Is Tampa Pedestrian-Friendly?

With all the people moving from other states to our Sunshine State, specifically Tampa, it begs the question: Is Tampa pedestrian-friendly? Because you have to imagine that some of these relocators are from bigger cities were walking from place to place is quite common.

While we often have amazing weather and fun outdoor venues (i.e. as pictured, the Riverwalk), Tampa isn't a place that favors pedestrians.

Unfortunately, Tampa is NOT a very walkable city. A recent study by Smart Growth America looked at cities across the country to compare how pedestrians might fare in each.

Tampa ranked near bottom of most walkable cities in America.

According to the report, "“Metro Tampa (which includes St. Petersburg) and Orlando, are slowly following similar paths to walkable urbanism. The downtowns of both Orlando and St. Petersburg have been redeveloping, taking advantage of lake frontage and Bay frontage, respectively, particularly for residential and urban entertainment."

The study did give Tampa high marks in "Future Momentum." This must mean we're moving in the right direction.

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The Tampa Edition has been open for months, and until this weekend, I had not yet visited.

I've been to the one in Miami, and it's definitely a hotspot. I heard great things about the Tampa Edition so my expectations were pretty high, but it definitely lived up to the hype.

It's Tampa's first five-star hotel. It's right on Channelside Drive across form Amalie Arena on one side and Water Street restaurants, including Boulon, on the other. Travelers to Tampa will love staying here and experiencing downtown. And even if you live in Tampa Bay, it would make for a nice staycation. This is the fifth of Marriot's EDITION properties. There are 172 rooms. It's a pet-frienly hotel, too.

There are seven restaurants and bars, including a gorgeous rooftop bar. The lobby is stunning. There is so much greenery and elegance everywhere. You'll see the design and be blown aways. It's a collaboration between famed architects from Morris Adjmi and Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates. The stunning interior design was by Roman & Williams.

We were invited to attend a wedding at the hotel, so we decided to book a room and check it all out.

I'd really wanted to dine at one of the restaurants, Lilac, but didn't get a chance. The wedding reception was in the ballroom on the 2nd floor. There was a side balcony near the ballroom that overlooks Amalie Arena. This would be a fun hotel to stay at if you were going to a Lightning game and didn't want to drive home and wanted to make it a weekend, rather than just a night at a hockey game.

I'm a real big fan of their lotions and bath products in the rooms. The suites are elegant with modern vibes. It's really cool that we have the Tampa EDITION now.