Is Tampa Bay really so bad? (Tarpon Springs, Riverview: chapel, budget, place)

[dothetwist]

Originally Posted by PhotoProIP

So you're copying and pasting this on every thread now??? Way to lose credibility!

I'd guess you'd know about losing cred!

[dothetwist]

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

Tampa Bay has these things going for it:
-best beaches and pretty good access (Siesta Key/Ft. DeSoto)
-best museums/culture in the state (Ringling/Dali)
-best historic urban neighborhood in the state (Ybor City)
-best classic architecture in the state (UT/Tampa Theatre)
-IMO, best downtown in the state (St. Pete)
-best roller coaster park in the state (Busch Gardens)
-most areas to go (4 downtowns all with unique identity)
-quite possibly the best food scene, as a collective region
-best urban park (Vinoy Park)
-best for pro sports (Miami has more teams, but Tampa has better access)
-coolest ethnic community (Tarpon Springs)

Even with all that being true though , and being among the leaders in the Sun Belt in many of those categories, it has weaknesses, and those include:
-Heavy population/crowding
-lack of uniqueness/charm in suburbs (Hillsborough side)
-sprawl (takes a while to get to many of said things)
-still not as great of history/museums/culture as a general rule compared to some cities, but it's a younger city so that makes sense.
-not bicycle friendly at all, unless you happen to live near Pinellas Trail/Bayshore.
-lack of parks/conservation spaces near city, hard to find breathable green spaces as it's hard to justify making the driving consistently during a work week.

You make some very valid points.

Personally I think there should be 2 forums for Tampa Bay....one for St. Petersburg/Pinellas and another for Tampa/Hillsborough. I think they are very distinct from each other.

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by PDF

Well said. Tampa to me just feels generic in most parts, with no sense of identity.

Yup. Completely agree. South Tampa and Seminole Heights: Almost identical.

Originally Posted by PDF

It feels like any other car-centric mid-size city in the USA, which you covered when you mentioned lack of parks/conservation spaces near the city.

IN the city: Curtis Hixon, Al Lopez, Lowry Park, Ballast Point, Copeland, Cyrus Greene, Desoto Park, Picnic Island, Highland Pines, Macfarlane, Macdill, Lykes Gaslight Square... A couple of others. Tampa is lacking... Obviously.

Originally Posted by PDF

As far as good access to beaches go, if I didn't live in inland Tampa than I might see this as an advantage.

I'll give you this. Unless you live on David Island or in South Tampa, there's really no access to a beach.

Originally Posted by PDF

We are lucky to have something like Ybor, though. Plus lots of sports teams. I often forget about Busch Gardens, but it is a great theme park.

Ybor is probably one of the coolest places in Florida to check out. Between Ybor, South Tampa, Downtown, and Seminole Heights, Tampa has some really cool areas! Access to sports is also a plus, and we have a theme park. However, I do think Tampa needs more theme parks.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

However, I do think Tampa needs more theme parks.

You want more theme parks? Isn't one enough for a city of Tampa's size?

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by PDF

You want more theme parks? Isn't one enough for a city of Tampa's size?

Are you saying Orlando's a bigger city? Universal, Wet N Wild, Fun Spot (at least two)... Etc.

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by PhotoProIP

If you consider those "bests", then I'm guessing you haven't traveled much! I suggest you travel some before making such statements. It reflects badly on us as a nation.

Plus, you do realize that it is all very subjective and what may be best to you, may be boring to others. Then again, that should have been something taught in 4th grade.

.....and according to this is not that young:
Tampa, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Key word in the context though... In Florida. I wasn't meaning or suggesting to compare Tampa's museums and neighborhoods to the Midwest and Northeast legacy cities (Boston, Philly, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, etc.). However, the Ringling and Dali are certainly the best museums in FL (nothing in Jax, ORL or Miami can too those) and likely top 5 in the southeast. They're certainly great to have, as someone could easily spend an entire day at the Ringling complex.

Regarding Vinoy Park, it is almost a smaller version of Lakefront Park in Chicago, so I think that can definitely be "elite".

Regarding travel, I have been to all 50 states and capitals and have had the awesome opportunity to travel to other countries, so it's not like I haven't been around haha.

Of course that's true. But those subjects reflect a wide range of interests.

Tampa was "founded" in 1855, true. But it wasn't actually what could be considered a "big league" city until at least the 1960s, and many would argue more recently than that. For most of history apart Vincente Martinez, most would acknowledge it's two primary purposes had been tourism and agrarian.

[theurbanfiles]

I guess the theme parks question is an interesting one. I mean even a city of Chicago's size only has one, and I don't know that the Bay Area even has any. It's all a question of what people in the area want to entertain themselves. I could be wrong on the SF comment though.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by PDF

You want more theme parks? Isn't one enough for a city of Tampa's size?

Yeah - don't need more. Orlando has enough - although I like Busch Gardens, too many cheapens the city. Would like to see more green space, more bike trails, more parks - more tennis facilities. Also, this city needs some sort of mass transit for 20-50 yrs from now. We can handle traffic for the immediate future, but long term this place will be looking like LA.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Yeah - don't need more. Orlando has enough - although I like Busch Gardens, too many cheapens the city. Would like to see more green space, more bike trails, more parks - more tennis facilities. Also, this city needs some sort of mass transit for 20-50 yrs from now. We can handle traffic for the immediate future, but long term this place will be looking like LA.

Busch Gardens holds a special place in my heart, it was my first job. I just don't think Tampa could even support another theme park. The weekday attendance are numbers are good but not outstanding. I agree with you on the transit issue, but so far anything public transit related in Tampa gets shot down.

[The Villages Guy]

No & Yes. Like most places, it depends on where you live.