Orlando area Dopers, stand up!

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hello all,

I’m new to the Orlando area, and I was wondering who else lives around here in Central Florida. I moved to Casselberry a few weeks ago, and I commute to work in downtown Kissimmee–a long drive, but at least there isn’t much stop-and-go traffic on the 417. So far I like the area I live in and the little I’ve seen of outlying areas. I am close to several supermarkets, Target, K-Mart, a big movie theater at the Oviedo Marketplace mall, and a great comic book store, so I am pretty content. What do Orlandopers like to do? Where do you like to eat? Are there ever Dopefests around here? Just curious.

Also, I will be starting a night school class at the end of the month, held at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Orlando, off I-4 and Ivanhoe. I hear the evening rush hour traffic is horrendous around there. If I leave downtown Kissimmee at 4:30, will I have a chance to make it there every day by 6, in time for class? I’m going to do a “trial run” at that time this coming Tuesday, just to time my commute and make sure I don’t get lost. Any advice for good directions or time-saving shortcuts, or am I just S.O.L.?

2

I’m not in Orlando but I’ll bump this for you. There are at least five I can think of who are there, and one who is currently posting, so I’ll not “out” them at this point since they’re probably just avoiding you.
:wink:

3

Happens everywhere I go. :frowning:

4

You’re right, I was avo…actually, I didn’t even see this post!

Hmmm, things to do, where to eat. Well, when the weather is warmer definitely check out Kelly Park north of Apopka, and Wekiva Springs Park north of…Wekiva. Kelly Park has a spring coming out of the side of a hill :eek: that makes a tiny yet deep stream you can tube or swim down. Wekiva has trails, plus your standard spring, but the spring is close to the water surface so you can actually swim into the cave without scuba gear if you dare…and the park rangers don’t catch you.

This may be because I got in free, but I actually enjoyed Downtown Disney, including Pleasure Island, more than any other comparable experience in Orlando area. It has more to do with the concentration and variety of stuff (not having to traipse all over town to do stuff like usual,) than the sheer brilliance of it all, though.

Food? Well, I can tell you some places NOT to go to, (i.e. most area Wendy’s locations,) but despite having been here around 7 years (10 if you include UCF) I don’t really know a lot of local food places. Maybe that’s cause there aren’t that many compared to other places.

On preview I mention you’re close to a great comic book store. Would that happen to be Sci-Fi City (also sometimes called Enterprise, or 1701 for it’s honest-to-god former street address.)? That’s on the corner of Semoran and Colonial, which of course isn’t close to Casselberry, but it’s a freakin big shop. Then again, they are not only comics but also board, tabletop, and RPGs, and I’m not into comics, so I don’t know how extensive their comics collection is, but check them out sometime.

Leaving Kissimmee at 4:30…hmmm, you might want to do that test run after all, depending on how close you are to I-4 you are, (or the FL turnpike, if you feel like paying), both in Kissimmee and in the Ivanhoe area. I was about to say you’d probably make it, but then found out that Ivanhoe is north of downtown – once you pass 50/408, the traffic will start to get bad that time of day, since people are leaving out of the downtown area.

5

Visited there once years ago, wasn’t impressed. My awesome comic shop is Adventure Comics, right on Semoran near Red Bug Lake Road, very close to my house. It’s already much nicer than the stores in Miami, where I was living previously. I also found the Acme Superstore in Longwood, a veritable paradise for action figure collectors such as myself.

Thanks for the info! I have also noticed a lack of “mom and pop” restaurants around these parts, but at least I like Sonny’s, Smokey Bones, Quizno’s, and Sonic among all these chains and franchises. There are also a few Greek places nearby I’ll have to check out eventually. Is Donato’s Pizza any good?

6

Hi! Native Floridian, returned home about six years ago.

I live in south Lake County and work in Southwest Orlando. I hop on the turnpike, and most times traffic is not that bad. I highly recommend getting an E-Pass. You’ll find the toll roads have faster traffic flows.

We held one Dopefest about a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, it was simply too hot to do anything. There was a going away party for FairyChatMom up in Ocala, but I had to miss it. :frowning:

One of these days I’m going to hit Gaylord Palms and check out the hotel lobby. I hear it’s magnificent.

And yes, it can get down to freezing here, so make sure you cover up your plants. You’ll know when it gets cold…it’s all over the news.

7

I already had a Sunpass, so that’s all good. I think it’s even saving me money on my copious daily tolls taking the 417 across three counties. And it’s supposed to be really cold tonight and tomorrow, so be sure to stay warm!

8

I know…down to 35! Brrrrrr!
(I’m waiting for the obligatory :rolleyes: from the Yankee Dopers at how thin-blooded we are…)

9

[creepy stalker voice]i know where you live[/creepy stalker voice], very vaguely. I am not an Orlandoper, but I have friends who live in one of the (many) developments off Red Bug between 436 and Tuskawilla. I’m about 100 miles away, in the Bay area, but I’m over there every once in a while.

10

You ought to be able to make it. John Young Parkway is a straight shot (about 15 miles direct) from Kissimmee (Rte. 192) to I-4 (and beyond). Tie-ups occur at Central Florida Parkway/Beeline (Rts. 528), Sand Lake Road, Oak Ridge, and Americana. The construction on I-4 at the “33rd Street Hilton” * is a real mess right now, so allow youself an extra five to 10 minutes of sitting on the onramp attempting to merge, not to mention watching for the yahoos who do not realize that “Holy $*&^@ I gotta get over into the right lane RIGHT NOW!!!” - hint, when you see the jail on the right just past Millenia Blvd. **, you should already be in the right lane. The onramp to I-4 East is just a smidge before the I-4 bridge.

Stay in the middle lane until after the 408 **, just to avoid all the yahoos who do not realize that "Holy $&^@ I gotta get over into the right lane RIGHT NOW!!!", Part II. This is about 5 miles or so.

You’ll have at least two exits that take you near that area (at 4:30 in the a of m, I cannot picture exactly, where the hotel is, but chances are, getting off I-4 around Ivanhoe (before you cross over the lake) will be the best best. If you miss the exit because you did not realize “Holy $*&^@ I gotta get over into the right lane RIGHT NOW!!!” until it was too late, get off at Princeton (next exit), turn right, turn right on Orange Avenue (southbound) and follow that **** around the lake towards the Staute of Liberty. If I am not mistaken, the Radisson is in this area. Again, brain is a little fuzzy on the details for that area (5:27 in the a of m and I am finally functioning enough to get the coffee perking without burning down the house) but you said you’d go through a trial run. Let us know how that goes.

Learn not only a direct route, but at least 4 or 5 alternates that do not include I-4, just in case these are some nasty tie-ups on I-4, or in one case, the overnight road construction crew used the wrong type of cement (slow dry instead of quick dry), and the right lanes near the 408 had to stay shut another 2 hours during morning rush hour. :eek: :smack: :rolleyes: :mad:

If you have a cell phone, 511 is your friend for info about I-4.

Pick up a Central Florida road guide, both the plastic-covered need-a-magnifying-glass fold-up one, as well as a spiral bound book. Both are good to keep in the car: each has saved my butt (and a lot of miles) many times.

Have fun - there’s more to do here beyond the theme parks, if you know where to look.

  • local name for the County Jail.
    ** aka “The Mall That Can’t Spell Its Own Name”
    *** still often referred to as “East-West Expressway” by everyone but the State.
    **** Orange Avenue in this area is very nice - wonderful antique shops and restaurants (oooh, White Wolf Cafe - it’s a restaurant AND antique shop!) several theatres, art museums (Menello Museum of Folk Art), science museum nearby, and the HQ of the Orlando Ballet and Orlando Opera.
11

Oh, before I forget:

Orange Avenue.

Is two-way north of Orlando.

And two-way south of Orlando.

BUT

Southbound only.

In downtown Orlando.
Seriously, I have no idea what chauffeur-driving, Armani-wearing, brain-addled offspring of a whore-begotten Pre-K dropout designed the roadways of downtown Orlando *.

If you are travelling Orange Avenue southbound (from the aforementioned antique-infesed Princeton Avenue area, you will notice that Ornage Avenue suddenly becomes 4 lanes of nothing but soundbound until you pass the Orlando Sentinel offices. Two lanes disappear, and you are in the hell of the empty storefronts and double-parkers until you pass the 408. Orange Avenue again becomes two lanes in each direction.

If you are travelling Orange Avenue from the south (from the Sand Lake Road/Florida Mall/Airport area), you are on Orange Avenue, then suddenly, you split apart and are on a one-way street (Pinecastle area), then suddenly you join up again with Orange Avenue, then suddenly just after Gore Street at the 408, you are on Rosalind Avenue. Okay, I can deal with reality, a few stoplights, pass Lake Eola (oooh, swan boats!), the road takes a sharp sudden curve to the left and you are on Magnolia Avenue? Yup, that’s the new Courthouse (excuse me, COURTHOUSE, with accompanying trumpet fanfare (really, vulture like to hang out on the window ledges, peeking into the lawyer offices - professional courtesy). Okay, so I am now travelling on Magnolia, past the backside of the Orlando Sentinel, past Rte. 50/Colonial Drive **, hmmm, nice houses and the Magnolia Senior Center, then suddenly, is that the Statue of Liberty and now I have to take a right ONTO Orange Avenue to get back ON Orange Avenue?!?! Ooooh, look, the Orlando Ballet and the Opera and antique shops and White Wolf Cafe. Deja vu all over again.

If you continued on Orange Avenue past Princeton Avenue and Florida Hospital, you would take a sharp right in the road, continue past Orlando Avenue (aka N. Mills Avenue near the Orlando Museum of Art *** and you would dead-end at Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park, near Rollins College (good theatre department, several art museums in the area, including a nice exhibit of Tiffany stained glas).

No idea where Orange Avenue ends south of Orlando - I tried to drive it years ago, but I ended up on a dirt road. There’s been a lot of construction and new developments in the area, so that dirt road is prolly now leads to a gated community. Or a Wal-Mart.

Suffice to say, roads in Orlando change names mid-street. Thornton Park in itself is a E-ticket ride (round-abouts and the round-the-lakes!).

  • you should have seen downtwon BEFORE they fixed it!!!
    ** Avoid Colonial Drive (especially east of Semoran towards Bithlo) if at all possible - check the Orlando Sentinel archives for recent accident/death statistics -I believe we’re number 4 in the nation for deadliest roads.
    *** but that’s a whole 'nuther thread - drive it for yourself, my fingers are tired.
12

Ah, I knew they’d be around eventually. Although for the life of me I can’t understand why anyone wants to live in that area.

:slight_smile:

13

Because we have some great college and professional theatre companies, art museums, art & film festivals, a basketball team that seems to be getting back on track, a pretty good arena football team, a hockey team okay, we’re working on it!, a new law school, and all the gated communities you could throw a rock at.

And sinkholes just add to the excitement.

14

My one and only daughter is a student at UCF and is living about a mile or so from the campus. She’s a member, but she doesn’t post much - her loss…

We’ll be driving that way in a couple of days - actually to Ocala to stay with the inlaws, but we’ll be in Orlando to see the kid’s apartment and pick up some stuff she wants us to store at the house.

PS - ivylass - the pot holders work out very well in our new kitchen! Thanks again!

15

I’m so glad you like them!

16

I’ve lived in east-Orlando for 2.5 years now as a UCF student. I still am learning about the area, so I can’t give you too much advice except to stay off I4 in the hours surrounding rush hour. I’ll try to post more when I get a chance.

17

Thank you to all the Orlandopers who offered advice. I’m afraid I’ll have no choice but to take I-4 to make it to my night classes on time, but I did a trial run last week, left downtown Kissimmee around 5, and pulled up to the Radisson off I-4 and Ivanhoe right at 6, with minutes to spare. Normally I’ll leave work closer to 4:30, so I think I’ll have just enough time to park, maybe use the bathroom, and grab a seat on time. I’m glad this night class is only going to be for two months, though. I honestly don’t mind my daily commute from Casselberry to Kissimmee and back on the 417, but I’m going to have two months of very long days and hectic commuting into downtown Orlando during rush hour, and my life is going to suck. It all starts tomorrow afternoon.

Oh well, aside from that, I like everything else about Orlando so far! I thought China Jade on Colonial is a very good Chinese buffet, and Acme Superstore in Longwood has a dazzling selection of action figures (although I’m still loyal to Adventure Comics on Semoran and Red Bug as my regular comic shop). So far, so good!