Family & Friends,
I had to go to Orlando for work (really, Kissimmee), so I decided to stay a couple extra days for personal fun. Unfortunately, this town isn't actually very fun. To be fair, I was only in Orlando proper for 48 hours, I was exhausted from working, and I met but one local to show me around. It was hot, humid, and buggy. On the one hand, I came home with 30 mosquito bites, but on the other hand, I did NOT get sunburned! That is a miraculous victory in itself. And way better than the first time I was in Orlando at age 10, when I vomited on the beach because my California-grown self had never experienced real humidity before.
The impression I got is that Orlando is not much different from other "cities" in the South. It's mostly residential with random bars spread out here and there. I didn't spot many buildings higher than five stories. One thing I will say: the traffic intersections drove me crazy, even more so than in Oakland! They are not pedestrian-friendly and take forever and don't make sense to me. But then, I always think every city should be designed like New York (ie unprotected left turns so there are only two light-changing shifts). But enough of my urban planning rants...
Now, I originally wanted to do something like THIS, but alas, the scheduling did not work out. So what did I do?
DAY 1:
I arrived at my Orlando Airbnb in the evening and promptly passed out for a nap. I hate taking naps, so that tells you just how tired I was from the week. After my nap, I ventured out to Lake Eola, which I found to be the center of the town. It has a little amphitheater and a walking path with pieces of art. It's cute. I stopped at Relax Grill for dinner on the lake without much internal debate because I was hungry. But it actually turned out to be pretty good. At least, the strawberry daiquiri I ordered was yummy, but aren't they always? The seating is all outside, so I parked myself in front of a giant fan and people-watched. I guess that Southern hospitality also applies to Florida because the waitress insisted on not charging me for the daiquiri for whatever reason. Maybe because I was so obviously a tourist and would surely melt without a frozen drink.
I walked around the rest of the lake and then counted all the lizards I almost stepped on while walking back to the Airbnb.
DAY 2:
I started the day by wandering on Mills Avenue, which has some college bars and hipster bars. In true Southern fashion (well, really, just my everyday life wherever I go), I was mistaken for a man on the street. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how the exchange ended:
Young Down-and-Out Guy: "Hey brother, can you spare 35 cents?"
Me: "Sorry, I don't have any change."
(Guy starts to turn to walk away, stops, and turns back towards me)
Young Down-and-Out Guy: "Um, I'm sorry I called you 'brother.'"
I kept walking, with the goal of visiting a bunch of the little lakes that make up the city. I took a break at Park Lake when my path was impeded by a line of ducks crossing the sidewalk. I had to take breaks often because I sweating profusely. I seriously don't know how people live in this climate.
Next, I walked 35 minutes South to visit the Pulse Memorial. That was an emotional experience. There is currently a temporary memorial until a more permanent one is put in place. What struck me is that it is in a totally random spot, next to a gas station and across the street from a Wendy's. One block East or one block West brings you back into suburbia. Also, the building is not very big, which makes the events that unfolded inside all the more horrifying. When I was there, I saw what I suspect was some sort of TV program being filmed because there were a man and a woman covered in make-up and doing a "walk and talk." Who knows.
After feeling sufficiently depressed, I continued walking over to Lake Davis Park, which I concluded is my favorite lake in town. While observing the various birds and bugs, I also spotted quite a few queer people, so I guessed that I was in or near the gayborhood.
Moving onward, I walked up to the Greenwood Urban Wetland, but didn't stay long because I was melting. I passed Lake Lawsona and continued up to Washington Avenue. Ah ha! At last, I found the gayborhood, Thornton Park, which is really just like two blocks of bars and shops. There, I had dinner at a bar called Truck Stop, which has a completely different meaning in the gayborhood of Los Angeles (you know what I'm talking about, West Hollywood). It was a chill bar and I arrived just in time to hear a live music set from two lesbians on a guitar and a conga drum. They were alright.
Then, I walked down the street to The Veranda, which consisted of a nook of outdoor space that confused me. Like, it seemed like a driveway between two houses, but there was a stage. Anyway, there was a reggae band playing and the event was sponsored by Yuengling apparently. Kind of random, but I hung out there for awhile, and then walked back to pass out for the night.
DAY 3:
I walked down to the Greenwood Cemetery, mostly because it shares a name with my favorite cemetery in Brooklyn. I didn't get very far inside the cemetery before I decided that it was way too hot to be outside. Also, goddamn, these Florida bugs are LOUD.
So I hauled ass back up to Thornton Park because it was the nearest potential for air conditioning of which I knew. I ended up at Benjamin French Bakery, where I had a decent sandwich and a smoothie (yessss, smoothie). After that, I walked across the street to Burton's Bar to connect with a new friend I had met from the night before (I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had Brooklyn Lager on tap!) She suggested getting a sandwich for later from Big Time, which was right next door. Indeed, that Cubano sandwich really hit the spot later when I was on the airplane going home. We chilled for a bit and then I headed to the airport.
So, overall, kind of a lame trip. But don't worry, I've got a couple more trips in the works before we close out 2018. Teaser: I will be brushing up on my Latin dancing in the next few months.
See below for some random video clips I quickly strung together that don't make much sense.
Onward,
Chris
P.S. - My Airbnb hosts suggested a few spots that I didn't make it to, but I'll take their word for it:
- Domu for good ramen
- Downtown PourHouse for good brews
- Wally's for the college crowd
I had to go to Orlando for work (really, Kissimmee), so I decided to stay a couple extra days for personal fun. Unfortunately, this town isn't actually very fun. To be fair, I was only in Orlando proper for 48 hours, I was exhausted from working, and I met but one local to show me around. It was hot, humid, and buggy. On the one hand, I came home with 30 mosquito bites, but on the other hand, I did NOT get sunburned! That is a miraculous victory in itself. And way better than the first time I was in Orlando at age 10, when I vomited on the beach because my California-grown self had never experienced real humidity before.
The impression I got is that Orlando is not much different from other "cities" in the South. It's mostly residential with random bars spread out here and there. I didn't spot many buildings higher than five stories. One thing I will say: the traffic intersections drove me crazy, even more so than in Oakland! They are not pedestrian-friendly and take forever and don't make sense to me. But then, I always think every city should be designed like New York (ie unprotected left turns so there are only two light-changing shifts). But enough of my urban planning rants...
Now, I originally wanted to do something like THIS, but alas, the scheduling did not work out. So what did I do?
DAY 1:
I arrived at my Orlando Airbnb in the evening and promptly passed out for a nap. I hate taking naps, so that tells you just how tired I was from the week. After my nap, I ventured out to Lake Eola, which I found to be the center of the town. It has a little amphitheater and a walking path with pieces of art. It's cute. I stopped at Relax Grill for dinner on the lake without much internal debate because I was hungry. But it actually turned out to be pretty good. At least, the strawberry daiquiri I ordered was yummy, but aren't they always? The seating is all outside, so I parked myself in front of a giant fan and people-watched. I guess that Southern hospitality also applies to Florida because the waitress insisted on not charging me for the daiquiri for whatever reason. Maybe because I was so obviously a tourist and would surely melt without a frozen drink.
I walked around the rest of the lake and then counted all the lizards I almost stepped on while walking back to the Airbnb.
DAY 2:
I started the day by wandering on Mills Avenue, which has some college bars and hipster bars. In true Southern fashion (well, really, just my everyday life wherever I go), I was mistaken for a man on the street. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how the exchange ended:
Young Down-and-Out Guy: "Hey brother, can you spare 35 cents?"
Me: "Sorry, I don't have any change."
(Guy starts to turn to walk away, stops, and turns back towards me)
Young Down-and-Out Guy: "Um, I'm sorry I called you 'brother.'"
I kept walking, with the goal of visiting a bunch of the little lakes that make up the city. I took a break at Park Lake when my path was impeded by a line of ducks crossing the sidewalk. I had to take breaks often because I sweating profusely. I seriously don't know how people live in this climate.
Next, I walked 35 minutes South to visit the Pulse Memorial. That was an emotional experience. There is currently a temporary memorial until a more permanent one is put in place. What struck me is that it is in a totally random spot, next to a gas station and across the street from a Wendy's. One block East or one block West brings you back into suburbia. Also, the building is not very big, which makes the events that unfolded inside all the more horrifying. When I was there, I saw what I suspect was some sort of TV program being filmed because there were a man and a woman covered in make-up and doing a "walk and talk." Who knows.
After feeling sufficiently depressed, I continued walking over to Lake Davis Park, which I concluded is my favorite lake in town. While observing the various birds and bugs, I also spotted quite a few queer people, so I guessed that I was in or near the gayborhood.
Moving onward, I walked up to the Greenwood Urban Wetland, but didn't stay long because I was melting. I passed Lake Lawsona and continued up to Washington Avenue. Ah ha! At last, I found the gayborhood, Thornton Park, which is really just like two blocks of bars and shops. There, I had dinner at a bar called Truck Stop, which has a completely different meaning in the gayborhood of Los Angeles (you know what I'm talking about, West Hollywood). It was a chill bar and I arrived just in time to hear a live music set from two lesbians on a guitar and a conga drum. They were alright.
Then, I walked down the street to The Veranda, which consisted of a nook of outdoor space that confused me. Like, it seemed like a driveway between two houses, but there was a stage. Anyway, there was a reggae band playing and the event was sponsored by Yuengling apparently. Kind of random, but I hung out there for awhile, and then walked back to pass out for the night.
DAY 3:
I walked down to the Greenwood Cemetery, mostly because it shares a name with my favorite cemetery in Brooklyn. I didn't get very far inside the cemetery before I decided that it was way too hot to be outside. Also, goddamn, these Florida bugs are LOUD.
So I hauled ass back up to Thornton Park because it was the nearest potential for air conditioning of which I knew. I ended up at Benjamin French Bakery, where I had a decent sandwich and a smoothie (yessss, smoothie). After that, I walked across the street to Burton's Bar to connect with a new friend I had met from the night before (I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had Brooklyn Lager on tap!) She suggested getting a sandwich for later from Big Time, which was right next door. Indeed, that Cubano sandwich really hit the spot later when I was on the airplane going home. We chilled for a bit and then I headed to the airport.
So, overall, kind of a lame trip. But don't worry, I've got a couple more trips in the works before we close out 2018. Teaser: I will be brushing up on my Latin dancing in the next few months.
See below for some random video clips I quickly strung together that don't make much sense.
Onward,
Chris
P.S. - My Airbnb hosts suggested a few spots that I didn't make it to, but I'll take their word for it:
- Domu for good ramen
- Downtown PourHouse for good brews
- Wally's for the college crowd
Orlando, FL 2018 from Christa Artherholt on Vimeo.