Old Ybor City

Last night when Nichole and I were in Ybor, it was like a ghost town. It is summer so all the kids have gone home from college, but jeez. Only three bars were open, maybe. There was hardly anyone on the street. I remember being there on Tuesdays and it was just like the weekend. They have the new rule of no beer on the street and they also leave the road open every night, even Saturday nights. The beer thing I can understand, but to leave the road open is ridicules on the weekends. There is no need to drive down 7th ave. There is hardly any parking, not that anyone would be doing street parking on a weekend anyway. That's what the garages are for. It seems that with all the "cleaning up" they are trying to do in Ybor, it has pretty much killed it's nightlife. I was unaware that The Masquerade (a concert hall) closed and that club Hedo and The Amphitheater also closed. The Amphitheater used to be my place to go on Saturday nights a couple of years ago. Nichole and I used to frequent Amphitheater weekly. It was always a blast. Although, the last time we went, it was lacking something. Now I know why. There are still a few of the good clubs left like Prana and The Castle, but everything else is either closed or has turned into a coffee shop. The new party spots are Hyde Park and all the clubs not on a strip. It just saddens me that Ybor isn't the party place it used to be.