Our niece, K, flew in to attend a training session in Orlando. She stayed at a Holiday Inn across from the Universal theme park. We took her to Universal's City Walk for dinner with our daughter and her family. City Walk, like Disney's Disney Springs, is the restaurant section. There is no entrance fee for City Walk, and if you arrive after 6 p.m. the parking is free. Otherwise, they charge $30 to park.
City Walk is much smaller than Disney Springs, but it is a festive place with neon, people, shops, and restaurants. Kiosks selling trinkets, margaritas, and cold beer abound. It feels like a carnival. I like that.
We struggled finding dinner reservations for 6 people. We usually go to The Cowfish@ Sushi Burger Bar. No luck there, or at any of the other decent restaurants. Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville had room for us. The food wasn't great, but as a bonafide Northern transplant I'm used to that sort of deep fried disappointment. Let me just say there aren't many non-franchise eateries in greater Orlando. I made the mistake of trying the fish and chips. Yuck. Cole slaw is a ubiquitous side dish down here. Luckily, Jimmy makes a pretty good slaw, but it was room temp. Never a good sign.
I wish we could have taken K to Cowfish instead of Margaritaville. I also wish we had brought her home, cooked for her, and kept her for a few days. Next time.
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| https://www.visitorlando.com/blog/post/top-10-reasons-to-visit-universal-citywalk-in-orlando/ |
When in Florida, we always feel like we've hit the lottery when we a) find a parking space and b) get in to eat at a reasonable hour.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, Orlando has never been a great restaurant town. I guess all those Disney/Universal tourists are looking for a more chain-like dining experience! (There's safety in the known, right?)
ReplyDeleteIt's true. Everything you say.
DeleteYou all had a fun day together. That's what matters.
ReplyDeleteThe fun we all had together mattered so much. It was great.
DeleteI'm so sorry you didn't get to go to the restaurant you wanted and ended up at one that wasn't great. I am glad though that you did get to spend time with your niece.
ReplyDeleteIf we hadn't gone to Margaritaville I probably wouldn't have been inspired to write this blog post. Ha.
Delete"Deep fried disappointment" made me laugh. So true!
ReplyDeleteYou made my day!
DeleteEven back when I travelled for business, I made only one trip to Florida, and my memory is getting to and from the meeting. I remember eating lunch somewhere, but little else.
ReplyDeleteThere are some amazing state parks and nature preserves in Florida. But if you come for business, you probably end up in a city.
Delete"...there aren't many non-franchise eateries in greater Orlando." So how big is greater Orlando? What's the furthest you'd go for a decent meal? I'm assuming you own cars. Perhaps you've signed the "anti-gas" (we say petrol) pledge, and are still diddling about buying an all-electric now you've found out what they cost
ReplyDeleteWe have gone to many restaurants in and around the greater Orlando metropolitan area (which comprises about 4,000 square miles, and of which the city of Orlando is the hub) over the 9 years we've lived here. The only one I would currently spend time driving to is a Cuban place called the Copacabana in Mt. Dora. It's about 30 minutes away. There is also a Mexican restaurant about 20 minutes from us we like. About 10 minutes away is relatively good pizza (not like in NYS), and Thai food. 30 minutes is the most I'd drive for a meal.
DeleteHey! I've written comments on your blog twice in the last couple weeks that never showed up. Either I didn't press the send button, or they are in your spam folder.
DeleteAs you probably know, the super-fashionable restaurants in London are usually fully booked-up months in advance. But suppose by the day in question you don't really feel like eating out? Too bad. Luckily restaurants in Belfast don't make themselves so unavailable and it's easy to book a few days in advance.
ReplyDeleteOh gee, I bet there are some good places to eat in Belfast.
DeleteEating out in Florida is the greatest incentive to become a good cook! People keep flocking here from up north but most of the restaurants are chains. We have one place that is small, family run, excellent and, of course, super expensive. Since tourism is such a big industry here, and tourists have to eat....go figure!
ReplyDeleteIt's true. I don't understand why tourists would want to eat at the same chain restaurant they have at home?
DeleteI suppose I have some preferences about clothes. My underpants must always come from Marks & Spencer (a national chain mainly for the middle classes) but that's because they last longest, have a generous waist length and don't carry unintentionally unfunny slogans. About fifteen years ago VR, ashamed of dining out with me in my hobo-ish shabbiness, bought me a tweed jacket and a pair of dark maroon trousers fashioned in a hard sailcloth-like fabric - both items stylish and moderately expensive. Had this not happened my last sartorial purchase of any consequence would have been pre-millennial.
ReplyDeleteBut there are advantages in not really knowing what's in my wardrobe. Not even caring, for that matter. It allows me time to think a bit and even have a go at writing now and then. Oh... I was about to go on for three or more paras in this vein when I suddenly remembered - VR also bought me a subtly, multi-coloured scarf designed by Paul Smith and costing £60. Sixty smackers for a scarf! Briefly I wondered whether this single piece of cloth - definitely high-end - might suggest I had ideas above my station which would have worried me. But then a gorgeous woman sauntered over to me in the foyer of Hereford's Courtyard Theatre, pointed, and said, "Nice scarf."
So now I'm into clothing and much of the above can safely be ignored.