THE Orlando Photo Thread

[Whipp]

How bout this? Before the Magic game tonight

*clapping hands and jumping up and down like a jr high cheerleader*

[JRS1]

those are some fine pix.

[bic]

Took a couple of cameraphone shots as I drove through downtown today:

[bic]

I'm ganking this photo (and retouching it) from a new SSP thread because it's such a unique perspective of the Downtown Orlando skyline and too good not to share with everybody here. Hope the original poster doesn't mind.

This picture actually makes it look like we have a respectable skyline!

[VistaLakes01]

I'm ganking this photo (and retouching it) from a new SSP thread because it's such a unique perspective of the Downtown Orlando skyline and too good not to share with everybody here. Hope the original poster doesn't mind.

This picture actually makes it look like we have a respectable skyline!

We do have a respectable skyline! This is about the best skyline pic of Orlando that I've ever seen. Orlando pics are usually taken from a different perspective that most cities aren't. Ours are almost always from Lake Eola which is already in the heart of downtown so while you have some beautiful pics, you really cannot view the skyline properly. This picture is similar to how most people take pictures of other cities skylines. This is the type of picture that should be on a postcard. Thanks for the awesome picture!

[JFW657]

The problem is that there are very few elevated locations to view dowtowm from at a distance, especially as far as highways are concerned.

[wally2169]

I'm ganking this photo (and retouching it) from a new SSP thread because it's such a unique perspective of the Downtown Orlando skyline and too good not to share with everybody here. Hope the original poster doesn't mind.

This picture actually makes it look like we have a respectable skyline!

This is an awesome photo!!

The perspective of this angle shows off great density thereby not creating the spaced out perspective the skyline usually shows in other photos

[JFW657]

I'm trying to figure out where it was taken.

Looks like somewhere around west Michigan near OBT or Rio Grande.

Or west Kaley around Division, maybe?

Edited December 30, 2007 by JFW657

[prahaboheme]

^ Florida Mall Hotel.

[Topher1]

^ The hotel at the Florida Mall (according to original poster at SSP).

EDIT: DOh, beat me to it.

Edited December 30, 2007 by Topher1

[Whipp]

^ Florida Mall Hotel.

finally florida mall proves itself worthy of something!

[VistaLakes01]

It's not the size of the buildings, though. That's where Orlando gets it wrong. And that is why there is always one more big building and a lot of hype, and nothing comes of it, and you are looking for one more building...

It's about content. It's about having an urban feel. About interest and diversity. A vibe that is somehow missing from Orlando proper. So even if Orlando has more tall buildings than Cleveland or Providence or any other city, it still doesn't feel like a city. Because there is no urban feel to it. It's why a little place like Portland Maine has so few tall buildings yet feels like a city. Don't think in quantity. Think in quality.

I have to disagree a bit about Orlando not having an urban feel to it. I think that has changed drastically in the past few years. The rebirth of Thornton Park and what I like to call SoEo (South Eola) has a very urban feel to it and although it's bound to change, downtown proper has had the nightlife scene happening. I can see the nightlife scene changing some in the years to come with less seedy venues and more nice restaurants and ultra lounges and becoming more "adult oriented" once the new residential towers start to fill up and the residents bring about some changes. I remember Miami in the 70s and early 80s and it was more of a ghost town downtown and South Beach then Orlando is now. I remember one little shop on Ocean Drive that was kind of cool, I forget the name, and that was it except for the dilapidated hotels. By the mid to late 80s things really took off. A lot can happen in a short amount of time, Miami is an example of that. I see a similar trend in Orlando. In ten years Orlando could be a bustling city night and day. It's happening in Tampa and also in St. Pete. I think Parramore is going to play a big part in the city's development, you can see it being primed for it now. A big chunk of it has become that new park, the arena will be in a better location than the current arena because it's in more of a business section of Parramore on West Church. And Uptown is bound to start happpening sometime soon, especially with the Florida Hospital expansion. It's almost like North Orange is similar to the road from downtown Miami to the Grove (which here is Park Avenue). And look at how Winter Park is developing, soon Park Ave and Winter Park Village will be connected. That is why my friend from Cleveland thought Orlando was bigger, not because of the skyline neccesarily, it was because there is a lot of walkable areas and parks and shopping (Thornton Park and Winter Park and Colonialtown and College Park and the fact that Millenia is not off in some distant suburb but connects the two Orlando's together. And also the fact that there is a decent mall in the downtown area still surviving and also Baldwin Park. Most development in other older "big" cities is in the suburbs. We ate lunch at Pei Wei and the crowd in there was very city trendy like. Which means if Orlando Fashion Square can get some of the newer trendier retailers in there the market for that is surrounding it with downtown and Baldwin Park. The mall itself is very clean and attractive inside for a mall that age and I know since Herndon Plaza has been redone that Fashion Square will soon be heading in the right direction. It won't be a Millenia, but it can surely be an Altamonte (which my friend from Cleveland was also fascinated with what's happening there.) We get way to critical about Orlando but as a city it is gaining residents which is not the national trend. So Orlando has not peaked yet, it is yet to be seen what it is to become.

[OCF]

I couldnt' agree with you more Metrowester. We are not quite the city we all want and hope to be YET, but we are definitely in the process and headed in the right direction. Although these transitions can happen fast, they don't happen overnight. I left Orlando for a number of years for school, when I returned I was AMAZED at the transformations going on throughout the area. Before I left the only residential options even close to the CBD were the Lutheran towers and some other assisted living communities. Just the thought of living in the CBD/Eola area was unheard of. So just the existing condos we have now are worlds away from the Downtown I left. Fashion Square and that entire area were on there last legs and Baldwin Park was nothing more than speculation. Now the entire area has a very nice vibe and is always bustling (try finding a parking spot in the Target/LA fitness shopping plaza at just about any time of day). I grew up near Altamonte Mall. The new Uptown at Altamonte is just MINDBLOWING to me. The mall make over and the new Crane's Roost are nothing short of spectacular to someone who used to run around the lake during my high school "athletic" days.

Overall I do feel like Orlando has a developing Urban vibe because it doesn't have the same feel as before I left. It's no longer an area where I drive from one parking lot to another without feeling any cohesiveness with the surrounding areas. When I head downtown now, I park once and walk for the rest of the time. Same goes for my grocery shopping. I'll park once and hit the Publix and the Asian supermarkets in one trip and maybe even stop off to get something to eat. I have lived in other major urban areas (Boston/DC/San Francisco). We're not there yet, but we are also no longer the strip mall surburbia mecca that I remember. We are on the move and I'm just hoping to keep up.

[sunshine]

Great point but I wouldnt consider fashion square mall area as urban and definitely wouldnt say that downtown Orlando has a lot of shopping. I know a lot of people that live at that area considered themselves downtown.

I think downtown stop at south of Eola Park.

So your friend actually seriously think this

is bigger than this?

[JFW657]

I think downtown stop at south of Eola Park.

Downtown stops at the 408 Exwy. to the south, Lake Ivanhoe to the north, Division Ave. to the west & Summerlin Ave. to the east if you're south of Colonial Dr. & Magnolia Ave. to the east if you're north of Colonial Dr.

[frankieb96]

sunshine: i'm really not wanting to start a who's city/skyline is bigger. . .but you gotta compare apples with apples when comparing them like you did in those 2 pictures.

the orlando skyline is taken from 6-7 miles away from relatively low altitude, so you pretty much only see what's peeking up above the treeline. . . while the cleveland skyline's taken from an angle looking down, making it look a lot denser in my opinion.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1028/134774...dd56163.jpg?v=0

courtesy of the Gent Family Photos on flickr

it's still not 100% what im looking for, angle wise, but i think you get my point there.

[sunshine]

calm down..that's in reference to metrowester's post.

[frankieb96]

i'll calm down when you do

[codypet]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1028/134774...dd56163.jpg?v=0

geez orlando looks new.

[frankieb96]

yea, we keep her clean

http://flickr.com/photos/osiris/1198094889/

i wish i could say i took this. . .i LOVE this pic, really artsy, makes downtown look like a (very) mini-LA

[FLheat]

Here's some pics from the west side of the 27th floor in the Vue

WNW View

W View

WSW View

Edited January 3, 2008 by FLheat

[gumpking1]

Here's some pics from the west side of the 27th floor in the Vue

WNW View

W View

WSW View

Thanks for the photos

[VistaLakes01]

Judging by floor space, I would say it is bigger. But not more city like. And that's the point. I think Orlando really DOES have a lot opportunity and greatness to come out of it. But I think you already have enough of the buildings there. It seems all the excitement is over new buildings. Lets focus more on content. And not just parks. Businesses. Restaurants. Small shops and new ideas for clubs, venues, etc. that even if they only survive a few months can start bringing in some real character. I notice how much of the reasoning about how urban Orlando is revolves around the malls. Yet the malls are by nature a very sub-urban thing. I would if anything think you would want to dismiss the malls and focus on more of the independent character.

I don't think I am focusing on just malls and of course there is excitement over new buildings as there is in every city. Ever see any old newsreels about the Empire State Building? The fact is that Orlando city proper is still growing and adding residents while most major cities are still losing population to the suburbs. Maybe new cities are different is some aspects as older cities. When these older cities were at the stage of development that Orlando is now, there were no malls. How come residents of the upper East side of West side of Manhattan think of themselves as living in the city when downtown NY is at the bottom of the peninsula. Do people in Miami not live in the city if they live on Brickell Ave, Coconut Grove, or the Performing Arts district. The city is the city, Orlando is newer and more modern than most its size and I would surely not think of the Fashion Square/Baldwin Park area living in "the suburbs." How could living 1 or 2 miles from the CBD within the city limits of Orlando be considered suburban. Is Buckhead in Atlanta suburban? Atlantans think that their Lenox/Phipps shopping district is part of their city and it is further from downtown Atlanta than Fashion Square. Cities such as Atlanta and Cleveland and almost every other city in the country have lost their downtown department stores, and many are ghost towns after 6pm. Is every resident in the city of Orlando supposed to live on top of each other in the heart of downtown and that's it for city living? Chicago has many neighborhoods that are full of pride and the residents in those neighborhoods are Chicago city residents. Orlando has many proud neighborhoods as you can see by the signage that says "A Great Orlando Neighborhood." Wadeview Park, Delaney Park, Lancaster Park, College Park, Eola Heights, Thornton Park, Colonialtown North and South, Parramore, Carver Shores, Washington Shores, MetroWest, Lee Vista, Millenia, Orwin Park, and even Lake Nona. Even Orange County has areas they consider urban areas such as Waterford Lakes. How come some of the largest metro areas in the country are hosted by cities with 300,000 or 400,000 people? And are you saying the majority of the residents of those cities live in the suburbs? The 400,000 people in Atlanta live in the city of Atlanta and are served by city services, Miami as well, Orlando also. One day there may be mid-high rises lining Colonial Drive to the Fashion Square, Baldwin Park area. What about Park Lake Towers? What about Mills Park and SoDo? And why are most new shops and restaurants built on East Colonial or Orange Ave on street level with rear parking instead of the suburban parking in the front? And don't you notice a lot of GLBT residents within the city limits of Orlando. They are definetly attracted to city living. I am a people watcher and I love fashion and I can tell the difference between the people eating at Chipolte on East Colonial than those eating at a Lake Mary fast food restaurant. The clothing, hairstyles, and over all attitude is urban. Come on, if they live in the Bumby/Colonial area they are living in an inner city neighborhood, there is nothing suburban about it and nothing suburban about the more liberal minded people that reside there. Even shoppers at Dadeland Mall or Aventura Mall in Miami have an urban-ness about them, and they are way outside of Downtown Miami proper. How come Orlando is judged differently than other cities? I guess visitors from other cities can see the city living in Orlando more than the people living here. And I believe that city residents in Tampa recognize their city neighborhoods such as SoHo/Armenia, Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, Seminole Heights, Westshore, Ybor City, Channelside, and now the area known as West Tampa is coming back to life. A city is not just a couple of blocks and that's it. Most of the areas that some of you are saying are downtown or the only urban areas aren't even residential. Well, that's enough ranting for now, it's a sore subject for me, especially when my co-workers who live in Winter Springs, Sanford, Longwood, etc. don't want to come "in to Orlando" to visit me because it is too large and they are afraid of getting lost. They hate driving through Orlando on I-4 or the 408 because of the traffic and confusion. Those are true suburban attitudes and they are not the attitudes of the people that live in the above mentioned "Orlando City Neighborhoods." So even our own suburbanites think of Fashion Square and Colonialtown of being urban, that's why they don't live there and most of them don't even feel comfortable going out to eat at Hue or the Beacon or too some of the downtown nightclubs, they don't want to bother dressing up or know what to even wear because they can see a difference in the people. There, all done. Those are fantastic pictures by the way, and possibly the only thing that makes Cleveland look "more urban" in that picture is the fact of the rivers and bridges and the lake front and the age of the buildings, the industrial look of the era when it was a boomtown. (By the way, it's big news in Cleveland if 4 townhouses are built in a downtown neighborhood) so it seems Cleveland has peaked as a city and is heading downward. It is much more of a struggle to get some residential built in the downtown areas of the rust belt than it is here. Even Atlanta is having a hard time getting true downtown residents in the CBD. Once again, awesome pictures of Orlando and that one picture of Cleveland is cool also, it's the first time I've seen a picture of the entire city core!

C

[facilities man]

Well said metrowester.

[OCF]

I don't think I am focusing on just malls and of course there is excitement over new buildings as there is in every city. Ever see any old newsreels about the Empire State Building? The fact is that Orlando city proper is still growing and adding residents while most major cities are still losing population to the suburbs. Maybe new cities are different is some aspects as older cities. When these older cities were at the stage of development that Orlando is now, there were no malls. How come residents of the upper East side of West side of Manhattan think of themselves as living in the city when downtown NY is at the bottom of the peninsula. Do people in Miami not live in the city if they live on Brickell Ave, Coconut Grove, or the Performing Arts district. The city is the city, Orlando is newer and more modern than most its size and I would surely not think of the Fashion Square/Baldwin Park area living in "the suburbs." How could living 1 or 2 miles from the CBD within the city limits of Orlando be considered suburban. Is Buckhead in Atlanta suburban? Atlantans think that their Lenox/Phipps shopping district is part of their city and it is further from downtown Atlanta than Fashion Square. Cities such as Atlanta and Cleveland and almost every other city in the country have lost their downtown department stores, and many are ghost towns after 6pm. Is every resident in the city of Orlando supposed to live on top of each other in the heart of downtown and that's it for city living? Chicago has many neighborhoods that are full of pride and the residents in those neighborhoods are Chicago city residents. Orlando has many proud neighborhoods as you can see by the signage that says "A Great Orlando Neighborhood." Wadeview Park, Delaney Park, Lancaster Park, College Park, Eola Heights, Thornton Park, Colonialtown North and South, Parramore, Carver Shores, Washington Shores, MetroWest, Lee Vista, Millenia, Orwin Park, and even Lake Nona. Even Orange County has areas they consider urban areas such as Waterford Lakes. How come some of the largest metro areas in the country are hosted by cities with 300,000 or 400,000 people? And are you saying the majority of the residents of those cities live in the suburbs? The 400,000 people in Atlanta live in the city of Atlanta and are served by city services, Miami as well, Orlando also. One day there may be mid-high rises lining Colonial Drive to the Fashion Square, Baldwin Park area. What about Park Lake Towers? What about Mills Park and SoDo? And why are most new shops and restaurants built on East Colonial or Orange Ave on street level with rear parking instead of the suburban parking in the front? And don't you notice a lot of GLBT residents within the city limits of Orlando. They are definetly attracted to city living. I am a people watcher and I love fashion and I can tell the difference between the people eating at Chipolte on East Colonial than those eating at a Lake Mary fast food restaurant. The clothing, hairstyles, and over all attitude is urban. Come on, if they live in the Bumby/Colonial area they are living in an inner city neighborhood, there is nothing suburban about it and nothing suburban about the more liberal minded people that reside there. Even shoppers at Dadeland Mall or Aventura Mall in Miami have an urban-ness about them, and they are way outside of Downtown Miami proper. How come Orlando is judged differently than other cities? I guess visitors from other cities can see the city living in Orlando more than the people living here. And I believe that city residents in Tampa recognize their city neighborhoods such as SoHo/Armenia, Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, Seminole Heights, Westshore, Ybor City, Channelside, and now the area known as West Tampa is coming back to life. A city is not just a couple of blocks and that's it. Most of the areas that some of you are saying are downtown or the only urban areas aren't even residential. Well, that's enough ranting for now, it's a sore subject for me, especially when my co-workers who live in Winter Springs, Sanford, Longwood, etc. don't want to come "in to Orlando" to visit me because it is too large and they are afraid of getting lost. They hate driving through Orlando on I-4 or the 408 because of the traffic and confusion. Those are true suburban attitudes and they are not the attitudes of the people that live in the above mentioned "Orlando City Neighborhoods." So even our own suburbanites think of Fashion Square and Colonialtown of being urban, that's why they don't live there and most of them don't even feel comfortable going out to eat at Hue or the Beacon or too some of the downtown nightclubs, they don't want to bother dressing up or know what to even wear because they can see a difference in the people. There, all done. Those are fantastic pictures by the way, and possibly the only thing that makes Cleveland look "more urban" in that picture is the fact of the rivers and bridges and the lake front and the age of the buildings, the industrial look of the era when it was a boomtown. (By the way, it's big news in Cleveland if 4 townhouses are built in a downtown neighborhood) so it seems Cleveland has peaked as a city and is heading downward. It is much more of a struggle to get some residential built in the downtown areas of the rust belt than it is here. Even Atlanta is having a hard time getting true downtown residents in the CBD. Once again, awesome pictures of Orlando and that one picture of Cleveland is cool also, it's the first time I've seen a picture of the entire city core!

C

Yes very well said I couldn't agree with you more. I grew up in the burbs here and still spend alot of time out there visiting the family. There is a distinct difference in the vibe and attitudes...although Altamonte seems to be getting better. But overall I feel a huge difference once I get south of Lee road.