Viviendo en Orlando

Welcome to The City Beautiful!

While I can think of at least five other US cities more deserving of that title, soon after moving here I did see the appeal of this city. Every time I tell someone I live in Orlando they say almost the same thing-

“I don’t think I would like it I’m not a fan of Disney”.

I would have said the same thing before living here but let me get this next point across as concisely as possible.

THIS CITY IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST DISNEY!

I’ve lived here for five months; I have had a hell of a time here and I have yet to set foot in Disney. Let's not forget Universal which I hear is great also. Then there’s downtown, Lake Eola, a unique food scene and the city is geographically massive to an Ohio guy like me. There are multiple small theme parks also in the city like ICON Park and on my evening drive home from work I love seeing the silhouette of the illuminated Ferris Wheels and roller coasters against the sunset. It's soothing after a rough shift. I also enjoy merging onto the 408 from I-4 North which shows a great view of downtown from high up. This brings me to my next point which will help me segue across my Orlando cons.

The hilarious toll roads they have:

Bad traffic here, so to fix this the city made these toll roads that cut across or around the city to avoid the traffic. The 408 is mostly traffic-free, much more than I can say for the 417 which has caused irreversible damage to my dashboard from slapping it while I'm stuck in traffic. I take the 408 to and from work each day and a few times during the week. Even with the Sun Pass Pro I pay an average of $8 daily. Sorry Orlando people, I still can’t get over this. Next con, the drivers here, are dangerous. I have seen lots of road rage here and people seem to find pleasure in almost touching the back bumper of another car for not going fast enough. I'm a lead foot driver and can pull some risky maneuvers from behind the wheel, but things I see here on the road make me cringe almost daily.

Seeing the traffic here makes me think this city is overpopulated

I think larger US cities planned for an infrastructure to support a huge or continuously growing population, not sure if Orlando did the same. It seems in recent years every inch of wilderness here has been vaporized and turned into a housing development. You see the characteristic soccer mom on the news acting furious because an alligator was on her porch, and she had to proudly assault it with a trash can. Well lady you built your house on top of his. I get a downtown of any large city is a concrete jungle, but it’s nice when a city can leave some of its metro areas intact before developing on them.

The Orlando Food scene: When I came here, I expected the same breathtaking Cuban food and Ropa Vieja as I found in Miami. there is a Massive Latin population here in Orlando also so I didn’t think I was wrong to expect it. Been to every recommended Cuban spot here, and well, they aren’t bad? What I didn’t expect was a super dope Vietnamese food scene. Pho for days here, and it's top-notch pho too. Great Korean also. There are a ton of family-owned Latin eateries in this town, anything from Peruvian to Mexican and they are very good, but I will be candid they seldom parallel the flavor of the Latin eateries in Miami. Some good BBQ can also be found just north of Orlando.

I love the Latin culture here

You don’t need to pay for Spanish lessons if you live in Orlando-living here is a Spanish lesson. The people in this town are awesome-I’m always talking about how I’m trying to learn Spanish and throughout the day the most random people will take me aside for a second to teach me a few words each day or help me improve my terrible dialect. They have such a bright smile while doing it also. Lots of Haitian Creole speakers here who also have a warm and welcoming smile and I love interacting with them. All of the people here really are great and making friends in this town was effortless.

The places I frequent are small and family-owned, and I have no issue finding a new coffee shop or eatery whenever I please. But most aren’t like me, and I wouldn’t do this city justice without mentioning its massive retail market. Outlet malls, shopping malls, and any American food chain you want are probably here in the city of Orlando. You have the entire district around I-Drive which is larger than the downtown of most cities and for someone who loves shopping, I do think this city would be ideal.

I really like downtown Orlando; it's got a good vibe.

There are ritzy shops downtown and bars like Mathers or The Robinson which are awesome for a fun night out (see my list of things to do in Orlando to follow this post). At night with UCF here I do think the mean downtown age is a bit younger, but I’ve gone out here late-night often and had a great time. The entire area around Lake Eola is the place I do think is deserving of the City Beautiful Title, it's just super picturesque and there is ALWAYS something to do there.

Locals here have turned me onto the massive network of rivers and springs in central Florida so if you live here, I recommend grabbing an inflatable paddleboard and checking those out, amazing to see them and the wildlife. Although they can’t be found in Orlando proper most aren’t a far commute from the city. (please do not tag them in hopes of keeping them intact and unpolluted by those who don't appreciate them)

Whether it was Judge Speer or Orlando Reeves who we can thank for its name, a piece of my heart will always be here in the city of Orlando. I've had no feeling of boredom while living here and I still have Disney and Universal here if I ever do. In summary, I rate this city high as hell in terms of never running out of things to do. So next time you’re here stop by and see it for yourself. Comments and likes are encouraged.