Bradenton, FL insights

[iris lilies]

I am in Bradenton, FL for an educational seminar.

The traffic here is horrific. There are main roads that are crowded at all times of the day. It just seems awful. They dont jave many traffic lights, I guess that is on purpose. .?

anyone here from that area and can confirm or deny my experience?

it was funny, though, that I Could pull up to the museum and park right in front, not many tourists here this time of year.

[flowerseverywhere]

I am in Bradenton, FL for an educational seminar.

The traffic here is horrific. There are main roads that are crowded at all times of the day. It just seems awful. They dont jave many traffic lights, I guess that is on purpose. .?

anyone here from that area and can confirm or deny my experience?

it was funny, though, that I Could pull up to the museum and park right in front, not many tourists here this time of year.
I live in Florida. You are here during low season. You should see it in January, Feb and March. Forget about trying to get a seat in a restaurant. That whole area is known for the traffic. A friend of mine spent a month there last spring and it took her twenty minutes to go a few miles to the grocery store. Then she could not get a parking space.
When we moved to Florida people did not understand why we did not live near the gulf coast. Traffic and horrendous property insurance are but two. I would not even try to go to that area during snowbird season. For fun, check out how much it costs to rent a house for a month in the first three months of the year in most of Florida.

[iris lilies]

Ah, ok! I had vaguely entertained notions of trying Florida during snowbird season. This area is oit, then. I just couldnt stand the traffic, and having to pay a lot for it is not something I'll do.

[lmerullo]

I'm here / there.... Bradenton is home. Well, actually Sarasota.

Traffic is better now than in the early months of the year. Our population growth far exceeds the infrastructure growth. Locals will often use back roads instead of the highways to get around.

Where are you visiting and how long are you going to be here?

[iris lilies]

I am here for a flower show seminar, lesving Friday.

[iris lilies]

I live in Florida. You are here during low season. You should see it in January, Feb and March. Forget about trying to get a seat in a restaurant. That whole area is known for the traffic. A friend of mine spent a month there last spring and it took her twenty minutes to go a few miles to the grocery store. Then she could not get a parking space.
When we moved to Florida people did not understand why we did not live near the gulf coast. Traffic and horrendous property insurance are but two. I would not even try to go to that area during snowbird season. For fun, check out how much it costs to rent a house for a month in the first three months of the year in most of Florida.

So, inland isnt so bad, the traffic I mean? If we go somewhere for the winter, I dont care if it is on the ocean.

I dont like desert so thats why the SE is more attractive.

[KayLR]

I lived in Bradenton for a year from 2005-06; absolutely loved it. The traffic wasn't bad then. Sorry to hear it's so terrible now. But actually, I didn't drive much there, just to work and back--a couple miles-- or to the beach which was about 7 min away.

The restaurants aren't bad to get into once the early bird specials are over :D. But forget about trying to get into one on a Friday night.

When I boarded the plane moving back to the PacNW, I was weeping uncontrollably.

[iris lilies]

I lived in Bradenton for a year from 2005-06; absolutely loved it. The traffic wasn't bad then. Sorry to hear it's so terrible now. But actually, I didn't drive much there, just to work and back--a couple miles-- or to the beach which was about 7 min away.

The restaurants aren't bad to get into once the early bird specials are over :D. But forget about trying to get into one on a Friday night.

When I boarded the plane moving back to the PacNW, I was weeping uncontrollably.

awwww, that s too bad! There are lots of these things i liked about it. the garden club sponsoring this event has a building in the old part of town by the river, in one of the old, nice neighborhoods, but it's not super posh. Acrually there are a lot of run down houses in that area as well as some nice ones. i love the tall old palm trees.

[KayLR]

awwww, that s too bad! There are lots of these things i liked about it. the garden club sponsoring this event has a building in the old part of town by the river, in one of the old, nice neighborhoods, but it's not super posh. Acrually there are a lot of run down houses in that area as well as some nice ones. i love the tall old palm trees.
You must be down in the "artists district?"

[iris lilies]

You must be down in the "artists district?"It is in a residential neighborhood by LewisPark, a tiny city park. Probably probably the Village of the Arts is fairly close. I drge through there but am not sure exactly where it is.

The local Museum was very nice, I spent a few hours there. The oldest living manatee in captivity, Snooty, is 68 years old, and I saw him being fed.

i debated whether I should hit the road and see one big attraction that day, The Ringling Museum in Sarasota, or if I should stick around Bradenton and see about 5 smaller things i wanted to see. The small Bradenton sites won.

[KayLR]

OMG, Snooty is still there??? I was going to mention him, but figured he was long gone. If you can, drive out to the end of Cortez Rd. to Anna Maria Island. My old favorite place. Nice beach.

[iris lilies]

OMG, Snooty is still there??? I was going to mention him, but figured he was long gone. If you can, drive out to the end of Cortez Rd. to Anna Maria Island. My old favorite place. Nice beach.
Yeah, they dont know how long he will live, he IS old.

I stayed on Cortez Rad where the traffic was awful! I think I saw s sign for Anna Maria Island.

Anyway, I am back in Tampa at the airport, flying home soon.

[flowerseverywhere]

So, inland isnt so bad, the traffic I mean? If we go somewhere for the winter, I dont care if it is on the ocean.

I dont like desert so thats why the SE is more attractive.

i
traffic is much more bearable here, but still crowded in the winter. You have seasonal residents, people have company and all the hotels are full. Most people I know have to be very careful or you'll end up with months of company as everyone escapes the cold.
Ringling museum is very nice. I believe that is where the Dali museum is too?

[flowerseverywhere]

You probably saw some houses that are still recovering from the 2008 mortgage crisis. Some areas were very hard hit. Abandoned or neglected houses do poorly here. Things grow about four times as much per year and you will have a bug problem in a non occupied house if not maintained.

The he good news is I still have a garden full of flowers and have had four varieties of butterflies today. Plus all the northern birds have migrated down. I always have something blooming. You need to replace your northern favorites with southern varieties.

[KayLR]

The Dali museum is in St. Petersburg and really worth the trip if you ever visit the area again.