<p>On paper, Eckerd looks like a great school for D - - match academics, warm weather, beautiful campus and fairly diverse. Recently, a fellow CC poster advied me that the school was quite remote and located right off the highway such that it was virtually impossible to even walk to a grocery store. </p>
<p>Is this true? If D is w/o wheels, will she have to rely on the kindness of stangers for even the most mundane excursions off campus?</p>
<p>I'd like to know this as well. Dd has been accepted, but hasn't visited the campus yet. She's going to do that before she makes a decision. And she won't have a car.</p>
<p>We stayed at St. Pete Beach last week and drove past Eckerd. Our daughter had been accepted there several years ago and did an overnight. A car is almost necessary because students have to cross a busy highway without lights and then walk several blocks to get to a small retail district. Public transportation is underdeveloped in that area. If our daughter had chosen to attend she would have brought a car.</p>
<p>Yes unfortunately the entire Tampa Bay area has poor public transportation compared to other major metro areas. I haven't been to Eckerd in several years but the area is pretty much dominated by condos because it's right on the water (and therefore in a beautiful area). There's a shopping plaza with a grocery store a mile or two away but as the previous posters mentioned you have to cross a busy road.</p>
<p>Does Eckerd offer Zip Car on campus? At about $8/hr, much less expensive than keeping a car on campus full-time (gas, maintenance, parking permit, etx.) especiall since 2 or 3 students split the cost of short trips (mall, movies, etc.).</p>
<p>I do know that the college has a fleet of 200+ brightly yellow bikes available for students to use to get around..... You just find a bike, use a bike, and leave it when your done for the next student.</p>
<p>Here is the Pinellas county bus system. Pinellas</a> Suncoast Transit Authority. EC is on bus routes 19 and 90, and 90 is just 1-2 stops away from transferring to the Suncoast Beach Trolley! <a href="http://www.psta.net/PDF/PSTA%20Map%202008-web.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.psta.net/PDF/PSTA%20Map%202008-web.pdf</a> Baypoint shopping center, Maximo Plaza and Walmart are on route 90 and a few stops away. </p>
<p>Maybe a visit to the campus and a few bus rides while you are there. And the kids with cars are generally going themselves to get groceries and supplies. And $5 for gas for the driver generally gets an easy ride these days on a trip they need to take anyway</p>