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I am once again thinking of spending 2 days after family business in Florida doing something else . . . I seem to recall some folks here recommending Tampa as a place to spend a couple of days, and it's certainly easier to get to without a car than many other places. Is crime a problem in the tourist areas? Will I feel comfortable staying in one of the Ybor City properties like the Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton Inn? Thanks!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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I can only speak from other people's accounts but I understand you WILL need to use cabs for many things around there. I know there is public transport, to a degree, but... We saw nice areas and rough areas; the former probably due to our navigational skills in the hire car.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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I am thinking of spending just 1 night and day in Tampa (arriving and leaving next day 5PM) and 1 day in Lakeland, which someone else here once recommended to me and looks appealing from the train when I've passed. It seems like an easy thing to do taking the Silver Star thrice, though it does mean shalepping luggage twice extra. The hotels in Lakeland are close to the train though and seem nice enough and less expensive than anything as nice in Tampa. Do you think that will be enough time for me to see enough of Tampa &(Ybor district, mainly; maybe harbor) without a car?
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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I can only add that our stay at the Terrace Hotel in Lakeland was excellent. Ask for a room with a lake view - you'll also get CSX and Amtrak. Downtown is quiet at night but felt safe. Couple very good restaurants and nice city parks.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Within a block of the hotel was Harry's Seafood. Good shrimp and grits and moderately priced. Looking at photos, the tracks are on the front (north) side of the hotel, several blocks away. The lake is to the right (east). Amtrak station is then northeast, about a 5 min walk around the edge of Mirror lake.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I suspect this is another branch of the same Harry's Seafood that there is in St Augustine, which I liked. Thanks! Did you visit the college while there? I believe it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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