First Time Visit

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Totally agree with this. St. Pete also has nice laid-back beaches with cool places to eat, etc. I'd skip Hyde Park Village, not much there. Ybor can also be fun to walk around and have a drink - very historic area.

Thx for steering me in the right direction. Is SoHo worth checking out? Sounds interesting on paper

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Thx for steering me in the right direction. Is SoHo worth checking out? Sounds interesting on paper

If you have time it might be worth checking out. How long will you be in the area? Anyway, here is a little website describing it:

Guide to Tampa’s SoHo District | DIVE IN Tampa Bay

[tonyff67]

SOHO can be a cool place to check out, just be prepared for a lot of attitude. Lots of cool restaurants and bars. but also a lot of frat boy attitude from guys. their yuppies though, so they can't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. The girls are Beautiful, but they are straight up looking for cash and have a bit of "I'm the hottest thing here" attitude.
If you can stay out the drama, you'll have a great time.

[punkfan39126]

Also, maybe consider a different beach locale than Clearwater Beach (really tacky in my opinion), Pass-A-Grille is much more charming. Indian Rocks Beach is really nice and laid back, not as built up and crowded as Clearwater Beach. There's a great seafood restaurant called Keegans right across the road from a beach access.

And for nightlife, St Pete is definitely more stroll-able and laid back, South Tampa might be more difficult to bar-hop but there are more high-end type places.

[sdurbanite]

Thanks again for all of the responses! Just wanted to give a quick trip report on my visit to Tampa Bay.

Arrived on late afternoon Friday and had some good fish and chips at The Moon Under Water in Downtown St. Petersburg. Was nice to be able to sit outside and people watch. It was only after we noticed all of the Romney buttons and T-shirts did we realize that Mitt Romney had just spoken at the nearby pier. LOL After dinner we walked over to the First Friday event on Central Ave. and hung out for a bit (Thank you, mystpete)

Later that evening we drove out to Ybor City to check out the nightlife. What a random crowd .........It was ghetto fabulous, fratboy central and trashy, all at the same time. People watching at its finest.

The next morning we headed back to Ybor and hit the Farmer's Market. Gotta say we were pretty disappointed. I love Farmer's Markets, but this wasn't very big or good. Still managed to buy a few things, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Took everyone's advice and headed to the beaches south of Tampa. Went to St. Pete Beach, which was very nice. The water felt amazing. My biggest complaint was the lack of waves. I knew they would be small, but they were pretty much non-existant. I like to bodysurf, and let's just say, I didn't really know what to do with myself while I was in the water. It felt like I was at the pool.

Also did some random driving around town. Drove downtown to the Channelside District. What's up with that place? There was no one there. It took us less than 10 minutes to see it all. On the way back to my hotel, we drove along Bayshore Blvd, which was great. Loved views of city and the homes along the water.

Checked out Hyde Park Village, which seemed quite charming, but where were all the people? Also drove up and down South Howard Ave. and didn't see much going on there. I'm guessing it's busy during the weekend? Decided to have our last meal in town at Lemon Grass Thai Kitchen on Kennedy, which was quite good.

All and all, had a nice time in Tampa. Off to Key West and Miami tomorrow!

[NALEXAND]

HA, you're observations were pretty spot on!

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Thanks again for all of the responses! Just wanted to give a quick trip report on my visit to Tampa Bay.

Arrived on late afternoon Friday and had some good fish and chips at The Moon Under Water in Downtown St. Petersburg. Was nice to be able to sit outside and people watch. It was only after we noticed all of the Romney buttons and T-shirts did we realize that Mitt Romney had just spoken at the nearby pier. LOL After dinner we walked over to the First Friday event on Central Ave. and hung out for a bit (Thank you, mystpete)

Later that evening we drove out to Ybor City to check out the nightlife. What a random crowd .........It was ghetto fabulous, fratboy central and trashy, all at the same time. People watching at its finest. - You really summed up the typical Ybor crowd pretty well

The next morning we headed back to Ybor and hit the Farmer's Market. Gotta say we were pretty disappointed. I love Farmer's Markets, but this wasn't very big or good. Still managed to buy a few things, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Took everyone's advice and headed to the beaches south of Tampa. Went to St. Pete Beach, which was very nice. The water felt amazing. My biggest complaint was the lack of waves. I knew they would be small, but they were pretty much non-existant. I like to bodysurf, and let's just say, I didn't really know what to do with myself while I was in the water. It felt like I was at the pool.- Gulf beaches do not have many waves at all. You would have to hop over to the East Coast Atlantic beaches for bigger waves.

Also did some random driving around town. Drove downtown to the Channelside District. What's up with that place?- Its pretty much wasted space and a missed opportunity. Its dead. It has a lot of potential and may be revamped or revitalized in the future. Hopefully. There was no one there. It took us less than 10 minutes to see it all. On the way back to my hotel, we drove along Bayshore Blvd, which was great. Loved views of city and the homes along the water. Bayshore Blvd is beautiful and one of Tampa's prized areas.

Checked out Hyde Park Village, which seemed quite charming, but where were all the people? At home, work, somewhere, anywhere but there. I hardly see any areas around Tampa that are bustiling with people. Hyde Park is pretty dead in the sense as well and is largely a residential area with a few hot spots (clubs). Tampa doesnt have streets bustling with people and energy. I wish it did. Also drove up and down South Howard Ave. and didn't see much going on there. I'm guessing it's busy during the weekend? Yes, the weekends tend to be busier at the clubs but not necessarily in the streets. Decided to have our last meal in town at Lemon Grass Thai Kitchen on Kennedy, which was quite good.

All and all, had a nice time in Tampa. Off to Key West and Miami tomorrow!