Mills/50 area, I am impressed.

[Arcenal813]

It had only been 3 years since I moved from Baldwin Park to Pinellas County. Now that I'm back here, I just spent my first full weekend back, and all I can say is wow. The Mills/50 neighborhood is teeming with activity, including pedestrians, especially at night. Tons of new bars, lounges, restaurants, cafe's, coffee shops, lots of retail. Still has a bunch of nice ethnic (primarily Asian) shops. I could not believe how lively it's become there.

At this rate, they will soon need to widen the sidewalks.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

It had only been 3 years since I moved from Baldwin Park to Pinellas County. Now that I'm back here, I just spent my first full weekend back, and all I can say is wow. The Mills/50 neighborhood is teeming with activity, including pedestrians, especially at night. Tons of new bars, lounges, restaurants, cafe's, coffee shops, lots of retail. Still has a bunch of nice ethnic (primarily Asian) shops. I could not believe how lively it's become there.

At this rate, they will soon need to widen the sidewalks.

Agreed haha! I love Haan Coffee and next door is Sampaguita. Moderne is on the same block as well, I haven't been, but the vibe looks nice. There are a ton of new restaurants, tea shops, bakeries, etc.

[brinkofsunshine]

It’s one of my absolute favorite neighborhoods for sure! I wish crossing Mills was a little less perilous for pedestrians, but otherwise it’s a great walkable area that’s just getting better. It’s been fascinating watching it grow since I moved to this part of town 5 years ago.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Agreed haha! I love Haan Coffee and next door is Sampaguita. Moderne is on the same block as well, I haven't been, but the vibe looks nice. There are a ton of new restaurants, tea shops, bakeries, etc.

Haan is my favorite coffee shop in town now. I just wish they’d offer 16 oz iced lattes lol. Moderne is good! The aesthetic is great. Recently I was really impressed with Death in the Afternoon; it’s labeled an absinthe bar but they have all kinds of drinks, and the tapas are great.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by brinkofsunshine

It’s one of my absolute favorite neighborhoods for sure! I wish crossing Mills was a little less perilous for pedestrians, but otherwise it’s a great walkable area that’s just getting better. It’s been fascinating watching it grow since I moved to this part of town 5 years ago.

Yeah that’s why I mentioned maybe widening the sidewalks.
I walked over to Pigzza (terrific carbonara by the way) and crossing Mills I agree definitely needs improvements. There was a lot of foot traffic, on both sides, waiting to walk across.
I’m sure work will be done, considering the changes I’ve seen in a mere matter of three years.

Also, Dong A is now a going to be my go-to for anything in terms of Asian groceries. I wouldn’t have stopped there had it not been for casually walking around and stumbling upon it, due to how lively the area now is.
I no longer need to go to the other side to Lotte!!!

[drive carephilly]

It would be nice to have wider sidewalks but the only way you can do that is to either get rid of the parallel parking which is a big driver of the ped activity there and the merchants there would flip out about. Or, alternatively, you could get rid of the center turn lane but in order to do that you'd need to ban left turns from Colonial - at least between Fern Creek and Hyer. It's a grid so everyone can go just go around the block but you'd never get FDOT and the City to agree on that.

IMO, 50 is not nice to walk along in that area but it's not terrible. Walking along Mills is a nightmare and I think it's mostly because the sidewalks seem a lot more narrow and there are way more curb cuts. That stretch of 50 feels like a busy, urban corridor. Mills feels more like walking on a highway.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by drive carephilly

It would be nice to have wider sidewalks but the only way you can do that is to either get rid of the parallel parking which is a big driver of the ped activity there and the merchants there would flip out about. Or, alternatively, you could get rid of the center turn lane but in order to do that you'd need to ban left turns from Colonial - at least between Fern Creek and Hyer. It's a grid so everyone can go just go around the block but you'd never get FDOT and the City to agree on that.

IMO, 50 is not nice to walk along in that area but it's not terrible. Walking along Mills is a nightmare and I think it's mostly because the sidewalks seem a lot more narrow and there are way more curb cuts. That stretch of 50 feels like a busy, urban corridor. Mills feels more like walking on a highway.

It's those ridiculously narrow sidewalks. When encountering people walking in the opposite direction, we'd literally have to sidestep onto the streetside parking spots. I'm not sure what the best approach would be to fix this, but something will have to be done soon considering the rate at which that area is growing and changing. And I'm sure something will be done. Lots of kids walking around there and riding scooters too.
They've found ways to improve and widen sidewalks on other major roads nearby. Let's see how they address this. FDOT can be very strange sometimes.