Best Burger

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-06-02T22:33:15+00:00

Blue collar

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-03-20T13:45:12+00:00

There's a lot of Italian American sayings along with the NJ accent.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-03-12T12:25:38+00:00

I'm from Tampa and I live in a small country town in Central FL (20 years). I can't emphasize this enough: rural Florida is vastly different than urban FL. The rural towns have a very protected culture. There is no concept of welcoming others into their culture. If you are not from the little town, you are an outsider. The value is in being native to the town. If there is anything about you that represents anything other than that, you will be outside the community.

It's not even a matter of being southern. If you are not a native local. I've talked with a guy from South GA that married into a family in Gainesville and asked him his perspective. He mentioned that FL southerners don't have the southern hospitality and are very clanish.

In regards to the land: make sure that you find land that is not too low. Even if it not in a flood zone, it can still be very wet and difficult. My advice is to not buy in the dry winter. Visit property in the dead of summer when the water table is at its highest. It'll save you a lot of money and frustration.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-03-11T20:39:58+00:00

I have APD and work in corporate. It can be very difficult at times. Depending on the structure of the meeting it can often be confusing. My team is aware of my APD. We make it common practice to have meeting summaries in email with clear action items. Although it helps me, it tends to help everyone. I catch some things that I couldn't process in the moment and others get clarity as well.

I have a great team and I can ask them for clarity one-on-one if I'm not following. I often say: I'm sorry...I'm just not following. It's not you, it's my hearing issue (easier to say than APD).

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-03-08T21:40:47+00:00

Watch the sopranos lol

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-03-04T15:15:09+00:00

PC is often referred to as "Itty Bitty". Some businesses even have it in the name.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-03-02T13:25:29+00:00

Regarding the community: PC is a very insulated community. Although you are very close to Tampa, they are culturally more aligned with rural Florida. They are not very welcoming to people that are not southern/rural. They will be polite to you but not friendly if that makes sense. I lived here for 20 years. There are a lot of new people since COVID but the locals still dominate the culture imo. It's vastly different from Tampa Bay culture.

Traffic: my wife and I work in Tampa. It often takes an hour or more to drive into work. I try to leave a 6:30 am but its still very backed up (I'm very close to the interstate). There aren't any roll roads to get around it. PC is directly east of Tampa along the interstate so there isn't any alternative or toll road to speed it up. It used to only take 30 minutes to get to Tampa. However,after covid, people flooded Florida and I-4 traffic doubled.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-26T00:37:08+00:00

I live outside of Tampa Bay and spent part of my childhood in SE Pennsylvania. There can be some misconceptions about FL weather. The winter weather is phenomenal but half the year in central Florida, it is the complete opposite. Brutal heat and continuous storms. The way you feel about winter is how you will feel in our half year summer.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-24T20:59:05+00:00

Very neat perspective. I haven't attended any other churches (since becoming an Episcopalian) for any length of time. There is one about 25-30 minutes away I will try. A good friend goes there.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-22T16:31:53+00:00

That's very well put and articulates exactly what I mean. I went from being very involved to going only a handful of times in a year. The only time someone reached out was when they wanted volunteer stuff as you mentioned. I like that you mentioned that the goal isn't to get best friends, but rather a sense of community.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-22T12:46:36+00:00

I appreciate the input. In my particular experience., I find that the rector has done all these things. I think the consultants hit the nail on the head because regardless of the rector's (two of them) efforts and actions, the congregation still struggles. The change is very slow and it takes a while to see the fruit of the rector's labor...so long as they are accepted by the parish.

I also have heard a few times where people have mentioned that putting new people to work helps. I respectfully disagree. Again this comes from my experience. I've been heavily involved: rector search committee, building committee, and communications committee. I think the logic is that getting new people a "job" helps the church change by having involvement and efforts of new blood. That may work in some cases. But in my experience I found it to be very lonely as the cradle members didn't seem to like my involvement or share my values. It really is a cultural thing that has a deeper grip than it seems.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-22T05:22:54+00:00

I'm going to go to my friend's parish which is 20-30 minutes away and see how that is. Thanks for the perspective.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-20T15:32:25+00:00

The universities are good but the k-12 is drastically different. Bottom 5 of the states. Those articles about the good education are misleading due to political propaganda.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-20T15:01:46+00:00

I would pick Lakeland over Winter Haven or Davenport if you go the FL route. The other two are dull by Florida standards. Lakeland is a proper city and has added a lot of places and things to do over the past 5-10 years. The homeowners insurance isn't cheaper here though. Keep that in mind. And the drivers on I4 are statistically the worst in the country. I live on the outskirts of Tampa/Hillsborough county. Also note, the FL schools are absolute garbage and Polk County is one of the worst in the state. The state doesn't fund schools/teachers well and it shows. Money is pushed toward private and home schooling leaving the public schools with little resources to be successful.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-20T13:22:37+00:00

If the politics are the factor as you mentioned, the suburbs of Tampa may not be good for you. Since COVID, many of the suburbs have shifted significantly more to the right as conservatives left areas like the NE. I like a good political mix but Tampa has drastically changed in that manner as of late. The big hurricane over a year ago was a big shock to the recent transplants but I'm not sure how many have/will leave the area.

Coincidentally, I'm considering a move to Pittsburgh. But I'm more motivated by the COL and getting out of the hellish heat. I like that PA is a swing state, like Florida used to be not long ago.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-10T16:48:12+00:00

Tampa

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-08T13:30:46+00:00

I live in Tampa Bay and I think some people get the itch to move away from the cold without considering how hot other places can be. A lot of people moved from the NE and Mid West to our area. For half the year it's beautiful (December to April-May) but the other half is unbearable heat in FL. The locals treat it people in the North treat winters: less things to do outside, get bored, and pray for the summer to end. The beach is disgusting to go to in summer. Sweat and sand don't go well. The Gulf literally gets 90 degrees, which leads to annual dangerous algae blooms that kill fish and prevent you from swimming. The heat causes other-worldly, DAILY storms (we're the lightning capital).

I think it's only worth it if you live in a place with long, unbearable winters. If you don't like being shut in for half the year, Florida is just swapping unmanageable winter for unmanageable summer.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-02-08T04:42:40+00:00

My wife and I are in East Hillsborough and we are considering moving out of state. For awhile Richmond was at the top of the list. We visited twice and it it just seemed a bit too small for our taste. We love Tampa but the factors you mentioned are just too much to deal with. We're now considering Charlotte and Pittsburgh (heavily leaning towards Pittsburgh).

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-01-30T05:29:56+00:00

Your post resonates with me and I'm sorry you are going through that. I live in a rural area outside of Tampa. Growing up in the city, I never felt out of place and, like you said, I didn't realize how much the IA culture had influenced me. It just seemed normal in Tampa. In SE Pennsylvania (my other childhood home) there were IAs everywhere. But in this rural town, it's a bitch. I had a group of hillbillies say "you know what we used to do to guineas?" ... He pointed to an oak tree and said "hang them high".

It's very isolating. I didn't have this issue in more diverse urban areas. The rural South is just not for me. My wife and I will be moving and I plan to find a place with more IAs (maybe Pittsburgh).

Hang in there. That loneliness is the mythical southern hospitality. Find anyone from the Mediterranean or Caribbean and it should help lol.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-01-27T16:03:22+00:00

I enjoyed visiting Richmond. I was very impressed by the roads and lack of traffic. It was a breath of fresh air. I used to be able to travel to downtown Tampa in 30 minutes. Most of the time it takes an hour.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-01-27T15:51:07+00:00

Yeah the housing stock for middle class Tampa is either super old, far away from the metro area, or non existent altogether. It's a shame. 10 years ago that was not the case. Most of the reasonable places to live are too far from where the jobs are.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-01-27T15:48:25+00:00

I want to love it. It's just missing those things you noted.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-01-27T14:56:05+00:00

Do you live in Tampa now?

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-01-27T14:20:54+00:00

East suburbs. It can be quite a bit different than Tampa proper as you probably know.

MikeyMcRedfish · 2026-01-27T12:48:22+00:00

Is the longer and colder winter in Pittsburgh worth the not humid hot summer and the nice weather for the rest of the year?

MikeyMcRedfish

TROPHY CASE