Installed in 2022, this 21-foot flamingo stands in the center of the main terminal at Tampa…read moreInternational Airport. The sculpture is made of resin and fiberglass and is by artist Matthew Mazzotta. It was commissioned for $520,000 and is a welcome first impression of the Tampa Bay area. Complete with metal panels on the ceiling to look like water surface and dappled lighting on the floor, it looks like the bird is dipping its head below water to grab a fish. You'll be lucky to get a selfie with Home because it's quite popular! Definitely check it out as you pass through TPA. [Review 18968 overall - 1580 in Florida - 2492 of 2022.]

We were in tampa exploring the parks and public art and came across this mural. I am a big fan of…read morepublic art and landmarks so I had to add it to Yelp for others to see. When I got back home I looked up what the story was about this mural. According to the tampa website for public art. In their initial concept, artists Edgar Sanchez Cumbas and Guillermo Portieles wanted to represent the hard working individuals in West Tampa "who embraced a thriving a social and cultural community through its broad mix of nationalities and religions." From this concept and through much input from community leaders and historians, the mural "Kaleidoscope: a Heritage of Color" was created. " Cool piece of public art to check out

I appreciate free access to art. It is a hidden attraction and I hope more people take advantage of…read moreit. I had been to HCC plenty of times before and did not know this existed until learning about the special exhibit for the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. Covid 19 procedures - Access is free, but you have to make an appointment online as they are taking care to limit capacity. The appointment system is easy to navigate. I even cancelled and rescheduled my original appointment due to a conflict and the process was easy. You have to wear a mask and others on campus are wearing masks. They have signs navigating you where to find the gallery on campus but thankfully a friendly campus officer asked if I needed help. He directed me exactly where to go and saved me the trouble of getting lost on my own. My appointment was on a Thursday evening as this is the day with the latest hours. My appointment started on time. The employee helping me was friendly and gave me space as I looked around. I was the only one there so it felt like having my own private showing which was cool. It is a very small gallery inside the school's library. It has a space for special exhibits on one floor and then a main gallery on the floor up. I definitely look forward to going back for other special exhibits.

Galleries can be fun to visit when viewed as a sort of mini-museums where works by favorite artists…read moreor fun themes attract art admirers. In addition to featuring hard-to-find art, Gallery 221 located at the Hillsborough County Community College Dale Mabry Highway campus is quite simply a bit hard to find. But those willing to make the effort will be well rewarded for finally finding a parking spot, figuring out which cluster of buildings it's housed in and making the trek through the campus to the second floor location. There is also a satellite exhibition area of sorts one floor above the gallery that showcases works be different artists that those highlighted in the main exhibition space. Space may be minimal but curators manage to make the most of the display area by featuring really interesting works of art and installing it in creative ways. Based on the grounds of the bustling Hillsborough Community College Campus there is always activity that balances well with the creative energy exhibited here. The only drawback to the campus connection is that fact that the gallery remains dark during extended holiday breaks when classes are suspended. The current exhibit "Sacred Folk" features wonderful, whimsical selections of folk art through June 21 but watch out for summer hours when the gallery is closed on Fridays.

Birch Lane is one of those brands that absolutely nails the online illusion. The website is…read morepolished, the marketing is strong, and it really does make you think you are about to walk into something a step above the usual furniture stores. I went in expecting something a little more elevated, maybe even a little more unique, something that justified all that visual hype. Instead, the second I walked in, I had instant déjà vu. It felt like I had just walked into Pottery Barn and West Elm at the same time. Same look, same layout, same safe choices. You could swap the store signs and I genuinely don't think anyone would notice. After a few minutes, it stops feeling like browsing and starts feeling like you're looping the same store over and over again. It is still nice to walk through, I will give it that, but this is your reminder not to believe everything you see online. A lot of this feels like basic furniture dressed up to look amazing, different, and higher end when it really is not. And since this mall operates like a full price only environment, expect to pay two or three times what any of this should realistically cost. Enjoy the showroom, just don't get hypnotized by the hype

This is a division of Wayfair. The advantage of that is that they will ship anywhere in the United…read moreStates. It also makes me think that you can't be fined everything in here online as well. The staff that was very pleasant and if you need design help, they're willing to assist and guide you in different design options and patterns that you may wish to purchase. On the downside, though it is very pricey.

Restoration Hardware (RH) - An Overpriced Nightmare with Zero Accountability…read more Let me start by saying this: RH is not a luxury brand. It's just expensive furniture wrapped in awful customer service and poor execution. My experience was beyond frustrating, and I wouldn't recommend this store to anyone -- not even my worst enemy. I purchased a bed from RH in January 2025. The delivery was made in February, and of course, the delivery team damaged the center support rail -- the main structural beam that runs from the headboard to the footboard and supports the mattress. And yes, RH's own team acknowledged they broke it during installation. They even called customer service while still at my home. Later, I received a call from RH offering two absurd options: (1) wait two months for a replacement rail, or (2) wait until July for a full bed replacement. So let me get this straight -- I pay for a luxury bed, your team breaks it, and now I have to wait months to get what I already paid for? I chose the rail, just trying to be reasonable. Big mistake. In March, they showed up -- with the wrong part. I was furious. I told them I no longer wanted the rail -- I wanted a new bed, period. RH then told me it could be delivered by June. That's right -- June. So I'm expected to sleep on a broken bed for four months because they messed up? Out of pure desperation, I drove to the Tampa showroom hoping someone with authority could resolve this. I got the same robotic answer: "It's coming from overseas." You know what? I don't care. That's not my problem. You broke it. You fix it. Don't sell international goods if you can't back them up with real service. Finally, in early April, the replacement bed was delivered -- yes, earlier than expected. And honestly, the delivery team that day was great. They were professional, explained how the mattress support could be adjusted for height -- something I wasn't told originally. But let's be clear: one decent interaction does not make up for two months of delays, excuses, and total lack of accountability. Now, here's where it gets even more ridiculous. I also bought around 40 cabinet knobs from RH. According to the product description and assembly instructions, each knob should come with two screws of different sizes -- which is crucial because I had already measured and knew which size I needed for my kitchen cabinets. When the knobs arrived in February, they all came with just one small screw -- not both sizes as advertised. Again, I reached out to RH. And what did customer service say? "The product only comes with one screw." Excuse me? The manual on your own website says otherwise. I even sent screenshots. Their response? More email ping-pong and "we'll escalate it." I visited the Tampa store again, and while the staff were friendly, they were just as helpless -- they repeated the same useless line: "We're looking into it." I even gave them an easy out: Buy the correct screws locally at Home Depot or Lowe's and ship them to me. It would've cost them what -- $10? Problem solved in a day. But no, they made me wait over a month, as if they were sourcing the screws directly from a mountain village in China via camel. All that for screws. I couldn't believe it. What kind of "luxury brand" can't be bothered to fix a basic error or invest $15 to keep a customer satisfied? This is not luxury service -- this is amateur hour. The truth is RH is all about appearance -- overpriced products, big showrooms, and zero follow-through. There's no customer focus, no urgency, no accountability. And once they've made the sale? You're on your own. I will never buy from RH again. If you value your time, your money, and your sanity, go to literally any other furniture store: Rooms To Go, City Furniture, El Dorado, West Elm, Crate & Barrel -- hell, even IKEA does a better job standing behind their products. RH is not worth the price, the stress, or the wait. Avoid this place.

5/3/24 - Fulfilling our daughter's wish for a birthday lunch there was a memorable experience. We…read morehave a large RH in Tampa, FL but while it provides a great view of the airport plane arrivals and departures, there is no restaurant. It was hard to imagine that this would be worthy of her bucket list. Walking off the elevator we were awed by the gorgeous botanical garden (green house) atmosphere that we stood in. It was all the more beautiful on a cool but sunny day and brilliant blue sky we saw through the glass paneled roof. We had a reservation and were quickly taken to a corner table with views of the lovely terrace, lovely chandelier and beautiful room in which we sat. Our server, Leasha, quickly greeted us, then gave us a few minutes to look over the menu. It's not enormous but had plenty of enticing dishes. We had several questions for Leasha when she returned. She identified customer favorites and a great wine to accompany various items. Her suggestion of the Gruner Schloss was terrific with our entrees and sides. We ordered the Wild Mushrooms, Truffle fries, a Truffled Grilled Cheese, a Lobster roll, and an Avocado Toast. Every item was delicious to the last bite and last drop. Leasha then surprised us in bringing a Dessert Birthday Cookie that the 3 of us shared. Great service. Great food. Beautiful surroundings. While not an inexpensive meal, it was a great value for this special occasion.

While we were in Tampa we saw many cool public art/ landmarks. We drove by the Water Tower of West…read moreTampa and I thought it was colorful and neat. I added some pics and wanted to add it for others to see. I got on their website to read more about it. Here is some information from the website. The West Tampa water tank was built in 1954 and renovated by the City of Tampa in 2014. The City of Tampa Water Department decided to fund the repainting and repairs of the 126-foot tall water tower. They commissioned the Artistbrothers to paint the mural, which is a welcome sign into the West Tampa area. The mural resembles an oversized cigar wrapper, a way to give recognition to the area's cigar making history. In the center the words "Welcome to West Tampa" are displayed on one side and "Bienvenidos West Tampa" on the other. This project was put into effect to welcome residents and honor the history and culture of the West Tampa Community. The water tower is visible from I-275, downtown, and other areas west of the Hillsborough River." Cool place to check out

Florida is beautiful, even on a rainy day. There are over 900 historic buildings. It helps to…read moreresearch websites to make a travel plan.

West Tampa is a vibrant and historic area of Tampa that is a bit economically downtrodden but full…read moreof spirit. * The West Tampa Library is a beautiful historic building. It's actually in the site of a former tobacco factory (Tampa's first!!!) The Free Library was funded by a Carnegie endowment and is one of several Carnegie librsries in Tampa. * Centro Español is a beautiful historic cultural center on Howard. * Samuel L. Davis Cigar Factory * Morgan Cigar Co. Factory * Cacciatore & Sons There are also some cool buildings around West Main and lots of unique independent food venues including Bar-B-Que King for ribs (real wood smoked!!!), Fortune Street Fish Market for live blue crabs or prepared garlic crabs, gumbo and other delicacies, Lanna's Latin food, 813 Salads and Seafood for waffles and fried chicken.. And more.. If you haven't hit Armenia Ave. for Colombian food you are missing out! La Montana bakery for guava and cheese pastries, pan de bono, and fruit with condesned milk. Tico Market is next door. Grab some arepas and queso (cheese) for home cooking. Alessa Bakery on Cypress is also in the area and a true Tampa landmark bakery and lunch spot with big time sandwiches and devil crab. West Tampa Sandwich Shop. And Pupuseria Centroamericana. And don't forget enjoy Cuban Coffee at Arco-Iris!!!!!!! It's impossible not get a feel for Tampa's history and culture here. Everyone was friendly in the area especially the guy in the park talking to himself..

It was a quick & efficient process. We pre-enrolled online, picked an enrollment center, and…read moreselected a date & time. This location is at TPA in the Red Baggage Claim area near carousel 13. We parked in the short term parking garage since the first 60 minutes is free. The elevator on the red side of the parking garage takes you straight down to baggage claim. It was a short walk after exiting the elevator. It was very convenient. It was great because they called us in right away even though we were super early for the appointment. The two ladies fingerprinted and registered us at the same time. I think it only took about 10 minutes. Such great service! I recommend this location to anyone who needs to enroll for TSA Precheck.

Made a few mistakes and led me to have a medical emergency. I would recommend walking to Tampa and…read morewalking throughout the whole place if even wanting to go.