J.R. STAVES: An ode to Orlando, FL

Orlando!!!! Okay, where to begin? This is my first trip to the orlando area in four years and I have to say that I am in love! It's a hot spot for a vacation, and if you stay at a resort such as Orange Lake or a Disney resort, you are pretty much set. The shopping opportunities are infinite as well as the dining and swimming, and theme parks. My first experience with the orlando area and vacationing in florida was 2001, I had just finished the eight grade and we went to the orlando area just about every year until about 2006. Not that this necessarily matters, but just something I'd throw. I'd say about 2003 is when we purchased the timeshare home at the Orange Lake Resort and Country Club, and I had my first experience of staying at the resort in the summer of 2005. The pool opportunities are superb though I personally like the west and north village pools best. River Island was fun and all but it can get a bit crowded after a while. Outside of the resort was a grocery store, target and several restaurants and shopping areas that I had been built since our last stay. This trip, we did not do any of the theme parks, it was just a seven day leave the house kind of trip. Though I do wish we would have gone to downtown Disney or Epcot to watch some fireworks. On the plus side though, from our resort, we were able to see the fire works from our room.

What to do in the Orlando area.

Disney World-Epcot, Downtown Disney, Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom(we never actually did this one). While we did not do any theme parks this time around, I have some fond memories of getting on the Tower of Terror,
The Rockin Roller Coaster, going see Cirque De Solei, watching the fireworks at Epcot, taking a journey, Visiting Typhoon Lagoon (man, that wave pool has some strong waves!), Riding Spaceship Earth and the Test Track, also visiting the set where Pear Harbor was filmed.

Universal Studios-Wanna see where Nickelodeon shoots much of their shows or just ride a few rides on the other end?

Celebration-is a TND in the orlando area that literally looks like something from a storybook. No lie, the place does not look real, it looks like something that could have been drawn in one of those interactive storybooks, except it has actually come to life. To be honest with you, some parts, of the area, remind me of a garden district here in Louisiana. There is also a hotel within the development. The lifestyle really reminds you of the stefford wives or beaver days with kids riding their bikes down the sidewalk or stopping at the local ice cream shop for dessert or an afternoon snack.

Water parks-Okay, I don't care how old you are, if you can walk w/o a cane you are still young enough to enjoy a water park. IMHO there is no such thing as "too old" to enjoy a water park. Water parks have rides that cater to people from every age group. Though for most rides you do have to be at least 4 feet tall. Just the thrill of going down a slide where the water pressure is so strong that you can barely hold on to the rails before the lifeguard gives you the okay to slide down is an exciting thing for me. So far I've been to Wet N' Wild and Typhoon Lagoon (which is a Disney water park). Have yet to go to Blizzard Beach, and unforturnately I never got to experience the now closed, River Country.

Chill at the resort-If you are looking to go on a trip where you don't have to do anything, you can just sit at the resort and enjoy a day at the pool w/ a margarita.

Play Golf-Any golfers out there? Orlando is loaded w/ the opportunities for you. In fact some resorts may have several golf courses for you to choose from. Wanna do it as a family, there are several miniature golf courses to select from as well.

Dine Out-Whether you want to dine at a resort or grab some seafood the options are there. We went to this grill where I got a meal that I would not have thought to get. The restaurant was right outside of the resort, next to a longhorn steakhouse. It was this meal with two friend chicken breast with this layer of vegetables, spinach and melted cheese. Actually quite good, and that is probably the only way that I would eat spinach (w/ the exception of getting it at subway on a sandwich or a pizza).

House Look-This would be what my mom likes to do, when we were younger, we would take one day out of the trip to ride around the area looking at model homes. We would find neighboorhoods and if there was a home available to view we most likely were there.

Enjoy the diversity-Being from a town w/ not much diversity, I love the diversity of the tourists and the residence of the area. It's a beautiful thing to see so many ethnic backgrounds enjoying each other's company.

If you really want to relax-just take a ride to the city itself away from all the chaos. Orlando is one of those cities who's suburbs are more chaotic than the city itself. The actual city of Orlando is rather quiet. If you choose not to do this, go sit at a Barnes and Noble bookstore or an outdoor cafe w/ a beverage.

What I realized this year that I did not realize in the past:

Okay, I knew about the gay pride event at Disney World, but I had no idea that the Orlando area had such a large metrosexual scene. Out here you see alot of guys rocking the tank tops, shorts, and sandals. Now don't get me wrong, I like sandals as much as the next person, but I usually keep mine a conservative colour. I stay w/ the browns, tans, blacks, and maybe navy blue. Out here the guys are rocking the whites, light blues, yellows, and to top it all off, those damn murses (man purses) lol. Did I mention that I say a COACH men's store in one of the outlet malls. You see those really tight shorts on guys that almost look like capris. You see heavy dudes wearing that damn spandex. I try to be a somewhat progressive individual, and to some extent maybe my wardrobe is somewhat metro, but I still try to keep it conservative. Just sayin. Anyway, love Orlando, I personally would not live there, though I would vacation there, and perhaps being away from Orlando for such a long period is just what I needed to appreciate it again.