Is Southside a good central location? (Atlantic Beach, Christmas: taxis, live, restaurant)

[BabyBoomers2]

Ok, give the old folks a break.........someday you will be there. Wife and I are in our mid/later 60's and sometimes we get lost. We don't think nearly as fast as the younger generation does

Originally Posted by Giants6

I work in the Town Center area, and it seems like the most confused drivers are there on weekdays--midday. I may just be unlucky but I always get stuck behind a retiree in their late 60's/early 70's driving a mid size luxury SUV with a Ponte Vedra Inn & Club sticker on their back window. These people never seem to have clue as to which entrance they are going to turn in, thus panic ensues.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Giants6

I work in the Town Center area, and it seems like the most confused drivers are there on weekdays--midday. I may just be unlucky but I always get stuck behind a retiree in their late 60's/early 70's driving a mid size luxury SUV with a Ponte Vedra Inn & Club sticker on their back window. These people never seem to have clue as to which entrance they are going to turn in, thus panic ensues.

Why would anyone panic? All roads lead (eventually) to Rome . Even if you pull into the Costco or Best Buy parking lots by mistake. Only (very small) fatal error is pulling into the Total Wine parking lot (no connection to Town Center last time I looked).

The only awful turn you can miss in Florida IMO is the exit on the Florida Turnpike at Ft. Pierce (next exit - Yeehaw Junction - is 40 miles north - although I think a U-turn was installed there on the Turnpike at some point).

BTW - I haven't seen the drivers you've seen here. But I have seen what we used to call "Cuban left turns" in Miami. Like someone is in the extreme right lane - and - a light bulb goes on in his head - wow - that's where I want to make a left turn - 50 yards away - so left's just cut across 2-3 lanes of traffic into the left turn lane ASAP. After 20+ years driving in Miami - nothing can faze us . We just drive very defensively. Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

First, The Avenues Mall isn't going anywhere, but there have been some stores that have left........two that I can think of, Radio Shack and a rather modern looking Barber Shop that was next to Sears upstairs and, yes, forgot, Verizon also left some time ago. But, we still stop in at the Disney Store, Fye - For Your Entertainment and shop at both Sears and Penny's. Ruby Tuesday serves up a great Salad Bar and Rib Eye Steak dinner and wife loves there hamburger or will have a slice of pizza at Sbarro's.

As far as The SJ Town Center goes, we did have a heck of a time, even using our iPhone 6 Maps, finding the Disney Store there once. Found out, thru the iPhone that there was a new Verizon store there, but it took us a little while to finally get to it. Come to find out, it was in the same area as West Marine, where we also go sometimes. But, yes, maneuvering from the ramp off of JTB East, to get into the Town Center can be a little challenging, but we've gone there so much that I know how to handle traffic now.

One thing for sure, both of these places, The Avenues Mall and Town Center, can sometimes look like it's Black Friday. Apparently, a lot of folks have credit cards burning holes in their pockets!

Stores like Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn left the Avenues Mall too.

I don't use Apple maps - but I know even Google maps (which are thought to be better - I don't know) are often worthless in terms of locating stores within shopping centers. We had to go to a UPS store yesterday - and the closest to us during our drive that day was at the South Beach Regional Shopping Center in JAX Beach (where Home Depot is). The maps didn't show where the UPS store was - so I called the store to find out. I realize that is a desperate measure - actually calling some place to figure out where your destination is - but it is better IMO than wandering around aimlessly trying to find a place.

FWIW - there is a difference between the "Town Center" and the Town Center area. There are a lot of shopping centers around the Town Center that aren't the Town Center (and they aren't owned by Simon). Like the one where Best Buy and West Marine are located (and I'm not even sure that they are in the same shopping center). Also - I seem to recall that a fair number of the out parcel properties aren't owned by Simon either.

When it comes to getting to that area - we find the easiest way to get to the Town Center from the Beaches is by getting off at the I-295 JTB exit - then getting off at the UNF exit (first exit) and then heading west. The Gate Parkway exit is often backed up from here to way past there.

BTW - we had to go down to Baptist South today. And took that new part of I-295 a little south of Old St. Augustine Road on Philips Highway home (295 to JTB). It wasn't open the last time we were in the Baptist South area. Does that new road have a name?

Also - the plant/flower lot in the shopping center near the corner of Philips and Old St. Augustine Road has just opened for the season. Not a lot in stock today (it will be overflowing in March). But a fair number of pretty flowering plants for Valentine's Day . Good prices too. Robyn

[EricBoyd]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

.

BTW - we had to go down to Baptist South today. And took that new part of I-295 a little south of Old St. Augustine Road on Philips Highway home (295 to JTB). It wasn't open the last time we were in the Baptist South area. Does that new road have a name?

Are you talking about 9B?

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by EricBoyd

Are you talking about 9B?

If I knew I was talking about 9B - I wouldn't have asked what the road was called . OTOH - I guess it could be 9B (although I got the impression here that 9B wasn't open yet). Robyn

[hornsch]

Originally Posted by Florida2014

Poorly designed is right. I swear I feel like a rat in a maze trying to move around once "inside" the SJ Town Center. I always end up cursing the designers of that area while trying to traverse through it.

Yes, yes. My wife is an expert but I when I go there I tend to park at Dick's. It is pretty easy to get to, always an open spot, and there is a walkway from there to the mess of stores. If I have too much to carry, which is never, I would make a trip back to the car for a drop off.

[Giants6]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

Ok, give the old folks a break.........someday you will be there. Wife and I are in our mid/later 60's and sometimes we get lost. We don't think nearly as fast as the younger generation does

Haha, no worries pal! However its only going to get over worse as America continues to age. The census projects there to be 70 million people that are 65+ by the year 2030! That's a lot of panicked drivers.

[EricBoyd]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

If I knew I was talking about 9B - I wouldn't have asked what the road was called . OTOH - I guess it could be 9B (although I got the impression here that 9B wasn't open yet). Robyn

I is jus' trying to jog that old memory of yours...

[Giants6]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Why would anyone panic? All roads lead (eventually) to Rome . Even if you pull into the Costco or Best Buy parking lots by mistake. Only (very small) fatal error is pulling into the Total Wine parking lot (no connection to Town Center last time I looked).



The only awful turn you can miss in Florida IMO is the exit on the Florida Turnpike at Ft. Pierce (next exit - Yeehaw Junction - is 40 miles north - although I think a U-turn was installed there on the Turnpike at some point).



BTW - I haven't seen the drivers you've seen here. But I have seen what we used to call "Cuban left turns" in Miami. Like someone is in the extreme right lane - and - a light bulb goes on in his head - wow - that's where I want to make a left turn - 50 yards away - so left's just cut across 2-3 lanes of traffic into the left turn lane ASAP. After 20+ years driving in Miami - nothing can faze us . We just drive very defensively. Robyn

Workers on a lunch break time crunch mixed with elderly drivers & poorly designed roadways can be a scary combination. The accident metrics tell the story. That's the town center in a nutshell between 11am and 2pm M-F. It behooves the city to create additional public transportation services to bring senior citizens to the town center at some point as America continues to gray. Just a thought.

[canajo]

I just moved here and my first few experiences with Town Center caused a lot of anxiety. I found that a lot of the drivers to be aggressive and as I did not sure where I was going it was very nerve racking. The GPS does not seem to logically take me where I need to go and I found parking at Dick's is my best bet. I truly avoid it and did not really realize how close I was when I bought my house. I had to laugh as it one of the areas I decided to avoid. I am very happy about how close I am to Costco though. That, I can handle. But the rest of the place I avoid!