Imagine strolling through the streets of Ybor City in the early 1900s. Walking around on the dark red brick streets, you are surrounded by a culture all its own. With the aroma of food and cigars filling your nose, you are immersed in a different world altogether. You look around to see not tourist shops, bars and piercing parlors but cigar factories, restaurants and social clubs all made of the dark red brick that has made Ybor City famous. Spanish, Cuban, German and Romanian immigrants are all here, making Ybor come alive. When walking around today, one can still spot bits and pieces of historic Ybor hiding behind the neon world of driving beats and parking garages. Some of the old restaurants such as “The Columbia Restaurant” still exist. But one doesn’t have to visit Ybor City to appreciate its historical significance. Thanks to author Frank Treb