Tell me about Tampa,FL

[riloh05]

I am pretty close to making a decision about moving to Tampa. I currently live inside the loop here in Houston. No kiddo's and we like the nightlife... What are some good areas to live in? Good places to hang out, eatc, etc... Thanks for the input.

 

[Dead Horse]

one of my favorite restaurants in the US is in Tampa in Berns steakhouse...

 

[cbs]

My dad built a hotel in St Pete a few years ago. He had to evacuate for hurricanes three times in the less than a year that he was there.

 

[Rockinghorse]

I like the St. Pete side of the bay way better than Tampa. The beaches are great and there are tons of restaurants and bars.

If you're really going to live there, where you work will probably be a big factor in where you want to live. Because of all the water there are only a limited number of east-west traffic routes. Along with the vacationers and frequent afternoon rain, rush hour can be awful.

Ybor City looks like it has become a West End type of tourist attraction (which is not all bad). Downtown Tampa and downtown St. Pete are both growing in terms of residences and entertainment.

 

[evil horn]

I found mons venus a good place to hang out.

I'd want to live as close as beach to the possible and commute to the night life. I don't think there's much of an 'inside the loop' feel to Tampa.

 

[GatorHorn]

Be careful if you work in Tampa and decide to live on the St. Pete side of the Bay. There are three primary bridges crossing over from St. Pete to Tampa. Traffic crossing the Howard Frankland bridge (I-275) can be absolutely awful during rush hour.

 

[tlonghorn]

I lived south of Tampa from 04-06 in Sarasota. I was single at the time and would go out in Tampa from time to time. The ONLY place in Tampa I truly enjoyed hanging out, and thought I could live was the South Howard area. Someone mentioned Bern's Steak House, it's on the same street. There are bars, restaurants, grocery, a gym or two, and young people. It was pretty walkable for Tampa. Some of the bars were a little college-y, but most had a variety of people from college age to young professionals. There are some decent places to live around there as well. Maybe even more (or less) as I haven't been back there in a few years.
I don't know anything about St. Pete other than the beaches and bars, which are great, but I don't know about working and commuting if you live in Madeira Beach or any others. Oh, downtown St. Pete is kinda cool. It's old with bars and lofts and boutique hotels. Better scene than downtown Tampa, for sure.

 

[LovinTheAtx]

I was just in Tampa for the first time a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the area.

I spent most my time in the Harbour Island and Channelside areas, so I can't tell you too much about downtown, etc.

On that note, I actually liked Harbour Island and the whole concept of it. It's a little community with condos, shops, and a variety of dining options. This is not for everyone, but just an option.

For me, what I liked about the area, was the fact that there were always tons of people running, walking their dogs, etc. outside. The weather was amazing while I was there, but this type of scene just reminded me of Austin.

Saying that, Tampa has been one of the better places I've visted lately.

 

[tlonghorn]

You know what, Harbour Island and the other islands out there were pretty cool. It would absolutely be worth checking out...

 

[stabone]

Was just there for work.....lots of hot chicks.

 

[The Bloak]

The handful of people I know who are"young professional" types living there now would jump at any chance to leave. Not a ton of nightlife and they say there is no real concentration of bars, etc for people their age besides Ybor (and as someone else said, it has turned pretty ghetto)

I think the only place I could live in Florida would be Miami.