Alright Orlando!

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I love this argument because any city Orlando's size or larger as an MSA is going to have as much or more (excluding amusement parks). I mean name a comparably sized MSA that doesn't have as much or more...

The OP came flouncing into the thread with all kinds of pie-eyed expectations that more or less don't pan out to the reality, and it's only responsible as forum members to educate with some sense of reality versus spinning the tale further.

Of course in the further dumbing down of America cultural opportunity means little so it helps to explain the appeal of cities like Orlando versus cities with more intellectual capital. Americans Prefer Amusement Parks Over National Parks, Study Reveals : Travel Culture : TravelersToday

You are avoiding my question again...

What are all the things you vision you can do in cities like San Francisco or Seattle that you can't do here?

See this is the thing, I don't need articles comparing cities etc because I've lived in a lot of places and I've visited a lot of places, but most important as I said, I actually lived in a lot of places lol. I've lived in Seattle. I've lived in San Francisco. For me, Orlando was very cheap... I own 3 homes in Orlando now... you think I could have done that in San Francisco or even within a 2 hour drive of San Francisco? Nope. I personally think Orlando might have the most things to do out of any city I've lived in. Now remember, as I mentioned in my earlier post... I said things to do, not scenery, not walk-ability, not architecture, not atmosphere, not culture etc... but things to do.

The only thing that is pie-eyed, is your view of cities like San Francisco lol. I'm still waiting to see the long list of things. It's a simple question and I can give you a true or false on each claim since I've actually lived there. I'm honestly curious to know. There are people who do have pie-eyed views of Florida and there are people who have pie-eyed views of California.

The OP didn't say anything about... oh I'm going to move to Orlando because the jobs pay the most in the country and you don't need a car because you can walk everywhere and maids only cost $200 per month... that would be living in fantasy land, but the OP didn't say anything too pie-eyed besides great universities... UCF is good, but not great, but not bad either.

[Arcenal813]

I find Orlando has more to do than pretty much any city I've been to of comparable size... I also find it to have more to do than Atlanta, which is significantly larger. (Never understood Atlanta's hype.)
While we do have season passes to the theme parks, we don't go often. Despite this, we are never bored. We are constantly finding new things to do: new events, new festivals, etc. A lot of it has to do with the fact that Orlando also has much more pleasant weather than most other cities for the better part of the year.

[pratith]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

The OP is making the distinction that Orlando is "cheap" which it's not unless moving from a SF, NYC, DC or Boston (etc)...all of which are within a definite minority in terms of economics. Secondly when one strips away the theme park aspect Orlando is your average mid-sized city in terms of things to do, so was pointing out unless theme parks a driving factor in one's social calendar there isn't anything especially riveting here.

Well, I don't know much about Orlando, but when I interned there last summer, I drove over from NY. I had fun every weekend around there. Here are the things I did on different weekends, most of them first time experiences:

1. Casino cruise somewhere near Kennedy Space Center.
2. Flyboarding in some lake in Orlando.
3. Daytona Speedway and beach.
4. Drove over to Tallahassee one weekend to see my buddy and went to Panama Beach, had Irish Wake at a bar in Destin, had an awesome swim in Wakula Springs, and went canoeing in FSU's lake.
5. My first concert (a badass one: SLAYER) in St. Augustine, AirBnB'd that night and explored the oldest European settlement in the USA over the weekend.
6. Tried different local beers at WOB with my mentor and other colleagues at work on many Friday evenings.
7. Also, drove over to Smokey Mountains for a reunion during a long weekend, but I guess that's irrelevant here?

I did not go to Disney World or Universal Studios... I don't know, but I had a lot of fun interning there in Orlando. I loved the weather too

[DTWtoPHX]

Originally Posted by pratith

Well, I don't know much about Orlando, but when I interned there last summer, I drove over from NY. I had fun every weekend around there. Here are the things I did on different weekends, most of them first time experiences:

1. Casino cruise somewhere near Kennedy Space Center.
2. Flyboarding in some lake in Orlando.
3. Daytona Speedway and beach.
4. Drove over to Tallahassee one weekend to see my buddy and went to Panama Beach, had Irish Wake at a bar in Destin, had an awesome swim in Wakula Springs, and went canoeing in FSU's lake.
5. My first concert (a badass one: SLAYER) in St. Augustine, AirBnB'd that night and explored the oldest European settlement in the USA over the weekend.
6. Tried different local beers at WOB with my mentor and other colleagues at work on many Friday evenings.
7. Also, drove over to Smokey Mountains for a reunion during a long weekend, but I guess that's irrelevant here?

I did not go to Disney World or Universal Studios... I don't know, but I had a lot of fun interning there in Orlando. I loved the weather too

See! That's what I love about Florida. I'm not looking for a snooty place full of people that brag about their museums, opera and art. I love the outdoors and being able to explore year round.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

You are avoiding my question again...

What are all the things you vision you can do in cities like San Francisco or Seattle that you can't do here?

See this is the thing, I don't need articles comparing cities etc because I've lived in a lot of places and I've visited a lot of places, but most important as I said, I actually lived in a lot of places lol. I've lived in Seattle. I've lived in San Francisco. For me, Orlando was very cheap... I own 3 homes in Orlando now... you think I could have done that in San Francisco or even within a 2 hour drive of San Francisco? Nope. I personally think Orlando might have the most things to do out of any city I've lived in. Now remember, as I mentioned in my earlier post... I said things to do, not scenery, not walk-ability, not architecture, not atmosphere, not culture etc... but things to do.

The only thing that is pie-eyed, is your view of cities like San Francisco lol. I'm still waiting to see the long list of things. It's a simple question and I can give you a true or false on each claim since I've actually lived there. I'm honestly curious to know. There are people who do have pie-eyed views of Florida and there are people who have pie-eyed views of California.

The OP didn't say anything about... oh I'm going to move to Orlando because the jobs pay the most in the country and you don't need a car because you can walk everywhere and maids only cost $200 per month... that would be living in fantasy land, but the OP didn't say anything too pie-eyed besides great universities... UCF is good, but not great, but not bad either.

Lol! Exactly. I think I have some pretty realistic expectations on moving to and living in Orlando. Thank you for this. Would you say the job market is continuing to diversify in Orlando?

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by DTWtoPHX

See! That's what I love about Florida. I'm not looking for a snooty place full of people that brag about their museums, opera and art. I love the outdoors and being able to explore year round.



Lol! Exactly. I think I have some pretty realistic expectations on moving to and living in Orlando. Thank you for this. Would you say the job market is continuing to diversify in Orlando?

Definitely.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by DTWtoPHX

See! That's what I love about Florida. I'm not looking for a snooty place full of people that brag about their museums, opera and art. I love the outdoors and being able to explore year round.

Lol! Exactly. I think I have some pretty realistic expectations on moving to and living in Orlando. Thank you for this. Would you say the job market is continuing to diversify in Orlando?

No problem!

Yes, the job market is diversifying and leadership is trying to get more diversification of jobs. It’s still nowhere near San Francisco level, but it is improving for sure.

[germanoricua]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Honestly, I find there is more to do here than back in San Francisco, unless you really are a museum enthusiast. There are also more festival type events as well.

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

While we do have season passes to the theme parks, we don't go often. Despite this, we are never bored. We are constantly finding new things to do: new events, new festivals, etc. A lot of it has to do with the fact that Orlando also has much more pleasant weather than most other cities for the better part of the year.

I agree!

In my opinion, not the same people will find the same cities attractive. It all depends on your personal taste what you consider fun things to do.

We will move to Orlando in a couple of months specifically because there is much more to do for us than in NE Florida where we live now (although we like the weather better up here, less humid).

I love FL in general because of the great weather, the palm trees in my back yard, the occasional beach walk and because here I feel as if I am almost in Latin America when I have a longing for that (I love Latin America!). I can go back and forth between the Anglo and the Latino world and I love that!

What I love most about Orlando are all the festivals and Latin fiestas (stylish dances and live concerts indoor, and festivals with famous artists outdoors on Sunday afternoons - e. g. 4 famous artists or bands for just $15). I find the salsa dance scene much better in Orlando than in highly praised NYC. For me, Orlando comes second after San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is the best for me dancewise! And no, I am not Latina.

As I said before, it all depends on one's personal taste and interests!