You might be an Urban Inca if...

You might be an Urban Inca if...

4. You prefer to live in a historic neighborhood.

So why choose a historic (old) home with drafty windows, tiny closets and no sidewalks?  Character (and characters), trees!, outdoor concerts and Sunday markets.  Seminole Heights has all of these. 

No two houses are alike in historic disricts which makes walks with my neighbor and long-time friend, interesting and different each time.  Ecclectic gardens, art, creative designs, color... it's all here!

Colonial

Reminds me of a Swiss Chalet- wildflowers everywhere!

Classic "shotgun" bungalow

Mediterranean bungalow ala desert (one of my favorites)

I cannot remember what he called it, but WOW!

And the neighbors are so friendly (Tampa is not well-known for friendliness.).  Everyone says hello! 

As a matter of fact, while photographing one of my neighbor's homes (the desert one above) where a beautiful flower grew in his garden, he got out of his car and dug up a root for me on the spot. 

Gosh, I hope it grows!!

Tree canopy-typical street view

And there are trees, so many trees. And where there are trees there are birds and butterflies and flowers. All things that make me smile in my urban existence.

Besides the historic homes, the trees are what draw people here: grand oaks, magnolias, pines. They form beautiful canopies over most streets here, keeping us cool and surrounded by woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals and, yes, squirrels.  So many squirrels... 

Friday Extra outdoor concerts are back in the neighborhood! Neighbors gather. They eat. They dance. They laugh. They listen to local musicians and children play with other children they know from school or who they've just met for the first time, instant friends. Others (not going to name any names now) drink wine on blankets, and community forms not-so-quietly under oaks and pines.



Listening to live music at Lowry Park



My neighbor, Jim, dancing with his daughter

And you can't forget the Seminole Heights Sunday Morning Market. Vendors gather, hula hoops girate and dogs walk their owners around tents and tents of handmade jewelry like Mark Noll Designs and freshly made food.

Sunday Market at Hillsborough High School

So why am I ok with a window that leaks sometimes (only just sometimes) during a heavy rain? Or a slightly crooked wooden floors (a great feature for my son's many matchox cars)? Well, because I don't believe I could get all of this in any other neighborhood, because there is more character and sense of community here than in any other neighborhood that I have lived.  I feel at home here.

So I'm willing to overlook some flaws...

I love my historic neighborhood, warts and all.

Luisella, Your Urban Inca