Write Around Tampa

Barnes & Noble Booksellers
28152 Paseo Drive, Suite 100
Wesley Chapel

This location at Wiregrass is one of my Bay Area faves. Two floors of books and magazines and music and journals and gifts of every kind. And coffee, coffee, coffee. Chocolate and bread and crispy salty things. I want to open up an office here. Oh wait; I kind of already did.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:
Not bad, but you’ll have a better time of it if you join their rewards program. If you’re a writer or a student or a tutor or anyone who frequents the bookstore (and really, why wouldn’t you???) get the premium. So worth it, I’m sure I’ve saved hundreds over the years, if not thousands. Discounts on mostly everything in store and online, including café purchases. The menu is always changing and evolving (I do miss soup, which you can’t get in Tampa area cafes) and I can always find something to satisfy any current craving. My faves include the grilled cheese, spinach feta pretzel, and a variety of sweets, especially the seasonal minty things and pumpkin cheesecake. Drinks? Caramel apple spice, extra hot. Java Chip and Mango Dragonfruit Refresher, half water, half lemonade. Had to start modifying and diluting the drinks once the ‘betes came and set up shop, but even the less sugar, non-dairy milky things are delicious . . . eventually. But really, the drink is only there to justify my taking up a table all day long.

Are there enough outlets?
Not for the volume of people who need them. You may get lucky, but come fully charged.

How’s the wifi?
Solid, after you agree to their usage terms.

Will my muse come out?
Absolutely, always. She’ll still be there long after you’ve climbed into your car and are heading back down the 56.

How long can I park it?
If you’re fortunate enough to find a seat, keep it as long as possible. But be responsible. Patronize the café and purchase at least one thing every three hours or so. I like to start with a cold drink, move on to a snack or lunch or a sweet treat, then finish off with a hot tea.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 laptops (if I could go to 11, I surely would)

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, the most recent of which, 101 Ways to Think Positive, goes on sale January 7. She lives in Tampa, Florida.