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Yea, yea, I know...ya'll don't wanna hear it. But here it goes anyway.
Spent 4 days last week exploring the Tampa area. 50 yr old male. Single (w/gf). No kids. White. Native New Yorker. Enjoys sports. Hanging out at Irish bars. White collar. Plan on eventually leaving NY, and Tampa, among other cities, is on a list of possible destinations including Southern Ca, Las Vegas and maybe Nashville. My intent was to explore and see as much as one could in 4 days. Here are my thoughts on various topics related to the area:
- A huge pet peeve of living in NY is the horrible roads we have. Florida roads are amazing.
- Drivers were a lot more chaotic than I thought they would be. Nothing I couldn't handle after a couple of days however.
- Traffic in the area wasn't too bad compared to NY. Even downtown around 5p was moving. Hit a lot of traffic driving to St. Pete from Tampa on a Saturday but that was due to the gay pride parade, I guess.
- I'm a 7/11 guy, but Wawa is pretty good. Don't have them in NY. Glad the one by me (Towne/Country) was open 24/7.
- Price of gas was about the same as NY.
- We get terrible heat/humidity in NYC in the Summer but the first day in Tampa really hit me hard. Basically couldn't breathe outside. The following days were ok as the humidity moved out a bit.
- Didn't see any bugs or mosquitos at all. Nor any alligators.
- Love how the town was pushing and behind the Lightning. I'm a big hockey fan.
- Got a ticket to game 6 of the Stanely Cup. Amazing to see it in person as a lifelong hockey fan, but very disappointed in the authenticity of how the game is presented at Amalie arena and how little the fans seemed to know about hockey compared to cities in the North East like NY and Boston. Felt like I was at a rock/hip hop concert half the night. Not a hockey game.
- Loved driving around and thru Dunedin. Had been there before for work but got to check it out closely. Took a dip at the beach.
- Impressed by Westchase. Reminds me of upper class areas of NY suburbs.
- Disappointed in Clearwater. Not sure what I was expecting. Reminded me of "the valley" out in LA. Kind of bland and run down in some areas. I had higher hopes.
- Safety Harbor was nice but almost seemed like you were in another state. Mid Atlantic.
- Didn't like St Pete. Lots of sketchy areas. Too many hipster types running around. I have enough of that here in NY.
- St Pete beach was nice. As were all the beach areas, really.
- Drove up to Wesley Chapel to meet a friend. Felt like upstate NY. Rural.
- Not much going on downtown Tampa.
- Actually enjoyed the hard rock casino. Yea it's working class, but so am I. I could see myself hanging out there a lot.
- Didn't really find any Irish bars open past 12m/1am. Guess I need to get out earlier. Plus they are all so spread out.
- I'm sure the nightlife in Tampa is better than what I experienced but wasn't really impressed.
These are all just random thoughts. Overall it's a nice area. Friendly people. I wanted to get a sense of the housing stock, as well. In particular condos. While there are any nice complexes, it just seems most areas either are right next to or border very sketchy areas. The only place I really liked, aside from Dunedin, was Carrollwood. But even there some of the condos I looked at were just a block or two from run down shanty type homes. I had hoped you could probably get into a decent area for about $150K but it appears that's no longer the case.
.
The thing about NY and it's burbs is you KNOW when you're in a good, safe area. Neighborhoods/towns in NY change drastically from one to the next. It's easy to pick out the good ones. I got the impression in a lot of parts of the Tampa area (not by the beaches), it seemed there was never a distinct change indicating a good area from a bad area. A lot of "tweeners," if you will. That worries me.
Pretty spot on. Hard to examine a hockey arena based off of a Stanley Cup game. A lot of people there who wouldn’t generally be there.
I am an ex NEw Yorker living in Tampa with what sounds like similar interests so feel free to fire away. We have a condo near Water Street/Amalie. If you want a true Irish bar check out Stranhill Tavern behind Armature Works. Great beers and great food.
Agree with you on St. Pete. Not my scene and the main drag isn’t all that great imo. Clearwater also sucks.
Last edited by Trip Mcnealy; 06-30-2022 at 06:12 AM..
Yea, yea, I know...ya'll don't wanna hear it. But here it goes anyway.
Spent 4 days last week exploring the Tampa area. 50 yr old male. Single (w/gf). No kids. White. Native New Yorker. Enjoys sports. Hanging out at Irish bars. White collar. Plan on eventually leaving NY, and Tampa, among other cities, is on a list of possible destinations including Southern Ca, Las Vegas and maybe Nashville. My intent was to explore and see as much as one could in 4 days. Here are my thoughts on various topics related to the area:
- A huge pet peeve of living in NY is the horrible roads we have. Florida roads are amazing.
- Drivers were a lot more chaotic than I thought they would be. Nothing I couldn't handle after a couple of days however.
- Traffic in the area wasn't too bad compared to NY. Even downtown around 5p was moving. Hit a lot of traffic driving to St. Pete from Tampa on a Saturday but that was due to the gay pride parade, I guess.
- I'm a 7/11 guy, but Wawa is pretty good. Don't have them in NY. Glad the one by me (Towne/Country) was open 24/7.
- Price of gas was about the same as NY.
- We get terrible heat/humidity in NYC in the Summer but the first day in Tampa really hit me hard. Basically couldn't breathe outside. The following days were ok as the humidity moved out a bit.
- Didn't see any bugs or mosquitos at all. Nor any alligators.
- Love how the town was pushing and behind the Lightning. I'm a big hockey fan.
- Got a ticket to game 6 of the Stanely Cup. Amazing to see it in person as a lifelong hockey fan, but very disappointed in the authenticity of how the game is presented at Amalie arena and how little the fans seemed to know about hockey compared to cities in the North East like NY and Boston. Felt like I was at a rock/hip hop concert half the night. Not a hockey game.
- Loved driving around and thru Dunedin. Had been there before for work but got to check it out closely. Took a dip at the beach.
- Impressed by Westchase. Reminds me of upper class areas of NY suburbs.
- Disappointed in Clearwater. Not sure what I was expecting. Reminded me of "the valley" out in LA. Kind of bland and run down in some areas. I had higher hopes.
- Safety Harbor was nice but almost seemed like you were in another state. Mid Atlantic.
- Didn't like St Pete. Lots of sketchy areas. Too many hipster types running around. I have enough of that here in NY.
- St Pete beach was nice. As were all the beach areas, really.
- Drove up to Wesley Chapel to meet a friend. Felt like upstate NY. Rural.
- Not much going on downtown Tampa.
- Actually enjoyed the hard rock casino. Yea it's working class, but so am I. I could see myself hanging out there a lot.
- Didn't really find any Irish bars open past 12m/1am. Guess I need to get out earlier. Plus they are all so spread out.
- I'm sure the nightlife in Tampa is better than what I experienced but wasn't really impressed.
These are all just random thoughts. Overall it's a nice area. Friendly people. I wanted to get a sense of the housing stock, as well. In particular condos. While there are any nice complexes, it just seems most areas either are right next to or border very sketchy areas. The only place I really liked, aside from Dunedin, was Carrollwood. But even there some of the condos I looked at were just a block or two from run down shanty type homes. I had hoped you could probably get into a decent area for about $150K but it appears that's no longer the case.
.
The thing about NY and it's burbs is you KNOW when you're in a good, safe area. Neighborhoods/towns in NY change drastically from one to the next. It's easy to pick out the good ones. I got the impression in a lot of parts of the Tampa area (not by the beaches), it seemed there was never a distinct change indicating a good area from a bad area. A lot of "tweeners," if you will. That worries me.
Yep, right on the money! And yet you will hear people in Tampa say that downtown is full of activity and happening! IT WAS ALWAYS DEAD. AND IT'S STILL DEAD!
And yeah, no summer I ever spent in NYC feels as brutal as this heat and humidity down here. I walked the dog at 5 a.m. this morning IN THE DARK (it was 80 humid degrees) and I felt like I was gonna burst into flames.
Safety Harbor = mid Atlantic LOL!!!!!!!!!
Traffic is very light right now because it's summer and most people get the hell out of here between the horrible months of June thru September; come back in November and it will feel like the Holland Tunnel at rush hour.
Yea, yea, I know...ya'll don't wanna hear it. But here it goes anyway.
Spent 4 days last week exploring the Tampa area. 50 yr old male. Single (w/gf). No kids. White. Native New Yorker. Enjoys sports. Hanging out at Irish bars. White collar. Plan on eventually leaving NY, and Tampa, among other cities, is on a list of possible destinations including Southern Ca, Las Vegas and maybe Nashville. My intent was to explore and see as much as one could in 4 days. Here are my thoughts on various topics related to the area:
- A huge pet peeve of living in NY is the horrible roads we have. Florida roads are amazing.
- Drivers were a lot more chaotic than I thought they would be. Nothing I couldn't handle after a couple of days however.
- Traffic in the area wasn't too bad compared to NY. Even downtown around 5p was moving. Hit a lot of traffic driving to St. Pete from Tampa on a Saturday but that was due to the gay pride parade, I guess.
- I'm a 7/11 guy, but Wawa is pretty good. Don't have them in NY. Glad the one by me (Towne/Country) was open 24/7.
- Price of gas was about the same as NY.
- We get terrible heat/humidity in NYC in the Summer but the first day in Tampa really hit me hard. Basically couldn't breathe outside. The following days were ok as the humidity moved out a bit.
- Didn't see any bugs or mosquitos at all. Nor any alligators.
- Love how the town was pushing and behind the Lightning. I'm a big hockey fan.
- Got a ticket to game 6 of the Stanely Cup. Amazing to see it in person as a lifelong hockey fan, but very disappointed in the authenticity of how the game is presented at Amalie arena and how little the fans seemed to know about hockey compared to cities in the North East like NY and Boston. Felt like I was at a rock/hip hop concert half the night. Not a hockey game.
- Loved driving around and thru Dunedin. Had been there before for work but got to check it out closely. Took a dip at the beach.
- Impressed by Westchase. Reminds me of upper class areas of NY suburbs.
- Disappointed in Clearwater. Not sure what I was expecting. Reminded me of "the valley" out in LA. Kind of bland and run down in some areas. I had higher hopes.
- Safety Harbor was nice but almost seemed like you were in another state. Mid Atlantic.
- Didn't like St Pete. Lots of sketchy areas. Too many hipster types running around. I have enough of that here in NY.
- St Pete beach was nice. As were all the beach areas, really.
- Drove up to Wesley Chapel to meet a friend. Felt like upstate NY. Rural.
- Not much going on downtown Tampa.
- Actually enjoyed the hard rock casino. Yea it's working class, but so am I. I could see myself hanging out there a lot.
- Didn't really find any Irish bars open past 12m/1am. Guess I need to get out earlier. Plus they are all so spread out.
- I'm sure the nightlife in Tampa is better than what I experienced but wasn't really impressed.
These are all just random thoughts. Overall it's a nice area. Friendly people. I wanted to get a sense of the housing stock, as well. In particular condos. While there are any nice complexes, it just seems most areas either are right next to or border very sketchy areas. The only place I really liked, aside from Dunedin, was Carrollwood. But even there some of the condos I looked at were just a block or two from run down shanty type homes. I had hoped you could probably get into a decent area for about $150K but it appears that's no longer the case.
.
The thing about NY and it's burbs is you KNOW when you're in a good, safe area. Neighborhoods/towns in NY change drastically from one to the next. It's easy to pick out the good ones. I got the impression in a lot of parts of the Tampa area (not by the beaches), it seemed there was never a distinct change indicating a good area from a bad area. A lot of "tweeners," if you will. That worries me.
I don't live in Tampa now, but was born and raised there, and I pretty much agree with your observations. For some reason Tampa seems to stay very "patchy" in its neighborhoods, as you said you can be in a nice area but two blocks away it's the pits. I live in Lakeland now, but before that, many years in Sarasota; and these towns are much more clearly defined - you can easily see when you are in a bad area. I am alway shocked when I return to Tampa and see how seedy looking and patchy it still is. I agree about Clearwater, it is a weird town taken over by the Scientology peeps, and the beaches are WAY too crowded. For me, St. Pete is a mixed bag; about ten years ago I really loved it; had about the right mix of Bohemian and gentrification but I feel it has jumped the shark. For me, Sarasota is better.
Anyway thanks for your thoughts. It is always good to get balanced perspective from an outsider. Good luck!
Yep, right on the money! And yet you will hear people in Tampa say that downtown is full of activity and happening! IT WAS ALWAYS DEAD. AND IT'S STILL DEAD!
And yeah, no summer I ever spent in NYC feels as brutal as this heat and humidity down here. I walked the dog at 5 a.m. this morning IN THE DARK (it was 80 humid degrees) and I felt like I was gonna burst into flames.
Safety Harbor = mid Atlantic LOL!!!!!!!!!
Traffic is very light right now because it's summer and most people get the hell out of here between the horrible months of June thru September; come back in November and it will feel like the Holland Tunnel at rush hour.
Pretty much this. Downtown Tampa is actually downright scary because of how dead it is. It's the literal opposite of where I last moved from (Orlando) which has a surprisingly active downtown. I guess all of the TB energy goes into Downtown St-Pete..?
As for Dunedin, it's nice, yes. If I were you, I'd have continued on North into Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs. Two areas that kind of feel like an extension of Dunedin (you really can't tell when you leave one and enter the other, aside from when you hit the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs.) So if you liked Dunedin, more than likely, you'd like Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs as well.
" We get terrible heat/humidity in NYC in the Summer but the first day in Tampa really hit me hard. Basically couldn't breathe outside. The following days were ok as the humidity moved out a bit."
As a born and bred New Yorker, I agree with most of your assessments. Dunedin is lovely and is not a retirement community. Real working people live here.
The real problems with the heat and the humidity are twofold.
First, it doesn't cool off at night. In the NYC area, it gets horribly hot and humid during the day, but it usually is better at night. In central FL, the heat and humidity are horrible 24/7 during the hot months.
Second, the "hot months" run from April through October in Tampa Bay area. So, for about half the year, the heat and humidity force people inside. In NYC, really only July and August are terrible. By mid-September, it's cool, especially at night. Love sleeping with those open windows in Sept and Oct. April and May in NYC are also lovely with the beginning scent of spring in the air.
Pretty much this. Downtown Tampa is actually downright scary because of how dead it is. It's the literal opposite of where I last moved from (Orlando) which has a surprisingly active downtown. I guess all of the TB energy goes into Downtown St-Pete..?
As for Dunedin, it's nice, yes. If I were you, I'd have continued on North into Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs. Two areas that kind of feel like an extension of Dunedin (you really can't tell when you leave one and enter the other, aside from when you hit the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs.) So if you liked Dunedin, more than likely, you'd like Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs as well.
I agree that the houses look very similar in the three towns, however Dunedin has a lively upscale downtown, while Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs lack that revitalization. Driving along Alt 19 in either of these two towns is depressing. Each of these towns have decent and interesting restaurants, but neither entices you to park your car and linger, walking through shops after dinner.
I agree that the houses look very similar in the three towns, however Dunedin has a lively upscale downtown, while Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs lack that revitalization. Driving along Alt 19 in either of these two towns is depressing. Each of these towns have decent and interesting restaurants, but neither entices you to park your car and linger, walking through shops after dinner.
I meant more as a place to live. One isn't likely to get much of a different feel nor way of life living in Palm Harbor vs Dunedin, and to a lesser extent, Tarpon Springs, unless one lives downtown Dunedin, which is highly unlikely.
That being said, yeah, Palm Harbor is on the slower side, but Tarpon Springs has both, a fairly active downtown, AND the sponge docks area.
Pretty much this. Downtown Tampa is actually downright scary because of how dead it is. It's the literal opposite of where I last moved from (Orlando) which has a surprisingly active downtown. I guess all of the TB energy goes into Downtown St-Pete..?
As for Dunedin, it's nice, yes. If I were you, I'd have continued on North into Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs. Two areas that kind of feel like an extension of Dunedin (you really can't tell when you leave one and enter the other, aside from when you hit the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs.) So if you liked Dunedin, more than likely, you'd like Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs as well.
It’s definitely not scary lol. Plus a few blocks away is the Riverwalk if you want to get to people. The downtown “core” is definitely quiet, but on a nightly basis both ends of the Riverwalk are fairly active. Armature, Sparkman and Harbor Island/AmSo always have som bustle to it.
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