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Are we really quoting the tourism board when promoting our city, as if someone wouldn't figure that one out. Downtown Orlando doesn't have chains because it doesn't have any viable business AT ALL, it is mostly vacant. Let's start uptown which is all of 5 blocks from downtown. You have a 23 story courthouse, which was built to try and give the impression that Orlando is a real city by building up to create a skyline. Directly across from the courthouse on Livingston, you have two vacant buildings, one which couldn't support a Quizno's which is now defunct. Across the street in Bank of America building you have a huge vacant spot which used to be a restaurant called Harvey's. On the 28th Floor of the mostly vacant Bank of America building you have an entire vacant storefront which used to be Manuel's on 28. If you go down Orange you have a few restaurants, all of which are awful. Downtown by city hall there is a starbucks, a chain Urban Flats and one or two other subpar offerings. There are also about three lousy restaurants on Magnolia, bad Thai food, and an awful deli. On church street there is a mediocre overpriced Steakhouse called Kress and then there is a horrible mexican place and a few other dives in the Wall Street Plaza. That is basically it, for a downtown of 2,000,000 people. The area west of downtown known as Thornton Park has an awful BBQ place, a very expensive mediocre restaurant called Hue, and an awful Italian place called Anthonys. There is a Japanese place (not good and off the charts expensive) and a chain Tijuana Flats. That is it, the reason downtown Orlando doesn't have any chains is it is so DEAD it can't support them. Remember Church Street Station which is now deserted, OLIVE GARDEN, HOOTERS, TOOJAYS all have come and gone. How sad is that, the downtown is so DEAD it can't even support the areas STAPLES. It's pathetic, that is why it can't support them, it's not because there are trendy desired dining options downtown. Downtown is basically City Hall, the Courthouse, a disgusting bus Depot and one main block, mostly vacant known as Orange Avenue. To the west, you have parramore one of the worst neighborhoods in America. It is sad that the tourism board will do anything for dollars in their pockets and even sadder that they would be quoted.
blah blah blah, you just wasted a bunch of your time writing that long paragraph full of your opinions. Downtown orlando isnt dead. You dont live here anymore (if you ever even lived here), how would you know. I go down there atleast once a month, its always full of people, sorry to burst your bubble. Orlando is a real city. I'm not saying its a huge city. I Love my downtown, Im glad its nothing like NYC, if it was i would never go. You dont get it, many many ppl love orlando how it is, people like living in the suburbs, and they like having a small downtown that isnt a tourist trap like NYC, we have enough tourists traps as it is south of downtown. Our downtown is mostly full of locals and thats how we like it. There is plenty to do for us, clubs, cool resturants, venues, musams, and a lot more. And after a fun night out, we like driving a few miles in our nice comfy cars in any direction back to our nice suburban homes. On top of that, we a number of world class attractions just minutes away, we can also drive less than an hour east and have a fun day at the beach. Thats our kind of lifestyle. I dont know how many times im gonna have to say this but, just because you dont agree with our way of life doesnt mean its wrong.
Las Vegas is barely ahead of Orlando in the polls ,Miami Beach would bury Las Vegas,if you take the gambling out of Las vegas,all you would have is a bunch of hotels in the middle of a boring desert.
The way some posters on here describe downtown Orlando you would think it is like Manhattan.
haha, color pencils, no one makes downtown orlando seem like manhattan. I am glad downtown orlando is nothing like manhattan. If it was anything like manhattan i would probably move to a different city. I can't stand more than a few hours in that place. Back to the subject, Orlando has a great downtown and sense of community, I take pride in it. Las Vegas seems a lot like Orlando, even though they attract two different types of tourists, the cities themselves seem a lot alike, just because theyre both huge tourist cities. Las Vegas has the most hotel rooms in the country, Orlando has the 2nd most hotel rooms in the country. The main difference is the geography, and weather.
blah blah blah, you just wasted a bunch of your time writing that long paragraph full of your opinions. Downtown orlando isnt dead. You dont live here anymore (if you ever even lived here), how would you know. I go down there atleast once a month, its always full of people, sorry to burst your bubble. Orlando is a real city. I'm not saying its a huge city. I Love my downtown, Im glad its nothing like NYC, if it was i would never go. You dont get it, many many ppl love orlando how it is, people like living in the suburbs, and they like having a small downtown that isnt a tourist trap like NYC, we have enough tourists traps as it is south of downtown. Our downtown is mostly full of locals and thats how we like it. There is plenty to do for us, clubs, cool resturants, venues, musams, and a lot more. And after a fun night out, we like driving a few miles in our nice comfy cars in any direction back to our nice suburban homes. On top of that, we a number of world class attractions just minutes away, we can also drive less than an hour east and have a fun day at the beach. Thats our kind of lifestyle. I dont know how many times im gonna have to say this but, just because you dont agree with our way of life doesnt mean its wrong.
Citizens of Detroit, Gary Indiana, Newark, Flint, take similar pride in their downtowns, you should be commended. If you ever had an opportunity to live in another city or ever lived in another city you would realize it is wrong, horribly, horribly wrong and dangerous. I wouldn't expect someone raised in Orlando or from a city that didn't even have chain restaurants to understand, for those groups I'm sure Orlando "seems" to offer something. What is your favorite musuem in downtown Orlando, is it the one that you pay $6 to see a plastic orange tree? What are the others???
I was thinking the same thing. The one with the plastic tree is horrible and should not even be called a museum.
When I went there, I almost cried in self pity, because I was living there at the time. You run the risk of dumbing down quickly when your in a cultural abyss, you begin to think a Burger King with a drive inn is a cultural experience, which brings me to another thought. IN-N OUT burger, better than any fastfood in Puertorlando!!
Last edited by History Rules; 08-30-2009 at 03:01 PM..
Reason: spelling
When I went there, I almost cried in self pity, because I was living there at the time. You run the risk of dumbing down quickly when your in a cultural abyss, you begin to think a Burger King with a drive inn is a cultural experience, which brings me to another thought. IN-N OUT burger, better than any fastfood in Puertorlando!!
Citizens of Detroit, Gary Indiana, Newark, Flint, take similar pride in their downtowns, you should be commended. If you ever had an opportunity to live in another city or ever lived in another city you would realize it is wrong, horribly, horribly wrong and dangerous. I wouldn't expect someone raised in Orlando or from a city that didn't even have chain restaurants to understand, for those groups I'm sure Orlando "seems" to offer something. What is your favorite musuem in downtown Orlando, is it the one that you pay $6 to see a plastic orange tree? What are the others???
You forgot to throw Philadelphia in there.
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