Neighbor News
Write Around Tampa
* Your weekly guide to the best places to park (it) and write in the Bay Area *
Barnes & Noble
23654 US Hwy 19 N
Clearwater
I really love this particular Barnes & Noble, one of the old school cozy kind, with the green and brown tables and wood paneling, just like you’re in the library of a New England mansion. Plus plenty of windows to let in the sunlight . . . or the darkness.
Quality and pricing of food and drink:
The usual B&N menu. I got the Venti Mango Dragonfruit with half lemonade/half water, was only charged for a Grande because of my membership, which only cost $0 because of my B&N gift cards. If you spend a lot of time at the bookstore or visit frequently, get the membership, and splurge for the premium. So worth it.
Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Are there enough outlets?
Yes, if you get a wall seat. I’m here early on a Tuesday afternoon so got a nice large-tabled wall seat with four available plugs.
How’s the wifi?
Great wifi, public, you just have to agree to their terms and conditions.
Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Will my muse come out?
Absolutely. It’s a bookstore that feels like a library in a New England mansion.
How long can I park it?
From open to close, which is 10am to 9pm most days. You’ll get lost in your writing, in the books, the magazines, the cap- and Frappuccino. You’ll cry when they come over the system with your fifteen minute warning to pack up and head for the door.
Final rating: 5 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.