JKTodd

If you are moving to Tampa the Cross Town is a must! Although it is a toll road the fee is not outragous and it is definatly the best maintaned road system in Tampa bay. The Cross Town gets you every where you need to go and with a sunpass paying your tolls is easy with no stopping at the booths. There is of course no street lights on the cross town so it is pretty much smooth and fast most of the time. On a rare occastion you will get a break down or a fender bender but be prepaired to move fast on the road as it is used by locals with a speed problem!

Brandon Blvd is also called Highway 60. It is the main highway in and out of Tampa. Highway 60 was the major highway back before the Interstate system was put in and it is still a major trucking route. The highway is packed most of the day and there is ALWAYS construction on highway 60!! During rush hour be prepaired for at least one accident a day! Try to take side streets around it during rush hour however if there is a problem on the interstate you can take it as an alternative or if you just want to avoid the interstatea all together.

The sky way bridge is a mile high bridge that connects Tampa to St. Pete. On a sunny day I would recommend taking the skyway if you are not afraid of hights! The view of the bay is breath taking! I would not however take the bridge when it is raining! As a matter of fact due to the hight of the bridge if the wind gets to hard they will close it. Be prepaired to get a little bit of shaking due again to the hight but it is well maintanced. Make sure you have good tires and are not going to break down because getting someone to rescue you is very difficult and hazardous.

Fowler Avenue runs right in front of the Univerity of South Florida. It is the main road for traffic to the Univeristy, therefore it is extremely busy at all times of the day, A few years ago Tampa widened the road and the traffic has gotton better but becareful as road work is an almost constant on the road as it is such a draw to the area. There is plenty of supermarkets, cleaning, apartments and such on the road. The area is patroled quite often by the police and you will even see the campus police on the road every once in a while.

Hillsbrough Ave comes off of the major interstate in Tampa I-4 and runs out of the county to Ocala, The first part of the street is a bit run down put as you progress through the county toward Ocala it is rather nice and there is plenty of shopping along the way. It is a major street in the area so there is stop and go traffic and many street lights. The road is maintained pretty well once you get past the first two or three miles of it.

Nebraska is not an area of Tampa that family want to visit. There is a lot of "the oldest profession" going on in the area. It is also very high crime area! The best time to be on Nebraska if you have to is during the day. This is a very run down area of the city. The street is not well maintained and you need to watch out for pot holes.

This road is pretty much dedicated to the parks on it. Busch Garden's Tampa and across the street Adventure Island. There are a lot of hotels on the street and plenty of parking for the parks. There is also a great deal of Fast Food in the area. You have to watch out of all the foot traffic as tourist walk from their hotels to the parks. Most people don't know however that if you travel past the parks a few blocks the road actually turns into a residentual area with some nice houses and quite communities. If you are looking for something to do in Tampa with the family this is definatly the area for you with the parks. MOSI is not off of Busch Blvd either. You can find everything you would need in the area except for night life.

N. Florida is a great area! If you are looking for a younger crowd then you will find it in this area. The street is adjacent to the University of South Florida and there are a lot of local conveniencies around such as supermarkets and fast food resturants. Also the Muesum of Science and Industrary is with in a few miles There are several apartment complexes and condos in the area. Tampa has a great public transportation system and the busing system runs extensively in this area due to the University. It is a a very busy road however so make sure you give yourself extra time in the area. Oh also for some reason my experience has always been if I was looking for something it was always on the other side of the street so I would always have to pull a U Turn so be prepaired for that!

7th St is probably my favorite part of Tampa, It is the heart of Ybor City, which is Tampa's night life area. There is a mix of college kids during the night and weekends and during the day you get couples and older people who are browsing the unique shops and places to eat. Friday and Saturday nights the side streets are closed off to traffic because of all the night clubs but 7th remains open. Please be very careful though as there is a LOT of foot traffic going on at night! Make sure you go visit during the day and eat at one of the cafe's or restaurants so you can get a taste of Tampa.

Dale Mabry is a major Artery through Tampa ending at McDill Air Force Base. During rush hour traffic it is very packed with accidents happening almost on a daily bases. If you need to use it to get to work I would suggest you leave about 30 minutes earlier then you had planned. There are a lot of restaurants along the road. As far as night life is concerned it is mostly of the "live" entertainment variety, so the neigherhood can get a little rough at night.