For those who don’t know, I contemplated moving to Tampa for about a year. Originally from South Florida (Palm Beach County) but took a twelve year hiatus in Metro Atlanta. I touched down in Tampa this past Friday.
My initial impressions of the area are positive, not as luxurious as South Florida but still nice. I can’t make too much of a judgment since I have only been in the area for only two days.
Positives thus far:
-The Bay-
Driving down the long bridge that leads from Tampa to St Petersburg/Clearwater was fantastic. The view was gorgeous, comparable to driving to Key West. I arrived at Sunset and really got the feeling that I was stepping into a new life.
-People are friendly-
I said hello to quite a few random people at a St. Petersburg coffee shops and they said hello back. The atmosphere was lively, a lot of people walking their dogs and saying hi, people stopping after a hello and having a conversation. Nice.
That is not the case in South Florida where you say hello and people look at you weird. (The whole New York/New Jersey “Whatta want?” mentality).
-Diversity of the area-
Tampa has a downtown, not nearly as big as Atlanta or Miami but it is there. St Petersburg reminds me a lot of Savannah Ga: The beach town, lots of natural green, diversity of trees (not just Palm Trees), healthy atmosphere. I noticed a lot of health conscious people at an open market I had attended with a friend on Friday, lots of Yogis and opportunities to dip Italian bread in fresh made garlic and oil.
I've met whites, blacks, Asians, Latino/as, people from Italy, Ireland, Britain, Ethiopia.
I am excited in this department.
Clearwater has bad ass beaches. There is 30 miles of coastline in the Tampa Bay area so you get all kinds of beach. Arguably the area’s biggest strength.
Negatives thus far:
-Limited night club options-
I get the feeling that night club options are limited compared to South Florida or Atlanta. My friend took me to SoHo (South Howard) during the day and showed me some areas, mentioned there was a Casino on an Indian Reservation that can get past the “last call” law and people congregate there after a night of drinking. I haven’t gone out yet so I will keep an open mind, but coming from South Florida and Atlanta, Tampa seems much smaller in the night club options department.
I heard Ybor city has mad night clubs and bars. I assume this won't be a negative much longer.
-White Trash, Black Trash, Strung out motha fuckas-
I had a negative experience in St Petersburg, where I checked out a place to rent. Upon arrival, I was approached by a tweaking, tattooed-tanned up man with watery yellow eyes that were shaking, complaining to me how the guy I was going to see (he gave me directions to the place) was a drug addict, wife abuser, and was in a huge amount of debt.
He continued talking and mentioned him and his family were out on the street looking for a place, and he wanted my help and some money to get him on his feet.
The guy whose place I was going to see fills up my voicemail-after I got the hell out of dodge-with his sob story about life, how he drinks six beers a day, how he got out of rehab recently.
What……the……fuck…..
This guy hasn’t even talked to me for more than five minutes and he is telling me his life story. On top of that, he was disabled and had his wife and child recently leave him. He kept calling me begging me to take the place since he felt I had a good head on my shoulders, was professional, and a positive person. *shrugs*
Black people in the area, from what I have seen, are pretty hood. Not that I don’t have love for my hood black people (or hood people in general), nor do I lack experience with ghetto folks (grew up on 38th Street in West Palm Beach, yeah, gunshots and body bags on the regular bitches) but I get the impression I will be having conversations with a lot of Goons (see Plies).
And yeah, a lot of Joe Dirt looking white folks and trailer park tattooed up white girls as well Some of the white trash girls do look attractive though, maybe a growing fetish I have (never banged white trash girl, might be fun).
Oh, and something tells me there is a lot of Ed Hardy, muscle busting, tanned up Jersey shore looking cats as well. Lots of Alpha male other guys?
-The Sun-
Damn, the shit is in my face , ripping my car apart, melting the plastic I left on the dashboard, and beating me down to a T. I think yesterday’s average was 95 and one area of Tampa Bay hit 100. It ain’t even June yet! I walked the street market in St. Petersburg starting at 11:30am. At 12:25 pm I was seriously like fuck it, I want to go home and make love to my A.C.
-Where are the Jewish girls?-
They tend to be my biggest clients.![[Image: sleepy.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/sleepy.gif)
Overall, I am excited to be here.
I need to get a spot by June 1st. After that meth addict scare, I put Craigslist on the shelf and joined Roommates.com for three days. I have been making contacts and have some leads. Ishwri (forum member) has really been helping me out with information about the area and linked me to a room that just opened up at a great rate. I meet with the landlord this coming Tuesday and will have first month’s rent in hand.
From there it is my job search. I do have some anxiety about finding a job, but Ishwri is very confident I will find a job relatively soon, plus I have a good stack of money and lots of family supporting me. I have no reason to fear being destitute in Tampa.
Thanks to everyone who helped me out with the information about Tampa. A special shout out goes out to Ishwri, El Mechanico, and DirkJohanson. You guys have made moving here a lot easier. I will meet up with everyone once I get more time. Things are kinda hectic now with me scrambling, trying to find a place with a good rate and great roommates. My Labor Day plans will take away today and tomorrow but Tuesday, and the days after that, should be good.
Once the dust has settled, we can break bread.
More later…
My initial impressions of the area are positive, not as luxurious as South Florida but still nice. I can’t make too much of a judgment since I have only been in the area for only two days.
Positives thus far:
-The Bay-
Driving down the long bridge that leads from Tampa to St Petersburg/Clearwater was fantastic. The view was gorgeous, comparable to driving to Key West. I arrived at Sunset and really got the feeling that I was stepping into a new life.
-People are friendly-
I said hello to quite a few random people at a St. Petersburg coffee shops and they said hello back. The atmosphere was lively, a lot of people walking their dogs and saying hi, people stopping after a hello and having a conversation. Nice.
That is not the case in South Florida where you say hello and people look at you weird. (The whole New York/New Jersey “Whatta want?” mentality).
-Diversity of the area-
Tampa has a downtown, not nearly as big as Atlanta or Miami but it is there. St Petersburg reminds me a lot of Savannah Ga: The beach town, lots of natural green, diversity of trees (not just Palm Trees), healthy atmosphere. I noticed a lot of health conscious people at an open market I had attended with a friend on Friday, lots of Yogis and opportunities to dip Italian bread in fresh made garlic and oil.
I've met whites, blacks, Asians, Latino/as, people from Italy, Ireland, Britain, Ethiopia.
I am excited in this department.
Clearwater has bad ass beaches. There is 30 miles of coastline in the Tampa Bay area so you get all kinds of beach. Arguably the area’s biggest strength.
Negatives thus far:
-Limited night club options-
I get the feeling that night club options are limited compared to South Florida or Atlanta. My friend took me to SoHo (South Howard) during the day and showed me some areas, mentioned there was a Casino on an Indian Reservation that can get past the “last call” law and people congregate there after a night of drinking. I haven’t gone out yet so I will keep an open mind, but coming from South Florida and Atlanta, Tampa seems much smaller in the night club options department.
I heard Ybor city has mad night clubs and bars. I assume this won't be a negative much longer.
-White Trash, Black Trash, Strung out motha fuckas-
I had a negative experience in St Petersburg, where I checked out a place to rent. Upon arrival, I was approached by a tweaking, tattooed-tanned up man with watery yellow eyes that were shaking, complaining to me how the guy I was going to see (he gave me directions to the place) was a drug addict, wife abuser, and was in a huge amount of debt.
He continued talking and mentioned him and his family were out on the street looking for a place, and he wanted my help and some money to get him on his feet.
The guy whose place I was going to see fills up my voicemail-after I got the hell out of dodge-with his sob story about life, how he drinks six beers a day, how he got out of rehab recently.
What……the……fuck…..
This guy hasn’t even talked to me for more than five minutes and he is telling me his life story. On top of that, he was disabled and had his wife and child recently leave him. He kept calling me begging me to take the place since he felt I had a good head on my shoulders, was professional, and a positive person. *shrugs*
Black people in the area, from what I have seen, are pretty hood. Not that I don’t have love for my hood black people (or hood people in general), nor do I lack experience with ghetto folks (grew up on 38th Street in West Palm Beach, yeah, gunshots and body bags on the regular bitches) but I get the impression I will be having conversations with a lot of Goons (see Plies).
And yeah, a lot of Joe Dirt looking white folks and trailer park tattooed up white girls as well Some of the white trash girls do look attractive though, maybe a growing fetish I have (never banged white trash girl, might be fun).
Oh, and something tells me there is a lot of Ed Hardy, muscle busting, tanned up Jersey shore looking cats as well. Lots of Alpha male other guys?
-The Sun-
Damn, the shit is in my face , ripping my car apart, melting the plastic I left on the dashboard, and beating me down to a T. I think yesterday’s average was 95 and one area of Tampa Bay hit 100. It ain’t even June yet! I walked the street market in St. Petersburg starting at 11:30am. At 12:25 pm I was seriously like fuck it, I want to go home and make love to my A.C.
-Where are the Jewish girls?-
They tend to be my biggest clients.
Overall, I am excited to be here.
I need to get a spot by June 1st. After that meth addict scare, I put Craigslist on the shelf and joined Roommates.com for three days. I have been making contacts and have some leads. Ishwri (forum member) has really been helping me out with information about the area and linked me to a room that just opened up at a great rate. I meet with the landlord this coming Tuesday and will have first month’s rent in hand.
From there it is my job search. I do have some anxiety about finding a job, but Ishwri is very confident I will find a job relatively soon, plus I have a good stack of money and lots of family supporting me. I have no reason to fear being destitute in Tampa.
Thanks to everyone who helped me out with the information about Tampa. A special shout out goes out to Ishwri, El Mechanico, and DirkJohanson. You guys have made moving here a lot easier. I will meet up with everyone once I get more time. Things are kinda hectic now with me scrambling, trying to find a place with a good rate and great roommates. My Labor Day plans will take away today and tomorrow but Tuesday, and the days after that, should be good.
Once the dust has settled, we can break bread.
More later…
![[Image: banana.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/new/banana.gif)
. Not the brightest chicks though. I see my only way in is through comedy and compliments...soon as I hit them with some intellectual stuff I get a look of Keanu Reeves like befuddlement (is what it is). 
