Channelside discovery is a chore

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By SANDRA THOMPSON

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 17, 2001

Last weekend we went to Channelside for dinner at G. Elliotts, the new restaurant that's part of Pop City, and to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. We'd been there a couple of times before, so when we spotted valet parking -- something we usually avoid with a passion -- on the west side of the complex, near the entrance, we went for it. There were no crowds, to say the least. Four valets were standing around; nevertheless one of them motioned to us to pull our car up about six feet, presumably so he wouldn't have to walk those six feet. Then he asked for five bucks.

Five bucks? There isn't even anything open there yet, just a swim shop, Pop City and the movies.

The first time we went to Channelside a few weeks after the movie theaters opened, we had no idea where to park. I'd passed the brown-and-turquoise garage a hundred times, but it didn't seem a logical place to park for Channelside. It's on the far side of downtown, way past the still-in-the-works movie/restaurant/shops complex. It's not color-coordinated to suggest a relationship, and, worse, the garage entrance is on the side farthest from Channelside. It is, however, the only place to park.

We then looked for an exit closer to Channelside. We ended up walking down the car ramp and out the car exit, potentially treacherous but, lucky us, it was a very slow night.

Outside we surveyed the situation. No visible entrance to Channelside, no crosswalk, so we walked over Channelside Drive (lucky again, no traffic) and climbed over a median that for some reason is not flat but tilted.

"They're really making it hard for us," a woman in front of us commented.

Then she asked us, "Where are the movies?"

We spotted a few people walking toward us from the closest-to-downtown end of the complex, so we retraced their route and, voila!, an entrance, but tunnel-like, and still no sign of the movies or, in fact, anything else. When we emerged in the courtyard, there they were -- on the second floor with signage perfectly clear to anyone on a boat.

While Centro Ybor, the up-and-running movie/restaurant/shops complex a few minutes away, announces itself maybe a little too loudly, Channelside seems designed to keep people out. In fact, from the street it's not apparent that Channelside is on the water -- which is clearly its best advantage over Centro Ybor.

On our first trip, however, we couldn't see the water. A cruise ship was pulled up snug alongside. Or maybe the other way around, because the ship is so much taller than Channelside, it makes the buildings look like toy models.

Cruise ship passengers won't have any problem finding Channelside; they're dumped right into it.

Which might bring us to ask, who is Channelside for? Those sunburned, Bermuda shorts and straw hat wearing people who, on a recent weekday morning, were standing around Channelside Drive with giant suitcases on wheels, maybe looking for Tampa's one cab?

Even if the place was designed for them, it's us that Channelside needs. And not just those of us who live on Harbour Island, who can walk there.

So, back to last weekend. No cruise ship docked, at G. Elliotts we had a spectacular view of the port. I'd never really seen it. I love working ports; the view is so much more varied than the static tranquility of the Gulf or the bay. I mean, have you read Shipping News?

It seems odd that this is the way we have to discover Tampa's port, which of course has always been here. It's one of the things -- like the Hillsborough River and Ybor City -- people here didn't think were important enough to draw attention.

Go see it.

Garage parking is cheap -- 50 cents an hour.

And last weekend a movie ticket stub got us our $5 back. The valet told us, when asked, that this is a temporary respite, until the end of January. Since it was already February I'm not sure what that means.

- Sandra Thompson is a writer living in Tampa. She can be reached at tampa@sptimes.com. City Life appears on Saturday.

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