Can you walk to Starbucks and be greeted by Derek Jeter? Can you run the track or Bayshore and get a "hello" from Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriquez? Can you walk through the park and have Channing Tatum filming a movie? Can you drink on the streets dressed as a pirate for an entire day? Can you go out to the bars and hang out with Matt Moore, Matt Joyce, Michael Jordan, Josh Hamilton and other major athletes?
Originally from New York you would think I have seen my fair share of celebrities and you're correct I have but seeing them from a distance is a lot different then sitting down and actually being able to talk to them. Tampa is an amazing market for sports teams. They have state of the art arenas such as the newly renovated Tampa Bay Times Forum which is home to the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL team (I have seen their MVP Steve Stamkos at Yogurtology, the best frozen yogurt place you'll ever go to). Tampa also has the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Rowdies Professional Soccer Team, and is home for New York Yankees Spring Training. Being a Sport Management major at the University of Tampa, you can imagine I have taken advantage of every opportunity the Tampa sports market has to offer, and meeting all the celebrity athletes is a major bonus.
Another major plus to being a college kid in Tampa, is being located right in downtown. SoHo (South Howard) is a strip of bars with great deals. You can believe every Thursday night people make it out to Macdintons for dollar beer night. They also head out to Macdintons on Fridays for $10 all you can drink happy hour from 6-8.
Just a ways down from the bars you will find Bayshore Boulevard, where the famous Gasparilla is held every year. This is the day where everyone wakes up at 6am, starts drinking, and doesn't stop until they pass out! The whole theme revolves around the idea of pirates and the buried treasure that is located somewhere in Tampa Bay. The city puts on a parade where sports teams and other organizations from the area throw out beads to those surrounding the strip of water. Gasparilla is Tampa's mini version of Mardi Gras. It is an event that needs to be experienced in ones lifetime.
There is nothing bad to say about Tampa Bay. It is a small, clean and beautiful city surrounded by water. Nothing can compete with the palm trees.
So whether your from New York, Massachusetts or right at home here in Florida, you will somehow find your way here to the small city of Tampa.