Orlando Chat Thread (foreclosures, skatepark, sex offenders)

[asiel]

hello! do u have any idea if Robinson Hills is a good place to live in?

[asiel]

where do u work specifically? at FL hospital?

[delaneyparkdave]

If you are 30's something and single, then absolutely live downtown. Close to the hospital....I would say Thornton Park for a house, or Colonial Town if you cant afford Thornton Park, and if you prefer a condo, there are some remarkable deals on condos at any of the newer condo buildings that are within a couple of blocks of the core downtown area. Seriously, unless you want to have a lot of traffic hassles, do not live in South Seminole County or anywhere east of town. Been here all my life, would not tell you if i did not believe it myself...Have always lived in downtown. Brick streets, shimmering lakes, big old Live Oaks...Plus a large population of eclectic, upscale, young people, clubs, bars, and chic restaurants.

[8palmtrees]

Originally Posted by delaneyparkdave

If you are 30's something and single, then absolutely live downtown. Close to the hospital....I would say Thornton Park for a house, or Colonial Town if you cant afford Thornton Park, and if you prefer a condo, there are some remarkable deals on condos at any of the newer condo buildings that are within a couple of blocks of the core downtown area. Seriously, unless you want to have a lot of traffic hassles, do not live in South Seminole County or anywhere east of town. Been here all my life, would not tell you if i did not believe it myself...Have always lived in downtown. Brick streets, shimmering lakes, big old Live Oaks...Plus a large population of eclectic, upscale, young people, clubs, bars, and chic restaurants.

Are there any good places (in the orlando area) to go for those who are in their 30's single and hate the bar/club scene?

[delaneyparkdave]

parks, churches, restaurants with bars, softball leagues, flag footbal leagues....depends really on what you are looking for....

[cheypepper]

First of all...I am not a recent transplant that just decided to move here to paradise. I have lived in Florida since 1973 which does give me the right to comment on how bad it has become. I spent 25 of those years in Palm Beach County...which was the place to go back then and looking back had a sense of community. I packed up and moved here with my husband in 1996 as a short stop before we would have continued out of the State. He, being from the beautiful Northwest, also saw the negative here after 10 years. Unfortunately, he came down with brain cancer and died here. Because of my finances exhausted after medical bills I stayed to make the best of it and was shocked at the wages compared to South Florida ( I am now making what I did back in 1992) and the Northeast. Yes, living was a little cheaper then, but not any more. As far as heating compared to air conditioning, my relatives pay around $200.00 a month in the winter. Crime is far worse here...you need to read up on the Crime Stats....Orlando was one of the worst places in the country for crime this year...and that's violent crime. Upstate Ny has crime it's true but the punishment is much more severe up north thanks to a better judicial system and the city I came from has never had a house invasion. As a former police officer I think I know what I'm talking about....Yes, there are pedophiles everywhere and yes some gravitate to the warmer weather from the north...just my point!!!
As far as neighbors go, you are fortunate because everyone I work with and many are seniors, do not know their neighbors and there are so many homes now vacant due to the foreclosure mess ( Florida is in the top 3 ) that they have attracted vagrants, burglaries and pests. Down the street from me the police arrested one homeowner or renter that had dozens of home appliances he had been stealing from the vacant homes for months in his garage. Never heard of that up north and I do keep on top of the crimes there. Regarding festivals, etc.. I have attended probably every festival and event in the State back in the '70's and '80's when you could pack up your kids and be across the State in 2 hours or up here in 2 with no traffic. Sorry, they don't compare to the pristine beauty of the National and State Parks, the wineries along Seneca Lake ( Lakeridge Winery is a joke) or the craftmanship of the locals. Don't even get me started on the food here. While States up North are starting community coops where everyone can buy local produce and the restaurants all use the local foods, we have in our backyard one of the finest growing areas in the world in Belle Glade and Pahokee...but do we get our produce from there? Most comes from South America and Mexico. How sad is that?
I stand by what I said. But I am happy you love it here...somebody has to.
And as far as the "slim chance of a hurricane" goes, obviously you weren't here in 2004 when we had Charlie, Jeanne and Frances come through. It took friends of mine months to get repairs done to their homes not to mention the throngs of snake oil repairmen and scams that went on. Compare that to the ice storm of the century that my sister went through and had her check from the insurance company in 2 weeks. Oh, and the neighborhood I live in is only 10 years old and off of Hwy. 27 which when I moved here was citrus groves all the way to Clermont. Just look at it now!

I suggest that before you accuse someone of not doing their research and of moving here without thinking you ask that person why they ended up here. When I finally get rid of this house I can't sell I will let you know how different it is where I end up. I have done nothing but research for the past year. Oh, and my supervisor just had his taxes go up $500.00 even though is home value went down $100,000. That's just the beginning...eventually we will have a State income tax or this State will end up like California.
Happy Trails!

[stars99]

I finally saw that kiddie train at the Mall on Alafaya that everyone was talking about, lol. I didn't even realize it was at that particular mall, and I was was there when it went by.

[Trivettes]

Originally Posted by hunter23306

Everyone says the traffic is horrible in the Orlando area. I will be attending culinary school in the area in the near future. I lived in the DC Metro area for 5 years and have traveled extensively throughout the Baltimore-Philly-NYC corridor. How does the traffic compare to say the DC area?

A running joke here is that NY cabbies cringe when they think of driving here.

Traffic can be bad during rush hour but if you've driven in the DC Metro area you can probably handle it.

[GLS2010]

Originally Posted by OrlandoRE_Miracle

I finally saw that kiddie train at the Mall on Alafaya that everyone was talking about, lol. I didn't even realize it was at that particular mall, and I was was there when it went by.

yea it was gone for the summer months, i noticed it was back a couple weeks ago. Its a different train this time though. Its not as long as the old one, im guessing they shortened it for safety reasons

[Pete C]

So what is the big deal about this train? I would think a car would hit a kid running around on foot before hitting something larger and more obvious like a kiddie train. I'm more surprised that the mall would take on that risk due to potential lawsuit.