I'm moving to Tampa

[Ramsey]

So what's it like there? I never had a burning desire to live in Florida, but I got a great new job offer in Tampa.
I'll be moving down there in June. Just in time for summer :evilgrin:

So who here knows about Tampa, where to live, what to do. I'm hoping it's not too red, but at least purple since I currently live in one of the most liberal cities in the country!! (Shut up, LynneSin!!!)

[trof]

1. I like Tampa. And nearby Tarpon Springs.

It's a Greek community founded by sponge divers.
Great food...if you like Greek.

[GOPisEvil]

2. I hope you don't mind having your vote not count.

:evilgrin:

[LynneSin]

6. That's what I was telling her but she's not listening to me

:cry:

No more last minute calls to find out if she wants to do Hollywood Queer Squares at Pure

:cry:

[GOPisEvil]

7. Florida is very much like Texas, sadly.

Same inefficient, shitty state government. It's poorly funded because there is no income tax. Everything is funded by user fees and property taxes. It isn't a move I'd make, but for the right job...maybe I might change my opinion.

No more breakfasts on her patio!! I just thought about that! :cry:

[LynneSin]

8. But she'll have a new patio - overlooking the beach somewhere

She's not moving for a few months!

[GOPisEvil]

9. Oh, that might be nice.

But that means...going to Florida...*shudder*...it's just Texas with better beaches and palmetto bugs to me. :D

[Misunderestimator]

10. But no scorpions.

:D

[GOPisEvil]

11. Big-ass flying roaches versus scorpions. Hmmmm

I've only had one scorpion in my house in the 26 years I've spent in Texas. Roaches are bad enough. FLYING roaches just give me the heebie-jeebies.

[Misunderestimator]

12. You're lucky... Growing up, I had at least a dozen scorpion encounters.

and my father and brother have both been stung by them :scared: I'll agree that those palmetto bugs are horrible, but they can't really hurt you. :)

[Ramsey]

13. Can you say pool deck!

I am only looking at houses with a pool. All the pools have these big screens over them that keep the bugs out. We can be grillin' and chillin' around the pool !

Besides, if I can visit you in Texas, you can visit me in Florida.

:loveya:

[GOPisEvil]

14. OK...ok...I suppose I can visit.

Grillin' and chillin' are both good things.

:loveya:

[Misunderestimator]

3. Tampa is pretty conservative. St. Pete is more liberal.

If I lived there again I would live in St. Petersburg. If it's important not to be surrounded by conservatives, don't live between Tampa and Orlando (on the "I4 Corridor")... those crazy loons voted overwhelmingly for Bush AGAIN.

[Ramsey]

17. St Pete is nice

My new job is on the far side (north) of Tampa, so it would be a bit of a commute to live in St Pete, but I'll look around. I liked the downtown, South Tampa area. The suburbs (New Tampa) are hideous cookie-cutter gated communities where apparently you have to get a dispensation from your nosy neighbors, rather, neighborhood association, to paint your front door a different color. Needless to say, I won't be living in that part of town!

[Benfea]

4. It's great if you like being surrounded by racists.

Maybe things have changed in the last 20 years since I've lived there, but with the memories I have, I've no intention of ever moving back.

[Benfea]

5. Did I mention that the avg. annual humidity is something like 95%? -nt

[flvegan]

15. I currently live in Tampa, and have been for 16 years.

Where to live, what to do depends on what you want. I'll be glad to help you out.

And no, Tampa is not quite as bad as some posters here have suggested.

[Texasgal]

16. Yeah...Flevegan lives in TAMPA

So it has to be gooooooooooood!! :loveya:

[flvegan]

20. And flvegan has an open invitation for a certain Texas redhead

to come and, um, visit...anytime.

[Ramsey]

18. Thank you

I was hoping someone local would reply! Mind if I pm you? I didn't think it seemed so bad either :-).

[flvegan]

21. Oh, please do.

I'm your Welcome Wagon. It'll be nice to have more blue votes in a red state.

Looking forward to being your neighbor.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

19. I lived there for thirty years

moved back to TX for family reasons (plus I kinda like it here, even with all the bushbots). Lived in the Temple Terrace area for most of the time, but was in Hyde Park for a couple of the earlier years. I started having bad allergy problems the last couple of years there, think it was pollution, but don't really know for sure. The allergy went away when we moved. Anyway, good luck to you wherever you decide to live, and with your new job !

[BreweryYardRat]

22. I'm at USF here in Tampa, and I've lived in Florida my whole life.

Allow me to reiterate the most important fact about Florida. Killer heat and humidity in the summer. If you're even a little bit fat, stay inside as much as possible.

Also, we have huge doom roaches. I've run into ones the size of my palm. (About 4 inches.) Best bet for dealing with them? Suck 'em up with one of those tube vacs, leave it running so the thing can't get out, then pour some powdered boric acid out and suck it up too. After that, get a plastic bag or something, hold it over the tube and let the vacuum kind of suck it down so it forms a barrier in the tube.

Tampa is all right, from what I've learned in previous visits and current hearsay (not having a car right now means I can't really get off-campus). Club scene is mostly dominated by assorted rap clubs, but there's a goth club called the Castle. Ybor City is historic. There's an art museum, a museum devoted to Salvador Dali, the Museum Of Science and Industry (MOSI), Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, and Lowry Park Zoo. There's a shopping area called Channelside which has an IMAX theater. Best restaurant in the area is the Columbia (in Ybor, unless my memory fails me). Amazing Cuban cuisine-I've eaten at two of their secondary branches, and the original most likely has the best cooks. Make a reservation. Also, Stump's Supper Club at Channelside is Southern-themed and pretty good.

Anything I've missed or been mistaken on, Flvegan can probably tell you.

On the other hand, we have swarms of Repubs.

P.S. Not sure if Tampa has banana spiders or not. They're big ugly bastards who have a knack for making webs where people can walk into them. Having them around probably cuts down on the roaches, though.

[Ramsey]

24. Hot and humid doesn't bother me

I grew up in Louisville Kentucky, in the humidity sink hole known as the Ohio River Valley. High humidity and temperatures in the mid to upper 90's all summer, and with no ocean breezes wafting through. So, I can take the heat, and fortunately, I'm not overweight.

I'm older, so I don't really go to clubs, but thanks for the tips :-).

I've eaten at Colombia, it is very good.

I'll be working at Moffitt, right on your campus.

Uber-roaches/Republicans... ummmm, not good :-(

[BreweryYardRat]

26. Working on campus? Cool!

I'll have to buy you lunch sometime. Sit down, talk politics, yadda yadda yadda.

Fortunately, the cafeteria food here is pretty good (well, except for the pizza).

Drop me a PM when you feel like taking me up on that. :)

[GalleryGod]

23. Good Luck. Here's lookin' at You, Kid.

I'll miss you.

[Ramsey]

25. I'll still be around

I'll be in Philly a couple weekends a month for the forseeable future.

[Robeson]

27. Once you get past the upper third of Florida, and get down to around...

...Tampa, you'll be O.K. You can find havens there of sanity. Just stay away from Northern Florida. It's redneck city, and isn't any different than deep dixie.

[Corgigal]

28. I sent you a PM

We (hubby and kiddies) just moved out of Tampa a few years ago. We still have plenty of family in the area. I would be happy to help.

[wildhorses]

29. I am flying to Ft Myers tomorrow for 2 weeks...

I have friends in Tampa and in the keys...


maybe if you want I can hook you up


dunno how exactly but I think you will LOVE it down there...


Clintmax also lives in Florida and you know he is good people


PM me if you want and I will introduce you to some nice folks

[peekaloo]

30. A great community radio station WMNF 88.5!

Skipper's Smokehouse is a great little dive for drinks and good music.

[Patiod]

31. If you like kayaking, there's some sweet little rivers

right outside in Hillsborough area -- saw some amazing birds, plus gators sunning themselves.

[flvegan]

32. Last year we saw a momma and baby manatee while

kayaking on, appropriately enough, the Little Manatee River, here. And yes, BIG gators, too.

[Patiod]

33. WOW! That sounds really exciting - Manatees

Seeing the gators in the wild, you realize how prehistoric they are - what survivors.

I once saw a Bald Eagle, up close, while kayaking through the Pine Barrens of southern NJ. BIG ASS BIRD!!1