Write Around Tampa

Publix

12139 W Linebaugh Ave.

Westchase

In keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving and being grateful for the bounty of food we consume not only on this holiday but throughout our daily routines (whether it’s meals with family and friends or a solo pig-out on the couch), for the month of November I’ll be exploring supermarkets as places to sit and write. I’m back in Westchase for the first installment, at one of my favorite Publix locations.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:

Amazing, of course, it’s Publix. They have a reasonably priced hot and salad bar, deli, and separate steam table in the prepared foods area. Packages upon packages of prepared foods. Fresh produce. Cakes and ice cream. Dairy, coffee, breakfast sandwiches, juices. Today I opted for a small mac and cheese ($2.99!) and small container of fruit ($6.29, which will last me three to four servings). I brought a bottle of water. Enough food to fill me for under $10. I could have added a salad and real drink and still be under $20. Quality is exactly what you’d expect from Publix; the mac and cheese was creamy and hot, and I didn’t have to add salt or pepper; I opened the container and dove in. Of course they also sell books and magazines and puzzles, so if you need some leisure time at the end of your workday, it’s all at your disposal. You can even bring your own food and entertainment; no one will care.

Are there enough outlets?

Yes. Outlets set into the bench seats, outlets along the walls by the tables.

How’s the wifi?

Like the sign says, WIFI HOTSPOT, and after clicking on Publix Customer I was surfing with a quickness.

Will my muse come out?

Absolutely. The space is fairly large and bright, with big corner windows. There’s nice soft-rock background music, just the right volume for humming along but not competing for your brain-space. There are other people around, but they’re eating and doing their own thing so you have a sense of not being alone but still in your own creative bubble. And there are hundreds of people just outside the seating area shopping and working so you feel part of a thriving, busy community. Very comforting. The perk? Do your grocery shopping before you go home. A productive day indeed.

How long can I park it?

7:00 am until 10:00 pm most days, times vary on the weekend. So we’re talking breakfast, lunch and dinner if that’s what you desire, and the meal options are as varied as they are endless. And no one will chase you out until the dreaded announcement at 9:50 that Publix will be closing in ten minutes.

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, including this year's Christmas edition, on sale now. She lives in Tampa, Florida.