I love going out with my friends to the Amphitheatre Event Facility (Amp) in Ybor City. Unfortunately, just two months ago, Amp experienced a fire that destroyed the club. You can read more about the incident here if you want to know more details. Luckily, Amp has been able to work something out with The Ritz Ybor, (Ritz) a neighboring club just down the street.
In all honesty, I would love to see Amp stay in Ritz because it’s just a better experience. Please know that I really did enjoy the old Amp, but everything can always be improved.
1. HELLO SPACE (FINALLY)!
The old Amp was better than okay, but not anything over the top. The dance floor was a decent size, but many other clubs in the area offer more square footage. It’s nice to have a little extra space and not be packed into a club like sardines on a hot, humid Florida night. It's really nice when you get there early and almost no one is there. You get a chance to look around before the craziness arrives.
2. The rotating dance floor was cool, but not really worth it.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I didn't like the dance floor. The idea was cool to me at first. Once I got on it, I was unimpressed by how slow it was going. Considering the rotation is turned off once the club reached a certain capacity, I always wondered why money was spent on it.
3. Three different rooms make for a better overall experience.
Ritz had a really great idea when they decided to make three different music genre rooms inside the club. Amp utilizes these rooms to its advantage, to my knowledge from the last time I attended. It’s nice to get a break and have variety.
4. ID checks move quicker and smoother.
The old line did not seem super efficient in my opinion. Ritz always seemed to be quicker concerning ID checks since it wrapped around the corner and had the ticket and guest list checks right next to the ID check. The old Amp had a line for the ID check and a line for the ticket and guest list checks.
5. It's closer to more parking.
I’ve noticed more accessible parking on 7th Ave and 15th Ave than I have any other street. The parking garage is right behind the club. It was close to the old Amp as well, but Ritz is much closer to where entrance I and my friends use. Parking around the Ritz is an advantage concerning 7th Ave traffic. So many cars get on 7th Ave and sometimes it can take 20 to 30 minutes just to get off the road and onto the interstate. 15th Ave leads to 4th street (by passers 7th Ave traffic), which takes you to 22nd St, which leads to the interstate. This route is pretty quick and usually gets us on the interstate in about 10 minutes.
Old Location (top) VS New Location (bottom)
