What happened in Spring Hill? (Tampa, Orlando: low income, house, weddings)

[Irishiis49]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Maybe so, but I am in NYC at least once a year. I behoove you to try Mario's in Spring Hill and you tell me if it meets NYC standards.

Will do next time I'm up that way!Love to be wrong in this case!!

[Irishiis49]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

There is bad pizza in NY as well. It's not hard to find places in FL that have average pizza made by people from NY.

No just going on taste alone...it's the bottom of the crust and that little drip of oil that falls on the plate when you take the first bite!

[movinaround1]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Including real NY style pizza made by NYers
As for SpringHill? lotsa people and houses there, most take care of their property, a few are what i call the junksters,much crap in there driveways,no lawn maintenance done, no house maintenance done fortunately most of SpringHill is very nice..

The pizza will never taste right becasue the water is horrible. NYC has awesome water which makes the food taste much better.

[tamparesident26]

Regarding pizza - I have not tried Mario's but will check it out next time I'm up that way. Being from NJ, I am very, very VERY particular about pizza. In all honesty, I've lived in the Tampa Bay area for 19 years…I've tried a LOT of pizza in that time and I have found exactly ONE place that advertises authentic NY pizza and in my opinion actually has it. It even passes the orange grease test. So sure, there might be many NY transplants here who make pizza, but finding actual, true NY style pizza is not as easy as one would think. Of course there are folks to whom pizza is just pizza so they might not know or care about the difference. That said, I travel to NYC 2-3 times a year and pizza is the very first stop I make food wise. Not hard to find an excellent slice just about anywhere. I'm sure there is bad pizza somewhere in NYC, but I have yet (thankfully) to taste it.

Regarding Spring Hill - I by no means think that the place is a ghetto or something like that. For the most part, it is still, in my opinion, a nice area but after not stepping foot there for many years there is unmistakably a change there in many spots. Unfortunately I just do not think it's for the better. I ended up there again yesterday afternoon for dinner with some "family" members. (Long story…condensed version is that the funeral I went to last weekend was for my ex's grandmother - my ex and I don't really speak and we are both married to other people now. But I am still considered family and am in close touch with them - I am routinely invited to birthdays, weddings, funerals etc. Yes, I know…it is awkward.) This time there were not a zillion garage sales (last weekend, there were at least 4 of 5 of them that I passed) so that helped unclutter the landscape a little bit. I took the same route but with a few turns here and there. Still saw basically more of the same that I had observed the previous weekend, just on different streets - several other houses with junk in the yard - one person with Christmas stuff still out (!!!) and a guy with some type of motorcycle parts on the roof of his garage - apparently as decorations? Classy. I expect this type of thing maybe from my old neighbors in New Port Richey…not in Spring Hill.

The point of my original post was that Spring Hill did NOT used to look like that. I know lots of areas have changed because of economic conditions etc but there are also many that have not or at least not so drastically.This is probably difficult to see when you live there, but it is very obvious to someone who does not but is very familiar with what it used to be like. I found it bothersome for some reason, because I always liked the area and had considered buying there instead of Tampa years ago.

By the way, I've lived in the same neighborhood for over 10 years. There have been changes here and there but for the most part, the place has remained largely the same. I also own another property elsewhere, close to Busch Gardens. I've had the same tenants in that house for several years. In speaking with them recently I found out that the house across the street, the house which is on the opposite corner AND the house across from that is vacant. All of them are foreclosures. I was very surprised to learn this - because unless you peeped in the windows, you really wouldn't know that these properties are vacant. The lawns are not jungles, none of them are falling apart…there is no trash strewn in the yards. According to my tenants, it has been at least a year or more since anyone has lived at any of these homes. I don't know who is taking care of those properties, but clearly someone is.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by tamparesident26

I've lived in the Tampa Bay area for 19 years…I've tried a LOT of pizza in that time and I have found exactly ONE place that advertises authentic NY pizza and in my opinion actually has it. It even passes the orange grease test.

Gonna keep that place all to yourself or let some of us in on the secret?

[tamparesident26]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Gonna keep that place all to yourself or let some of us in on the secret?

LOL I didn't even realize that I had not named it! It's Precinct Pizza in Channelside. (Used to be called NYPD). The minute you walk in there you SMELL it...and you know it's the real deal. I eat there frequently...never ate anything besides the pizza but others that have dined with me have said their other stuff is good too if pizza is not your thing.

[Gatornation]

Decided to search yelp. This place flies in NY water apparently.

Eddie & Sam's NY Pizza - Tampa, FL

[tamparesident26]

Hmm...have not tried Eddie & Sam's - but next time I am downtown I will stop by. I've seen it before...but never at a time when I am hungry LOL.

And for what it's worth, water quality DOES in fact make a difference when you are cooking with it. The mineral content in NYC water is different - Catskills water is top notch and that is where a large percentage of their water comes from. (The system they have is complicated, but if you are ever bored, Google an article about NYC reservoirs or the town of Arena, NY - it's an interesting history.)

It not only tastes different, but feels different. Case in point when you take a shower here, if you are not used to the water, it seems "sticky" - it took me many months to feel clean after a shower. If you have curly hair, the water there tends to be much kinder to your frizz, too. I don't really know how to put into words all that is different about it, but it just IS - whenever I travel there, I notice it immediately.

A few years ago a friend who is in the restaurant business and I were discussing how the City of NY was thinking about installing filters in the reservoirs in order to save some money on chlorine, and the pizzeria and bagel shop owners had a FIT about it because they were afraid that it would affect the quality of the products they were putting out and consequently, their sales. (The "it's in the water" story is pretty well known)

So clearly where there is smoke, there's fire. Or perhaps I should say melted mozzarella?

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

Economy is an excuse that had little to do with it. The decline of the area happened well before the housing bust. It certainly made it worse but the change from retired folks to families of six living in a two bedroom house started a while ago.

The average household size is 2.4 per household, lower than the average for Florida.
And the economy has everything to do with seeing more unkempt houses due to the foreclosures.
Don't let facts get in your way though.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by clairegoad

Okay... enough teasing... Which NY Style pizza place do you recommend? I've been to PJ's and the 5 Boroughs.... Any others I should try? (and this is a question for both of you... and anyone else who has an opinion).

I like Village Pizza on Deltona and Pizza Villa, they have a place on Spring Hill Dr and one up in Coastal Plaza