchise back in the mid-2000’s when I lived in Las Vegas and bartender Billy and I would meet there and develop our latest scripts and dream about life as big-time writers. This particular Carrollwood location has gone through some growing pains, but they’ve been back on track for a while now and although I don’t get to sit inside as much as I’d like to (usually I cruise the drive thru and take my bagel back to the café at Barnes and Noble), today was a good day to sit, sip, relax and write.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:
I’ve never tried a lunch item; I’m a true bagel breakfast foodie. My fave is the Santa Fe, but I also sometimes stir it up with a Chorizo Sunrise or my own creation of cucumber, tomato, and capers with veggie shmear on a toasted everything. Make sure you ask them to cut it in half; sometimes they don’t. The food is consistent and tasty, and the prices not bad either. A bagel, medium coffee (love the vanilla hazelnut) and large bottle of SmartWater ran me $16. Plus you can top off that coffee before you go.

Are there enough outlets?
If you sit along the periphery, yes. Plugs galore. Tables of eight, four and two, lots of variety here, plus a single seater by an electric fireplace.

How’s the wifi?
Strong, but public, with the usual terms and conditions to agree to before being allowed to access.

Will my muse come out?
Yes. You can be in a corner, you can be in the middle, you can be by a window, however she’s feeling that day. The music is a nice mix of contemporary artists, some recognizable, others you may have to Shazam, and not so loud as to be distracting. The vibe is bookstore without the books.

How long can I park it?
Until closing, and you may just do that as they lock their doors at two in the afternoon. The mood is so conducive to productivity that time can get away from you here; before you know it you’ll be ten pages in and it’s time to go.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 laptops

Rachel Remick’s fiction and non-fiction stories have appeared in various magazines, among them Rosebud, Bluestem and ellipsis . . . literature and art. A frequent contributor to women’s magazine Sasee, her writing has also been published in several volumes of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. She lives in Tampa, Florida.