[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Coconut1

Yeesh, sorry about that! To be close is one thing but that seems like too much!

I'd try Tampa over Orlando. In Tampa you at least have St. Pete, and Sarasota close by. I know you're not crazy about driving, but it will at least be an improvement over where you are now, provided you can't get to Miami.

St Pete isn't in Tampa, they're two separate cities with near equal populations. St Pete has a more viable/active downtown than Tampa's. To the OP, Orlando by the way is no where near St Pete in terms of downtown activity or population.

[IMissTheCity]

Thanks for all of your help. I'm going to explore some more and try to find an area I like.

[JSnFla]

the areas in Miami that most people can afford are like living in a 3rd world country. downtown st pete is very sketchy, hit and miss with lots of vagrants, homeless, etc. look in south tampa in SoHo, Hyde Park area. Lots of bars, restaurants, boutiques, etc in walkable area. or go back to NY. ny-ers either love it or hate it down here, usually not much middle ground

[EscAlaMike]

Looking for NYC in Florida? Come on man. This is FLORIDA. It is different from NYC. You're not gonna find it.

Try Chicago, San Francisco, or Toronto if you want to stay on this continent. Or here's a thought, since you love New York City so much, MOVE THERE.

[ssg II]

Like the previous posters have written, there's nothing comparable to NYC in Florida. Most downtowns roll up the sidewalks at 5 since they're all office buildings and the businesses catering to them.

Downtown Sarasota and Tampa-Hyde Park/SOHO are probably the closest to what you want, but be prepared to pay $$$. There's no middle ground. It's high-dollar condos and re-models or the slums.

Gainesville might be an option. UF is there, so there are plenty of bookstores, restaurants and coffee shops, but again, the campus is so large and spread out, downtown isn't much.

I'm guessing it's 3 hours from Homosassa, but the majority of "Palm Coast" is populated by former New Yorkers. ITT, the company that developed PC, marketed to the boroughs of NY back in the 60s. Plently of rentals and if you're buying, you can get some real deals. Flagler County is #1 in the state in forclosures.

Not what you're looking for location-wise or "city-vibe," by any means, but the Brooklyn, LI, & Queens transplants seem to love it there! At least you'd be neighbors with people from home.

P.S. Several dog parks in Palm Coast (dogs are allowed on the beach in most areas) and I'm sure Gainesville has a few.

Good Luck!

[Cruzincat]

Good thread! When I lived in FL back in the 80's, I thought there was too much NY influence (human) in Florida for my tastes. I will come back to this thread on a regular basis when I start thinking about retirement locations, so I can eliminate some areas.

[EndersDrift]

I'd go a different route for you and say go to Gainesville as close to UF as possible. Brickell is nothing like NYC aside from big buildings. Nobody walks Brickell and there's really no shops in that part of Miami either.

The closest thing to Brooklyn is going to be Wynwood in Miami although nobody really lives there, South Point at the very south end of South Beach, North Miami Beach, and UF all for somewhat different reasons. These are your best options though. I'd go with UF because its the closest to Homosassa.

[Coconut1]

Originally Posted by EndersDrift

I'd go a different route for you and say go to Gainesville as close to UF as possible. Brickell is nothing like NYC aside from big buildings. Nobody walks Brickell and there's really no shops in that part of Miami either.

The closest thing to Brooklyn is going to be Wynwood in Miami although nobody really lives there, South Point at the very south end of South Beach, North Miami Beach, and UF all for somewhat different reasons. These are your best options though. I'd go with UF because its the closest to Homosassa.

Huh? People are out at all hours walking in Brickell.

[IMissTheCity]

I went to Orlando last weekend. I didn't really enjoy it much. The lake was nice, but nothing else. It looks nice, but it's not really my type of area. It was mostly bars and night clubs. I'm more of a cafe and bookstore type of person.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'm going to keep exploring.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by IMissTheCity

I went to Orlando last weekend. I didn't really enjoy it much. The lake was nice, but nothing else. It looks nice, but it's not really my type of area. It was mostly bars and night clubs. I'm more of a cafe and bookstore type of person.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'm going to keep exploring.

If you haven't made it to downtown St. Pete or downtown Sarasota, you need to. These will be more your type place I think, even though they are small in scale.