Category: Tampa Bay

I’ve lived here for almost 7 years (my anniversary will be in March), and I can say I’ve driven across most of the messed-up intersections on this poster. It’s almost as if Tampa’s roads were designed as a challenge by the designers of the Grand Theft Auto videogames rather than competent civil engineers.

(Source: /r/Tampa)

Here’s a local (if you’re in Tampa) business worth supporting: Flan Factory. There’s no lie on their mural — their flans are flantastic.

We first tried their flan at the North Tampa Market, which used to take place in Carrollwood back before the plague. We made a habit of taking home several of their individual-sized ones, notably the original, guava, dulce de leche, cafe con leche, coconut, and arroz con leche flavors.

We’re very happy to see that they’ve gone from temporary setups at markets to a full-blown brick-and-mortar shop on Nebraska, just at the northern edge of Ybor City (a stone’s throw from Centro Asturiano).

In addition to tasty flan, they have amusing merch:

Yes, that was a funny shirt, but for those who “get it”, this is the money shirt:

They have a regular set of a half dozen flavors, with another, larger, rotating set. If they have Nutella flavor available, get it:

They don’t just have flan — they make a mean cafe con leche, and also have some very interesting sandwiches and other dishes as well:

The sandwich I’m most intrigued by is their take on the Elena Ruz sandwich, the Elena 1985. Served during merienda (an afternoon teatime that’s practiced in Spanish colonies — even my birth country, the Philippines), it’s a sweet and savory sandwich that combines turkey, jam, and cream cheese.

Here’s the description of Flan Factory’s Elena 1985:

Thick-cut brioche bread, deep fried in cinnamon batter, then filled with flan factory guava sauce, cream cheese, and oven roasted turkey breast, then dusted with powdered sugar.

Flan Factory is located at 1718 N Nebraska Avenue in Tampa. Their phone number is (813) 402-2400, and you can find them online in several places:

• Their website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Hey Tampa Bay! Are you a looking for a nice office that you can take on the road with you? If so, you might be interested in this little gem that appeared on Facebook Marketplace this afternoon — something the seller calls “2020 The Mobile Workspace”, and is willing to part with, for the sum of $9,600.

From the seller’s description:

Mobile Office built for 1-2 people with all the luxuries of a normal office while still has the full accessibility of 6FT x 12 FT of interior space for storage/transportation of your business needs. This also accommodates a standard queen sized bed with room to spare.

This trailer can run interior lights, refrigerator, TV, laptop charger, stereo, and sink COMPLETELY on solar/battery (off-grid). Refrigerator runs off of 12V so can run 24/7 if parked in sun.

Here’s what it looks like when you open the rear gate doors:

And here’s what you’ll find inside:

It’s a pretty decent-looking workspace:

The seller listed these features:

• 3/4” High efficiency Insulation
• 27” IPS LED HD LG Monitor (on extension swivel mount)
• 10,000 BTU Air Conditioner
• Microwave
• Coffee Maker
• All-in-one Cannon Printer
• 12V Large Deep Cycle Battery
• 200 Watt Solar Panel -6 LED Interior Lights
• 2 Rockford Fosgate Speakers (Front and Rear)
• Bluetooth Stereo
• 1500W DC to AC Inverter (120V Power on Battery)
• Built-in Battery Charger (When connected to shore power)
• Marine Grade Control Panel (W/USB chargers)
• Standard 120V Hook-Up

Here’s a view of the top of the rig, where the solar panels are located:

Here are more views of the office:

 

This might be a good portable office for a field engineer, construction manager, or general contractor. Maybe you’re a digital nomad living the RV life and need a little extra space in which to work (if your RV has the towing capacity). Or perhaps you’re in sales or marketing and need a portable showroom. Or maybe you’re trying to work from home and it’s too small for you to set up a home workspace.

Interested? You can contact the seller through their Facebook Marketplace posting.