Orlando-Downtown Vacation Help (Miami, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach: credit, good hotels, rent)

[Mountaingirl67]

I plan on taking a vacation and staying in downtown Orlando during the first week of September and would like as much information as possible. I have never been to Orlando but like to travel to a new city every year. I will be staying for one week and love cities so I want to stay downtown.
1) What public transportation from the airport is connected with downtown? What is the cost and distance?
2) What are three or four good hotels in a nice area for a 40 year old women in the $100 to $150 a night range?
3) I don't want to rent a car so tell me what the best activities to fill my days would be. What parts of downtown have the best shopping, arts, museums and nightlife?
4) I love book stores, where are the best used book stores downtown?
5) What foods is Orlando known for that I have to try?
6) Where are the best brunch spots downtown, I'm a big brunch eater?
7) What is the best newstand downtown where I can get out of town papers?
8) Where is the best bakery downtown?
9) If I go to an event at the arena, where are the best nightspots and restaurants next to it??
10) Where are the best video stores downtown to rent DVD's if I want a night in?
11) I like Jazz clubs and other low key adult entertainment, what are my best bets downtown.
12) What is the best coffee house downtown uniquely Orlando?
13) Will I be comfortable at night, what is the weather like?
14) What are the best, breakfast, lunch and dinner spots particularly chinese, Italian and other good ethnic foods?
15) Are there any areas I need to avoid?
16) Are the museums world class? How long do they take to visit and what is the cost, particularly the art musuems.
17) Where are the best photo opportunities?
18) What area downtown has trendy shops and cafes?
19) What is the best record and cd store downtown?
20) Where downtown should I do my grocery shopping also where is the best pharmacy?
Please tell me all the hidden gems that only the locals would know about downtown Orlando??

[Metallisteve]

I grew up in the Orlando area and only recently moved away...so I don't want to paint a bad picture of Orlando. It'll always be home. That said...

My brother is an Orlando cop right now so I hear plenty about how Orlando is taking a turn for the not-so-good right now...meaning crime rates and murder rates through the roof. Add to that the touristy nature of the town and surrounding areas, there is a very high threat of crimes and scams against tourists. I highly recommend you travel with a partner and always stay together...everywhere you go. Even in the busy downtown. Lots of homeless folks make things even more interesting downtown.

The only area that I can say stay far away from is the Parramore District located along Parramore Ave. (west side of I-4). All I can say and emphasize is stay in a group and don't look like an easy target.

To add one positive to this post...I can recommend the Lake Eola park area for a day's visit. Paddle boats, plenty of photo ops, a couple of miles of walking track/sidewalk, plenty of picnic area, and a few restaurants make it fun. It's at the southeast corner of Rosalind and Robinson.

Again, stick together!

...and don't forget about Kennedy Space Center out on the coast near Cocoa Beach. Short drive from Orlando! (my personal favorite, as a space geek)

[Alphaman]

Orlando is spread out alot of the things you are looking for require a car. areas around thorton park and lake eola are trendy and also the areas around park ave in winter park. Don`t come here expecting a city like boston or new york.

Orlando has alot to do but not like Boston or a new york.

[bdpop]

I don't think Orlando may be a good option based on what you are asking. Almost everything you are asking about does not exist in downtown Orlando. You may be better off visiting a larger city like Miami or Atlanta, GA.

[Silence Dogood]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busin...,320815.column

It's good to see out of 24 readers at least one took the time to say the obvious based on the post. If any semblance of a downtown is what you are looking for, avoid this area like the plague. It is merely one congested chain strip mall after another with no purpose or history. The link explains how the proposed downtown movie theater dangled for the last year has been scrapped. First of all, I am hear on a two year consulting job for my company that I now regret I took. I am still marveling how poorly the city was designed and how a city can exist, calling itself a city without anything but a plan to build deserted high rises downtown. Getting back to your specifics:
I could simply say don't come here under any premise including being held at gunpoint, but I will answer your question than you can decide.
1. There is no airport transportation from downtown, in fact it may be the only city in America where there is no direct highway from the airport downtown so expect to be fleeced by a cab.
2. There are only 3 hotels I know of downtown, an Embassy Suites which I would recommend because at least you get breakfast, a ratty travel lodge and a bohemian which is a fortune. There is another hotel West of I-4 but I would never recommend going west of I-4 for any reason except maybe an in and out at the arena.
3. No nightlife at all downtown unless you are teen or early twenties, forget about museums, they don't exist. They have a downtown history musuem which takes 20 minutes to tour, it basically has a plastic orange tree in the middle.
4. If you can believe this, probably the only city in America without a single bookstore or newstand. You simply cannot get an out of town newspaper downtown.
5. There is not a single food indigenous to the area, there are few downtown restaurants, none worthy of dining at.
6. There is not a single bakery downtown.
7. No surprise, not a single decent brunch downtown if any. Bohemian hotel has a very mediocre very over priced brunch, I know of no others.
8. The arenas are built and miraculously the new ones will be built, in the ghetto so there are no restaurants or nightlife around them, your lucky to get back to your car.
9. Not only not a single movie theatre downtown, but not a single video store.
10. There is absolutely no adult entertainment, and the only coffee house I know of is one Starbucks on Orange
11. There is no trendy area at all, much to my amazement I was told about a trendy area called Thornton Park, when I got there I didn't even no where I was because it was literally a single corner with 3 restaurants. The food at Hue was decent but expensive, they have a horrible barbecue restaurant and an awfull Italian Restaurant. There is also a Sushi Bar and like one other restaurant. Never in my life have I been to an area where they give a part of town a name that literally is a single corner.
12. If you can believe it, not a single grocery store, drug store, record store, cd store, consignment shop or anything else that you might find in much much smaller metropolitan areas. There is simply nothing other than empty storefronts and tall tall buildings built apparently to give the feeling of a downtown.
Summary: Orlando is a truly unique downtown, if you did go you might be the 1st person in history that every chose downtown Orlando as a tourist destination. Hopefully the sad reality of this email will convince you to go to a downtown area that actually offers something. As a temporary resident it gives me great shame to wright this but I feel it im my duty to save you from what would be a grave mistake. Also the weather is completely oppressive, unbearable to even step outside from late April through October.

[Wilshire81182]

While I will say there is little to downtown Orlando and that it does not warrant a special trip if you are visiting the area, I would give it a lot more credit than the last poster.

Downtown is pretty clean and has a lot of bars and clubs. There are plenty of nice, small eateries. Some are more expensive than need be though.
A lot of the small shopping or restaurant locations are closer to Lake Eola/Thornton Park.
There are more options than those listed including the Eo Inn and spa, the Sheraton on Ivanhoe, etc.
There are not a lot though because downtown Orlando is more designed for residents and the business set than tourists.

[Mountaingirl67]

Wow, what a truly pathetic place. Thanks so much for saving me from what would have been easily the worst vacation of my life. Why would anyone deal with that crime and congestion without a real downtown, wouldn't it be better to live in the middle of nowhere. They have gas stations and Walmart there. I won't be visiting Orlando anytime soon since it is clear there is nothing there other than theme parks. I'll PASS!!
Seriously though, not a bookstore or Newstand downtown? How horribly sad and amazing, what is this country coming to?

[Wilshire81182]

Orlando is a great place to visit and live with a lot of entertainment options across the board.
I am sorry Orlando does not fit into your box of what a city should be.
I would not suggest you come here to experience primarily our downtown, because it is not like other US cities' downtowns. If you do not like theme parks, I would not suggest Orlando for a vacation. I would suggest Florida's beaches. If you only like urban culture than Florida will probably be lacking. Very few of the cities in Florida have a truly downtown culture like what you will find in other cities.

[Alphaman]

I would suggest Miami beach or Miami proper the rest of the city's except maybe Lauderdale will not have what you are looking for.

Sorry Orlando was such a disappointment but maybe we like it here and are not worried about how great downtown is. It would be a plus if we had a world class downtown but we don`t and where I came from in rhode island didnt either so I could really care less.

Why would anyone think Orlando had a world class downtown anyway what a laugh everyone knows Orlando for Disney not its Downtown. LOL

[Mountaingirl67]

Why would anyone pick a place with zero culture just to live near Disney, I don't get it. And if there is not downtown why not just live in the country so you still have zero culture but don't have congestion, high costs and crime? To each his own I guess.