Hey everyone! I hope y’all had a great week. I wrote it in last week’s blog, but I finally started my position at the NEAR Foundation, and I have never used Slack or accepted as many Google calendar invitations more than I currently do. I guess this is what the “real world” is like (don’t get me wrong, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it).
Last week, I concluded my stay in Florida, and am now in Charleston, South Carolina, and looking forward to exploring what the city has to offer. However, before I completely shift my focus to the new spot, I wanted to reflect on my time in Tampa (and partly Melbourne) and write a quick city review based on a few metrics I came up with. I hope you can learn a little something about Tampa from this blog, and if you are a local yourself (there’s only one person who I can think of from there who may read this), please let me know if I’m hitting the nail on the head with this analysis. Let’s get to it!
Overview
Before jumping into all the main categories, here’s a quick summary provided by ChatGPT if you’re unfamiliar:
“Tampa Bay is a vibrant and growing city located on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, USA. It is a hub of cultural diversity, featuring a rich Latin American influence, a thriving African American community, and a strong Cuban heritage. With warm weather and beautiful beaches, it’s a popular destination for those seeking sun and sand. The city also boasts exciting attractions, including theme parks, aquariums, and historic neighborhoods, and has a thriving nightlife scene with bars, clubs, and restaurants to suit all tastes. Overall, Tampa Bay is a diverse and lively city with plenty to offer visitors and residents alike.”
Activities: 7.5/10
Favorite Activity: Tampa Bay Lightning Game
First up, we have activities that Tampa has to offer. By far and away my favorite thing was the Tampa Bay Lightning game. I’m a big sports fan, but growing up in New Orleans, hockey was never something anyone around town cared about. However, for a regular season game on a Thursday, the atmosphere in Amelie Arena was quite literally electric (pun intended). For a regular season game, it was one of my favorite in-person sports outings I’ve ever had.
Other great activities included stuff native to Tampa, such as the Dalí Museum (an Art Museum with tons of pieces by Salvador Dalí: also had a very cool section that utilized AI art), as well as activities typically found in major cities, such as an escape room. In Melbourne, I was fortunate to go flying with my good friend George and visited the Kennedy Space Center (more expensive than anticipated though). Lastly, as with almost any area of Florida, being able to go to a beautiful beach (in January as well) within an hour of where you are is a huge plus.
I was never too hard-pressed to find something to do while in Tampa, and given that I hadn’t started my job at that point, it was very appreciated.
Landmarks/Neighborhoods/Areas: 5/10
When someone brings up Paris, you immediately think of the Eiffel Tower. London? Big Ben. New Orleans? French Quarter. You get the point.
One thing that I was somewhat disappointed about in Tampa was the lack of that one headline landmark that people flock to. If you look up Tampa on Google, for instance, all you get are pictures of the downtown skyline.
However, where Tampa’s redeeming quality in this category is all the cool and unique areas & neighborhoods spread out across the town. Areas such as Sparkman Wharf, Hyde Park Village, Ybor City, and more that I had a great time exploring while working in multiple cafes. These areas were buzzing with activity, had plentiful food and shopping options, and more.
Food: 6.5/10
Favorite Restaurant: The Columbia
Local Delicacies: The Publix Tendies Sub & Cuban sandwich
Quick disclaimer: I will be most harsh on this section of each city review blog since I am from New Orleans, which is an easy 10/10 for food.
One of the best restaurant experiences I’ve had in a while happened in Tampa Bay at the Columbia: an old, historic restaurant in the Ybor City area. With tiled floors imported from Cuba in the 50s, quality food including a bread pudding to die for, and flamenco dancing for the evening’s entertainment, it was my favorite food experience in the city by a mile (thank you again Mr. and Mrs. Saigol).
Given its location on the water, Tampa has some great seafood places, such as Salt Shack. Tampa also has some great Latino restaurants, particularly in the Ybor city area, which is in line with its Cuban heritage.
However, one issue I had with Tampa was they didn’t have that single food item that people told you was a MUST try. The only one people seemed enthusiastic about was the Publix chicken tender sub since it was, “the most Flordia food you can have.” Furthermore, my Air BnB host noted how she frequently cooked because she didn’t love many of the restaurants and food options in Tampa. Given that she’d lived there for four years and I only lived there for two weeks, I trusted her opinion. To conclude on this point, the food was solid, but nothing special
Nightlife/Social Scene: 8/10
The quick context for those who don’t know me super well regarding this point: even though I grew up in New Orleans (the party capital of the US) my whole life, was a member of a fraternity all four years in college, and am generally a pretty social person, I don’t drink (lame, I know). Although I still enjoy going out, I may have a slightly different definition of fun compared to some others (TLDR: if your sole purpose of going out is to black out: 1. respect; 2. our ratings may be slightly different).
The social and nightlife scene in Tampa is extremely fun IMO. Although I posted a social clip about how I was confused about it, one of the most fun outings was at a Buffalo Bills bar called The Patio for their game against the Miami Dolphins where everyone sang a Bills version of the song ‘Shout!’ every time they scored (as a football fan, this placed ruled). The most popular destination for any partygoers is typically Ybor City’s 7th Avenue (basically Tampa’s version of Bourbon St.) filled with tons of fun bars, restaurants, and more.
If you ever need a quick changeup from the Tampa nightlife, it is very easy to go across the bay into St. Pete, where Central Avenue fits an Irish pub (with half the people there actually being Irish), a place with live music (a personal favorite), a night club, and more all on one block (talk about variety). St. Pete is also typically where you’ll find younger crowds, so if you’re in your 20s, it's definitely an area to check out.
History & Culture: 9/10
For being considered a new and growing city, I thought Tampa had a rich and interesting history backing it up. The Tampa Bay History Center provided an incredible look into all parts of its past, including Seminole Indians, pirates, Cuban cigar production, and more.
Not only was the history itself interesting, but it was great to see how much the citizens of Tampa embraced this history still today. I noted it in a podcast with my friend Sawyer Roussel that the whole city is pirate themed. Wherever you go, you continually see pirate flags outside doors, restaurants with skull and cross bones decorations, etc. I, unfortunately, missed the granddaddy of them all, Gasparilla, which is a pirate-themed parade. Overall, I have never seen a city embrace such a niche part of its history as much as Tampa, which I thought was incredibly unique.
Natural Beauty/Outdoor Spaces: 8/10
This may be biased due to the time of year I was there, but the weather in Tampa/Melbourne is incredible. It never was hotter than 78 degrees, and I only had to wear a jacket two times over three weeks in the middle of January!
In terms of the outdoor spaces, Tampa has lots to offer as well, including fun public outdoor spaces to grab a bite such as Armature Works and Sparkman Wharf, or great running spots on the river walk or Bayshore Boulevard. Even in the downtown area, there we
Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that you are within 30–45 minutes of a beautiful beach where you can enjoy the white sands, water activities (paddle boarding, kayaking, etc.), and more is incredible.
Transportation 8/10
Unlike other cities, such as LA or NYC, it is incredibly easy to get around town in Tampa Bay. As long as you have a car, you can drive across the water to St. Pete, head on over to Davis Island, or go explore Ybor city all within a reasonable amount of time. As an example, the place I stayed in Tampa was on a one-way, three-lane street that could get you across town in less than 15–20 minutes. A few locals who I’ve met said traffic has gotten a lot worse as the city has grown (go figure), especially during rush hour (which I expected anyway).
Tampa doesn’t have the most advanced public transportation out there, but they do have street cars, which was a nice reminder of home for me personally.
People 6/10
Now, I thought about leaving this category out because with only being there for a few weeks, it is extremely possible that I simply interacted with the worst or best individuals in a city coincidentally (also because I may offend some people). However, I think it’s still an important thing to think about, especially if someone is moving to the city permanently.
The first thing I noticed is that there were lots of northern transplants in Tampa (not saying this is a bad thing to any readers that fit the description, just an observation). This is most likely due to the mass influx of people that moved south permanently during the pandemic or move seasonally as snowbirds.
Although Tampa is technically in the “South”, I never really felt a Southern hospitality vibe about the area. Everyone seemed “standoffish” (not mean, but not nice; just stuck to themselves) which is something I am generally not used to being from New Orleans. As an example, any time someone sneezed in a coffee shop I was working in, people tended not to say “bless you” and I never received any “How’s it going?” or similar remarks from those I’d walk past on the street. If you don’t believe me on this, you can ask my Air BnB host (who was extremely nice) who said when she moved four years ago, no one on the block/neighborhood came to introduce themselves (tough crowd).
Overall: 7.25/10
In conclusion, Tampa Bay has a lot to offer, from sports to art and from activities to nightlife. While it may not have a single headline landmark, it has plenty of unique areas and neighborhoods to explore, each with its own personality and charm. Although some parts of Tampa have more to be desired (i.e. food), the commitment and pride that locals had to their city’s history was incredibly unique and was my favorite part of the city. Overall, Tampa Bay is a vibrant city with a lot to offer, and it’s worth a visit!
Thanks for reading! Next week’s blog will be about how anyone can become what I consider a modern “renaissance man” by utilizing the power of AI tools. I’m excited to write this one, so be on the lookout for it!
Here are my links if you feel inclined: