Orlando: SO not SoWal

[TooFarTampa]

Beachmouse: Yes. ;-)

Bob: Whew.

Landlocked: The traffic. I find that everyone has that vacation mentality, and they are driving around like maniacs. I get scared, driving in Orlando. (But not in Disney. Go figure.)

 

[Bob]

Hurray for Mr. Tampa!

I like non-Disney Orlando. There are some really beautiful areas to the north like Winter Park, College Park, Lake Eola, etc. Great muesums (I really dig the Tiffany one) parks, lots of weird Asian food and interesting shopping.

My family ended up visiting the Mouse just before Christmas, and I thought it was kind of sad how Disney has it set up so that you can spend your entire trip entirely within the protective coccoon, and never really get to see the real Florida. So people get to see a couple of manatees in the rehab tank at Epcot, but have no idea that you can swim with them for real at Homosassa Springs. They've got their Mission:Space ride which is somehow supposed to substitute for Kennedy Space Center even though the real deal is only an hour's drive away.

And that's it for token Florida. Disneyland has an entire theme park devoted to the state of California. Florida gets one hotel name where the hotel itself looks like a cross between something found on Nantucket, and the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. They hit the rest of the country pretty well- themed areas for the Northeast/Midatlantic, New Orleans, California, the old West, the geologially interesting West (the Utah national parks and monuments), and the Midwest. Florida=two manatees. If you're going to discourage people from venturing out into the state, as least bring a little more of the state inside.

Despite the rant, I still think it's way cool to ride Big Thunder Mountain at night.

Thank you, but no one is hurting any feelings here. From 1968 on I have lived in Winter Park/Maitland, an oasis in a now crowded city. My kids attend Winter Park High, as did I, and the north end of the city is beautiful. The Morse Museum has the largest collection of Tiffany Glass on display anywhere. It's on Park Ave, downtown Winter Park...admission is a few bucks. Windermere is another beautiful town actually over by Disney. The Butler chain of lakes are spectacular! The Audubon Society in Florida has it's Birds of Prey rehab center down the street from my home. It's just that any time you want to go anywhere you are painfully reminded, by traffic, all that Uncle Walt brought to this area.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Thank you, but no one is hurting any feelings here. From 1968 on I have lived in Winter Park/Maitland, an oasis in a now crowded city. My kids attend Winter Park High, as did I, and the north end of the city is beautiful. The Morse Museum has the largest collection of Tiffany Glass on display anywhere. It's on Park Ave, downtown Winter Park...admission is a few bucks. Windermere is another beautiful town actually over by Disney. The Butler chain of lakes are spectacular! The Audubon Society in Florida has it's Birds of Prey rehab center down the street from my home. It's just that any time you want to go anywhere you are painfully reminded, by traffic, all that Uncle Walt brought to this area.

Talk about a unique perspective. Winter Park is gorgeous, and I agree that it is an oasis.

One unique, non-Disney spot downtown is the Westin hotel, the Grand Bohemian. It is newer, with a stunning and unique interior, and fantastic artwork. It's a true gallery in a hotel. I was in there for only a few minutes a couple of days ago but was transfixed. It felt "real," and respectful, and handcrafted not cheesy.

 

[Mermaid]

Thank you, but no one is hurting any feelings here. From 1968 on I have lived in Winter Park/Maitland, an oasis in a now crowded city. My kids attend Winter Park High, as did I, and the north end of the city is beautiful. The Morse Museum has the largest collection of Tiffany Glass on display anywhere. It's on Park Ave, downtown Winter Park...admission is a few bucks. Windermere is another beautiful town actually over by Disney. The Butler chain of lakes are spectacular! The Audubon Society in Florida has it's Birds of Prey rehab center down the street from my home. It's just that any time you want to go anywhere you are painfully reminded, by traffic, all that Uncle Walt brought to this area.

Sort of like the way SoWal was before Seaside came? That's a real Catch-22. Seaside raised the bar with its beautiful buildings, but on the other hand, "If you build it, they will come." And have they ever!

 

[Landlocked]

The cops in Winter Park are a little strange. Okay here's the story:

During my wilder years, a few of my friends and I were traveling one night from a Dead show in Tampa to Winter Park. It was about 3 in the morning and we were all worn out from the show. A little West of Winter Park, we see blue lights behind us.

So, naturally, we pull over. Now mind you, the four of us were about 20 years old and had left a Grateful Dead show 2 hours prior.
The cops make us all get out while they ransack the car looking for anything they could find. They find a couple pipes and ask us if we have any drugs in the car. We answer "No".

While we stood there, the sheriff crouches over and then reaches into the driver's seat of the car, which I had been driving. He stands back up, and is holding one of the biggest, most beautiful buds I had ever laid eyes on. "Now what do we have here? You said you had no more drugs in the car."

Now trust me, if we had ANYTHING in that car, we would have already smoked it. Especially that beauty. Everyone was dry.

The cops then line us up on the white line of the highway and tell us to unbutton our pants and pull the front of our boxers out. No, I'm not kidding. This is serious folks. We all start looking at each other with the theme to Deliverance playing in our heads. With cars whipping by, we do what they say and both cops walk down the line and shine their flashlights down our pants so they can "Make sure we're not hiding anything."

Naturally, we weren't hiding anything in our pants so the cops decide to let us go on about our business. We all get in the car and didn't say a word until we got to my buddy's house in Winter Garden.

This story is 100% true and I have 3 former hippie friends to vouch for me. I will never drive that highway again.

 

[Kimmifunn]

The cops in Winter Park are a little strange. Okay here's the story:

During my wilder years, a few of my friends and I were traveling one night from a Dead show in Tampa to Winter Park. It was about 3 in the morning and we were all worn out from the show. A little West of Winter Park, we see blue lights behind us.

So, naturally, we pull over. Now mind you, the four of us were about 20 years old and had left a Grateful Dead show 2 hours prior.
The cops make us all get out while they ransack the car looking for anything they could find. They find a couple pipes and ask us if we have any drugs in the car. We answer "No".

While we stood there, the sheriff crouches over and then reaches into the driver's seat of the car, which I had been driving. He stands back up, and is holding one of the biggest, most beautiful buds I had ever laid eyes on. "Now what do we have here? You said you had no more drugs in the car."

Now trust me, if we had ANYTHING in that car, we would have already smoked it. Especially that beauty. Everyone was dry.

The cops then line us up on the white line of the highway and tell us to unbutton our pants and pull the front of our boxers out. No, I'm not kidding. This is serious folks. We all start looking at each other with the theme to Deliverance playing in our heads. With cars whipping by, we do what they say and both cops walk down the line and shine their flashlights down our pants so they can "Make sure we're not hiding anything."

Naturally, we weren't hiding anything in our pants so the cops decide to let us go on about our business. We all get in the car and didn't say a word until we got to my buddy's house in Winter Garden.

This story is 100% true and I have 3 former hippie friends to vouch for me. I will never drive that highway again.

 

[Landlocked]

If you're wondering "Why?", I still am to this day asking the same question.

 

[Kimmifunn]

If you're wondering "Why?", I still am to this day asking the same question.

It's a real wonder I've never had a run in with the cops. I always manage to dodge that bullet. I did try to hitch a ride home from the Supper Club one night and a cop was coming straight for us. We ended up running into the bushes and had to hide out in a trailor park before they were gone.

Other than that...and a recent brief brush with the law (Walton County's finest none the less) for reasons we will not discuss, I've got a clean record.

 

[TooFarTampa]

:shock:

LL you need to write a book or something.

 

[Landlocked]

:shock:

LL you need to write a book or something.

I wish I wrote well enough to write a book. My sentences are all about four words long. I didn't do too well in that whole sentence structure thing in school.

I need to get a camera phone, too. As well as get on my knees and pray that I'm still alive.