I just relocated from the beach over to Orlando FL. in search of the elusive cash money. While that aspect of life seems like its going to be ok, I find myself incredibly bored. One person vaguely mentioned Church St. but I found it sort of lacking. I like neighborhoods in the independent coffee shop/bookstore/record store/gallery kinda mode.
I would appreciate any tips and suggestions about clubs,bars restaurants and fun spots in general. I’ve been stuck in the Hunters Creek area for almost 2 weeks and the most fun I’ve had is getting lost in the identical subdivisions.
Thanks.
My condolences. I also live in Kissimmee and I hate to tell you, there isn’t much to do here unless you’ve got some cash to spend. Winter Park has a lot of what you describe, but it is also a ridiculously yuppified area and very expensive. It is about a half hour drive for us. Many people like the scene at Citiwalk at universal studios, about a twenty min drive including time to navigate the parking garage. Locally, Three sisters pub in downtown kissimmee has a good selection of beer and wine and there is a cigar bar next door to it. We have a few art galleries and a music shop there as well but they all tend to close really early.
Orlando is a tourist town surrounded by working farmland. We don’t have a lot of actual city culture because of the heavy family-friendly influence and the existing country and migrant cultures. The newcomers are mostly nuveu-riche yuppies, or semi-skilled laborers. We do have a good performing arts scene, but it is all downtown and an expensive night out.
(shamless plug) If you like alternative art, I’m having a show at Tattoo Dojo on the 23rd. It is near OBT and 192.
I’ve been in Orlando about 2 years now, and I’ve STOPPED looking for things to do. That’s the downfall of moving to a tourist area - nothing to do but the touristy things, which, honestly, I would rather skin myself and roll around in a salt and vinegar solution than be bothered going to.
As **Acid Lamp **said, Winter Park is OK. If you feel like a little drive, Mt. Dora has a lot of little shops, cafes and bars to hang out in. I guess you can try hitting Celebration, but that’s annoyingly touristy certain times of the year as well.
Sorry for the lack of helpfulness. Hopefully you find something to help pass the time.
Celebration can also be unnervingly creepy for some folks because of its Stepfordesque design. At least it’s gotten less creepy over the past few years, and there are some shops down there.
It’s seem as if, in our area (I live with Acid Lamp, if you’re not into the touristy stuff, you’ve just got to find a core group of friends to hang out with on a regular basis or find a local dive to accommodate your social needs. Acid Lamp and I are always interested in meeting new people in the area, so you’re more than welcome to arrange a meetup for a beer/coffee/etc. sometime.
Just chimed in to say I’m one of those annoying tourist folks. I normally stay in Kissimmee. I love the town.
OK now y’all squish together so I can take your picture. come on a little closer Smile…
Ditto. Now that I can afford to stay on-property I don’t spend much time in Kissimmee any more, but I’ll always have a fondness for that city. Some of my best memories are in Old Town. It’s very pretty in a OMG This is so tacky! kind of way.
[funny anecdote]Mrs. Homie and I were walking into a flea market in Kissimmee one day and there was this bird on the sidewalk. A huge, ugly bird - I think it must have been a turkey. We tried shooing it away and it just stared at us. We wound up walking around it.[/funny anecdote]
Whoo, boy - tell me about it. I used to work there, and couldn’t WAIT to get out at the end of every day, back to my little, non-Disney influenced Orlando condo. FTR, don’t let Celebration fool you. I have heard (from VERY reliable sources) that some pretty sordid and dirty things go on in that town. I hear tell it makes “Desperate Housewives” look like an episode of Barney.
Hey Nashii - anything good by Kissimmee way? We have a few friends out there by Boggy Creek and we were looking for somewhere else to spend a Saturday nite on occasion.
LilGypsyGirl– Depends on what you like to do. We’ll occasionally hang out with friends in downtown Kissimmee at the Three Sisters Speakeasy, which is small and a little quiet, and sometimes I have lunch/dinner at the Broadway Pizza Bar, which is a bit noisier when there’s a sports game on. They do, however, make pretty decent pizza and the place is pretty-- it used to be a bicycle shop and is part of the improvement program for the downtown historic district.
These days, we’ve not been doing a lot of socializing beyond hanging out with our friends who run a combination tattoo shop/martial arts dojo and the occasional accidental meetup with other Orlandopers (we ran into Autolycus at the Japan Day festival by Hunter’s Creek last month), so we haven’t gotten a ton of chances to explore more of the local area. I will admit, though, that there are a lot of places that have closed up and been replaced in our area. We’d be more than happy to meet up and socialize with more local Dopers.
I’m up for a dopefest. I need to make some friends around here fast. I’m getting bored beyond belief. Besides spending time among intelligent people would be a very welcome change of pace for me.
Well, we usually get Dopers at OrlanDopes, but I don’t remember us acting all that intelligent…
Yeah, that was my fault. I was busy figuring out how to propose.
The gifts that keep on giving.
Seriously… let’s do one at that Three Sisters Speakeasy thingy. Seems like we ought to do one around Disney(ish) since we did the last two (three?) in Winter Park.
It’s a bit small for that sort of thing, but a nice little place nonetheless. They don’t have anything bigger than a fourtop. Broadway Pizza bar would be better, and they’ve got loads of beer and wine. There are a few pubs in the area that might work, I’ll visit a few tomorrow and report back if you like.
I used to live in O’town off of 436 and the Expressway…there is nothing to do there, which is why I won’t move back.
Winterpark, International Drive or Church Street is all you have.
Nothing is walking distance, the bus system is crap and I wouldn’t go clubbing for the evening unless you can afford $100 for cabs to and from, since everything seems 50 miles away.
Best to move close to what you prefer. :rolleyes:
When I Lived off of Anderson Rd. Lake Eola and Azela park were walking distance, they used to have stuff happening there but I think they turned into Bum magnets now…so I dunno.
I suggest we Orlandope at Old Town in Kissimmee. After crawling a few pubs and other dives, they have a great variety of restaurants and three places that stay open later for those of us who like to party. Maybe a Friday or Sat evening? They don’t get busy until later, so those who aren’t into staying late can ditch without a hassle.
