The Gulfport beat is a world all its own. The town of Gulfport is a municipality all its own, in fact. But the beat's borders go far beyond the corners of the town.
It's bordered on the south and west by Boca Ciega Bay, a section of the Intracoastal Waterway that leads into the Gulf of Mexico. On the east, it abuts both
The Point and the
West of 34th Street beats. To the north of Gulfport are the neighborhoods of Tyrone Gardens, Lake Disston and Eagle Crest.
If you stay long enough, you might meet
Jimmy Oswain at
O'Maddy's pub or the Kash'n'Karry,
Bill Miller out on his boat or
Gloria Lomicka at the Czechoslovak Cultural Center. You can
ballroom dance at the Gulfport Casino,
check out the mailboxes that adorn the town's streets or
spend some time on one of the city's last houseboats. Read some earlier stories about the beat
here and
here, but don't forget to check back on Wednesday, June 13, for a new perspective and new stories from Gulfport.
