I have lived in Tampa for four years, I am not sure if that makes me a local but I will attempt to impart a bit of the information which echoes some of the above. For clarification Tampa refers to the city of Tampa, Tampa Bay (includes St. Petersburg (Called "The Burg" in the Bay area), Clearwater, Sarasota, etc) refers to the metro area which is huge. All of the below is just my opinion:
1) A lot of the recommendations above say to stay in St. Pete. That area tends to have more/nicer hotels. The beach will be cold. Not too cold to go to being from the Midwest but the water will be too cold to go much further than your leg deep. I had some friends from Ohio visit me in January and we went to the beach. Had some issues with Red tide. The view will still be great and you will be able to experience some good beaches/bars within waling distance. Tampa does have a lot of hotels but they tend to be spread out and what area to stay in can vary depending on what you wish to do in town. There are Hotels in Ybor City and near Busch Gardens (the ones nearest to the Park seem a bit more sketchy). Near USF (South Florida) campus there some nicer ones if Busch Gardens is your aim.
1a) Beaches - Tampa Bay has an abundance of beaches (almost all of them are white sand so it will be soft sand that sticks to you). The well known ones are Clearwater, St. Pete and Ft. Desoto. Most of the tourists head to Clearwater since it it the most well known. Locals tend to frequent St. Pete and Ft. Desoto. I also like the Treasure Island area since they do a Sunday night Drum Circle (which is exactly what it sounds like). Cabby's is a Beach front bar/restaurant which is in the Treasure Island area and has Cabanas to rent. It is in a smaller area but I always like the vibe.
2) Food - Tampa does have a good assortment of food options. Ybor City used to have an extremely high Cuban population so there are many arguments as to the best Cuban Sandwich in town (my vote is La Caridad Bakery) . As the above people have mentioned Taco Bus (the original location on Hillsborough and Nebraska), Columbia Restaurant (located in Ybor City) and Leroy Selmon's are all well known. My personal favorite is a Cajun restaurant in the St. Pete area. Cajun Cafe on the Bayou is amazing Cajun food. If you attended the game in New Orleans last year you can compare the two but I think it holds up well against New Orleans Cajun. They also have a great Craft Brew Section.
3) New Years Eve - As many have mentioned the Channelside area is in a decline with many of the well known places leaving. There is an Aquarium in the area which will be hosting a new years but that will be $90 a ticket. Ybor City will have many Bars and Clubs for people to be in through the night (hotels near by if you want to avoid expensive cab rides). The Hyde Park and South Howard (SoHo) area would be my recommendation. Many places to go within walking distance and places like MacDinton's are well known.
4) Transportation - There is no public transportation system in Tampa except cities buses and their routes/times are not desirable. Plan to stay near where you are celebrating New Years or plan on taking a cab ride. Cost of cabs is not too bad but since Tampa Bay is large celebrating in one location and then having to cab it to your hotel would be very expensive.
5) Tailgating/Parking - Like many have mentioned there is a grass lot to the north of the Stadium where most people tailgate. You can pay to park and then just walk into the stadium. Parking will most likely be $15-$20 on the day of the game. Most of the residential streets near the stadium will have people selling pakring in their yard for cheaper. This, like most things, will become what do you want to pay/how far do you want to walk.
6) Final Thoughts - Tampa Bay is a large area and offers a lot of things to do. The area is thought of as "sleepy" since it is so spread out and it can take a while to find areas you enjoy or your niche. There are many "Boroughs" that make it so that you have to find downtowns in each of them to find things to do. The Strip Clubs can be nice but are often smaller than the ones you find in the mid-west. My favorite is 2001, but most people recommend Mons Venus.
Hotel - $89 per night for three nights (staying in the Market Center per a tip on a previous topic).
Rental Car - $111
That is $728 for two without the flight costs which I would expect to be $250 a piece. Right now I am planning on getting into Dallas on Thursday and staying until Sunday but depending on flights that could easily become Friday-Sunday.
Love Field is cheaper to fly into/rent cars from than DFW.....
They said that he was great with his left hand. They asked how it got good with the left and he said hours of practice, that he thought it was a weakness so he improved. They asked about how he switched it up and didn't use the pick and roll and he said they had talked about it in the huddle, he had become predictable so he faked it and was surprised how open he was.
He talked about the senior leadership of zack and stu. They kept the team up in the huddle. And he said he was tired. He gave a great interview.
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I have lived in Tampa for four years, I am not sure if that makes me a local but I will attempt to impart a bit of the information which echoes some of the above. For clarification Tampa refers to the city of Tampa, Tampa Bay (includes St. Petersburg (Called "The Burg" in the Bay area), Clearwater, Sarasota, etc) refers to the metro area which is huge. All of the below is just my opinion:
1) A lot of the recommendations above say to stay in St. Pete. That area tends to have more/nicer hotels. The beach will be cold. Not too cold to go to being from the Midwest but the water will be too cold to go much further than your leg deep. I had some friends from Ohio visit me in January and we went to the beach. Had some issues with Red tide. The view will still be great and you will be able to experience some good beaches/bars within waling distance. Tampa does have a lot of hotels but they tend to be spread out and what area to stay in can vary depending on what you wish to do in town. There are Hotels in Ybor City and near Busch Gardens (the ones nearest to the Park seem a bit more sketchy). Near USF (South Florida) campus there some nicer ones if Busch Gardens is your aim.
1a) Beaches - Tampa Bay has an abundance of beaches (almost all of them are white sand so it will be soft sand that sticks to you). The well known ones are Clearwater, St. Pete and Ft. Desoto. Most of the tourists head to Clearwater since it it the most well known. Locals tend to frequent St. Pete and Ft. Desoto. I also like the Treasure Island area since they do a Sunday night Drum Circle (which is exactly what it sounds like). Cabby's is a Beach front bar/restaurant which is in the Treasure Island area and has Cabanas to rent. It is in a smaller area but I always like the vibe.
2) Food - Tampa does have a good assortment of food options. Ybor City used to have an extremely high Cuban population so there are many arguments as to the best Cuban Sandwich in town (my vote is La Caridad Bakery) . As the above people have mentioned Taco Bus (the original location on Hillsborough and Nebraska), Columbia Restaurant (located in Ybor City) and Leroy Selmon's are all well known. My personal favorite is a Cajun restaurant in the St. Pete area. Cajun Cafe on the Bayou is amazing Cajun food. If you attended the game in New Orleans last year you can compare the two but I think it holds up well against New Orleans Cajun. They also have a great Craft Brew Section.
3) New Years Eve - As many have mentioned the Channelside area is in a decline with many of the well known places leaving. There is an Aquarium in the area which will be hosting a new years but that will be $90 a ticket. Ybor City will have many Bars and Clubs for people to be in through the night (hotels near by if you want to avoid expensive cab rides). The Hyde Park and South Howard (SoHo) area would be my recommendation. Many places to go within walking distance and places like MacDinton's are well known.
4) Transportation - There is no public transportation system in Tampa except cities buses and their routes/times are not desirable. Plan to stay near where you are celebrating New Years or plan on taking a cab ride. Cost of cabs is not too bad but since Tampa Bay is large celebrating in one location and then having to cab it to your hotel would be very expensive.
5) Tailgating/Parking - Like many have mentioned there is a grass lot to the north of the Stadium where most people tailgate. You can pay to park and then just walk into the stadium. Parking will most likely be $15-$20 on the day of the game. Most of the residential streets near the stadium will have people selling pakring in their yard for cheaper. This, like most things, will become what do you want to pay/how far do you want to walk.
6) Final Thoughts - Tampa Bay is a large area and offers a lot of things to do. The area is thought of as "sleepy" since it is so spread out and it can take a while to find areas you enjoy or your niche. There are many "Boroughs" that make it so that you have to find downtowns in each of them to find things to do. The Strip Clubs can be nice but are often smaller than the ones you find in the mid-west. My favorite is 2001, but most people recommend Mons Venus.
Enjoy Tampa and Go Blue!
Stone Mountain Park's Lasershow in "Mountainvision"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmJtLuWSbS4
Evidently, this was recorded in 2011. There appears to be a part referencing those "fine southern gentlemen" at 2 minutes /s
The end at 4 minutes and 50 seconds does show all of American and an American flag...
Added it to the alumni facebook page, we will see how long it lasts on there or if people start to contribute.
I pledged for the $12 level. I am thinking I will do more. I wish there were tshirts for the Michigan rising one and not just hoodies.
Have not booked my flight yet. But...
Tickets - 2x $175
Hotel - $89 per night for three nights (staying in the Market Center per a tip on a previous topic).
Rental Car - $111
That is $728 for two without the flight costs which I would expect to be $250 a piece. Right now I am planning on getting into Dallas on Thursday and staying until Sunday but depending on flights that could easily become Friday-Sunday.
Love Field is cheaper to fly into/rent cars from than DFW.....
It is supposed to be streaming through the NCAA March madness site http://www.ncaa.com/march-madness
They said that he was great with his left hand. They asked how it got good with the left and he said hours of practice, that he thought it was a weakness so he improved. They asked about how he switched it up and didn't use the pick and roll and he said they had talked about it in the huddle, he had become predictable so he faked it and was surprised how open he was.
He talked about the senior leadership of zack and stu. They kept the team up in the huddle. And he said he was tired. He gave a great interview.
I thought he did a faily good job. I assumed the Michigan and Illinois announcers were meant to provide different points of view. My favorite quote:
Jalen did make a good statement about Beilein. said something in the way of "he makes good leaders, good men, good fathers and great ball players"
Abita's Jockamo. It is my go to IPA
Anyone have the video of the Denard postgame interview with Fowler?
anyone have a link to the video of Denard's postgame interview from sportscenter? would love to be able to see it