By Brendan McLaughlin

Touring a new downtown Tampa high-rise this weekend was like seeing the city for the first time. I biked down from Tampa Heights Saturday afternoon to catch the Urban Tour of Homes  featuring about a dozen new condo projects in Ybor, The Channel District and Downtown. Standing awkwardly with a dozen other lookyloos, I had to admit the view out  the  10^th floor window of a one bedroom unit at Skypoint, was somewhere between picturesque and breathtaking.  From that altitude, the Big Guava looked downright picturesque. The minarets of the University of Tampa seemedimplausibly exotic like Red Square on the Hillsborough.  The Rivergate Tower looked less like a beer can and more like a giant abstract chess piece. Even the forlorn Tampa Art Museum, with a reflecting pool only about three dozen people have ever seen, looked edgy and inviting. 

Of course there are lots of weeds growing in the spaces in between those landmarks. Downtown Tampa’s not going to morph into Greenwich Village anytime soon. And the apparent need to even have an Urban Tour of Homes shows these condos aren’t selling themselves.  But as our motley group of sightseers checked out the rooftop swimming pool, I couldn’t help but notice the look of smug satisfaction on the faces of the young residents who’ve already moved in. Something about taking an elevator to work must make them feel superior.

Would I pay $250,000 dollars for a one bedroom unit (realtors never call them units anymore- they’re “residences") with the square footage of a two car garage?  No. But if my wife ever changed the locks on me at home, it would make a smokin’ dog house.