THE Orlando Photo Thread

[KJHburg]

WOW did not know that.  I always wondered why they started Universal on land hemmed in by other development.  

[spenser1058]

Universal’s Florida project came about on a wing and a prayer, was delayed several times and then got caught in a huge arms race with The Mouse.

At the beginning, they couldn’t have done much more. Now they have Comcast’s deep pockets and, finally, stable ownership. (Before, they were owned at one time or another by everyone from Seagram’s to Panasonic to a French utility company and GE - it wasn’t pretty.)

Edited January 21, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

When Martin came to OC in 1957, they bought land that extended down to OCCC and east to 441 (Orlando Central Park was a Martin project). 

Over the years, they’ve sold much of it but keep adding buildings on the remaining campus. They also have a facility in East Orange.

[KJHburg]

The City Beautiful today before the clouds and light rain moved in LOL.  Downtown Orlando.  I will post some more later.  I walked everywhere downtown east of I-4 downtown O_town has a lot more older historical buildings than I thought and you need to keep those.  One thing I noticed in a city with so many hotel rooms there are hardly none downtown I saw.  I saw the Bohemian,  the Marriott across I-4.   Many Europeans and south Americans like staying in urban areas I realize it is not as close to the theme parks but was surprised over the lack of hotels downtown.  Everywhere else in this city and metro there plenty of hotels. 

 

[codypet]

And here we literally were arguing with each other last week about too much or not enough hotel and convention space downtown.

To be fair there's an Embassy Suites right near where these photos were taken, a new hotel opening in the Truist Bank building, a reconstruction of an old Travelodge a block north of this photo and three other hotels north of the Orlando Sentinel Site.

[KJHburg]

Where was Embassy Suites and saw the dual brand Hilton going up across from Radius.   I do think you need more hotels downtown especially with millions upon billions I mean millions of tourists you attracted.

[dcluley98]

You took pictures of  probably 4 hotels that you did not realize were there, though to be fair a lot of people don't know unless they are looking and we all generally agree with your point that we need more good hotel space downtown.  Aloft, Embassy Suites, Eo Inn,  and the new Hotel under construction in Church Street Plaza/Truist Building.  Embassy Suites is located  at the southeast corner of Central and Rosalind   (pretty much across the Sperry Fountain you took a photo of  at Lake Eola park). Additionally, there are the Bohemian, Marriott, and Hilton Garden under construction North of Radius you mentioned above, and you probably got the Crowne Plaza in the background, which, along with Residence Inn, Courtyard  by Marriott Suites,  and DoubleTree Hilton are located slightly north of the CBD in the Colonial/North Quarter Area. 

We hope some of the proposed ones will get built, which include  the Magic Entertainment Complex (directly north of the Amway Center),  Church Street Plaza Phase II, Multiple proposed hotels around or even on the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center Plaza,  Cambria Hotel and Suites (on that empty lot facing Lake Eola Park at Washington across from the photo you took of the woman in the ground statue),   Summit Radisson Collection in South Eola (a block south of the Waverly and Paramount/Publix),  and most recently the MMI Luxury Hotel that would also be across from Lake Eola on the North shore (kinda across from where you took the photo of the flying birds sculpture).  Maybe a couple I missed. 

Pulling this list together, I really hope we get some of these that are directly across from some of our biggest draws such as the Amway Center, Lake Eola, and DPAC!  Would really help bring more visitors downtown to stay, play, and spend! 

Edited January 22, 2020 by dcluley98

[jgardnerucf]

Ya, ya missed a bunch of lodging.   But, nonetheless, all good.

[Jvest55]

2 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

Pulling this list together, I really hope we get some of these that are directly across from some of our biggest draws such as the Amway Center, Lake Eola, and DPAC!  Would really help bring more visitors downtown to stay, play, and spend! 

chicken or egg problem. There's hardly anything to spend your money on in downtown during the week that isn't food. Hoping that changes. (games and performance don't count, as those are the obvious ones)

Edited January 23, 2020 by Jvest55

[Urban25]

7 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Where was Embassy Suites and saw the dual brand Hilton going up across from Radius.   I do think you need more hotels downtown especially with millions upon billions I mean millions of tourists you attracted.

Yeah, millions of tourists also need hotel rooms (that aren’t Just on idrive or the attraction are)

[KJHburg]

few more photos from downtown from yesterday morning prefire at the old homeless shelter that caused billowing smoke over downtown.

Your main library building is interesting and I will be nice but all I could think of was this is the best place in central Florida to survive a Cat 5 hurricane or F5 tornado. But I see your library and history museum is award winning according to banners I saw.   

what is the Lymmo a bus rapid transit or something? 

I will write up a synopsis of visiting downtowns Jacksonville St Pete Tampa and Orlando in one week and put it in that other thread about other cities.

I go to Florida at least one year on vacation and I have chosen Orlando for a visit next year too for I need to explore some more. 

 

 

[dcluley98]

Lymmo are downtown circulator bus  loops that are free to ride and more frequent than regular buses. We can't have a subway, so these loops are like our subway.

http://www.downtownorlando.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LYMMO-Brochure-June-2018.pdf

 

Edited January 24, 2020 by dcluley98

[KJHburg]

1 hour ago, dcluley98 said:

Lymmo are downtown circulator bus  loops that are free to ride and more frequent than regular buses. We can't have a subway, so these loops are like our subway.

http://www.downtownorlando.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LYMMO-Brochure-June-2018.pdf

 

I wish I had knew that I would have hopped on as it was cold that morning. 

[dcluley98]

Maybe they should rebrand it with some signage on the buses and bus stops with "Free to Ride". . .

I know that sounds stupid and basic, but take it from an out-of-towner visiting our downtown that he had no idea.  Good marketing is based on simplicity and directness. 

We often complain that our public transit is subpar, yet we have this free circulator service that not many people use and tourists don't know about, and probably even a lot of residents don't know it's absolutely free.   Ridership would probably double if every single sign/bus/station explicitly said: "hey this is FREE". 

Ya'll can forward my marketing consulting fee to Lynx for future progress. 

Edited January 24, 2020 by dcluley98

[aent]

59 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

Maybe they should rebrand it with some signage on the buses and bus stops with "Free to Ride". . .

I know that sounds stupid and basic, but take it from an out-of-towner visiting our downtown that he had no idea.  Good marketing is based on simplicity and directness. 

We often complain that our public transit is subpar, yet we have this free circulator service that not many people use and tourists don't know about, and probably even a lot of residents don't know it's absolutely free.   Ridership would probably double if every single sign/bus/station explicitly said: "hey this is FREE". 

Ya'll can forward my marketing consulting fee to Lynx for future progress. 

Thats one thing that always irks me almost wherever I visit... the price and methodology of riding public transit just varies so much, and its not immediately obvious to people going by it. Its something that requires research, while nothing else around it needs it... parking garages generally have their prices posted outside of the entrance (often by law), gas stations have the prices on the signs, everyone everywhere advertises the price.... yet public transit, which is supposedly usually a really good deal, almost never seems to post the price. Or other basics like whats needed to ride and real easy ways for first time riders to immediately buy whatever types of tickets are offered. Taking Lynx as an example, just looking at their website, its super unclear how to actually buy passes easily... there's an online purchase option, but it doesn't say anywhere if you can redeem it with your phone and it looks like they need to mail you the coupons to use it... if you go to where to buy passes, it gives a list of vendors that sell them, but then says you need to call them, as apparently each one stocks different types of passes and they don't have them all, and nowhere on the site does it say whether they accept cash or if you need some sort of token or ticket, provide change, accept credit card on the buses, or what, if any, passes can be bought on the bus. And realistically, the locations to buy passes look awful.

Orlando's hardly unique in this problem. The last couple trips I've taken I've actively tried to use a public transit to explore and avoid driving, and when we pass a stop, I'd look to see instructions on how to use the damn service, what I have to pay, etc... and without fail, nothing. I'd be trying to look it up online to figure it out, and by the time I'm doing that, the people I've been with just called an Uber and it arrived well before I could figure anything out. I don't know why making it simple is soooo complicated.

[KJHburg]

Here is another idea with the 75 million tourists Orlando receives I just read that today somewhere more promotion should be done of the attractions of downtown Orlando and have some combo passes for some of the attractions like the history museum downtown.  St Pete and Tampa both had these handy downtown guides advertising supported with maps and lists of hotels, restaurants major buildings etc.  

this sign was from downtown St Pete but Tampa had guidebooks everywhere too.  Maps of downtown and parking areas were really handy.  Uptown Charlotte which receives a fraction of the tourists Orlando does has a fully staffed information center on our main street Tryon among our tall office towers.  

[dcluley98]

We  kinda like most of the tourists in the tourist area, but some signage downtown to indicate where to go is always ideal.

Downtown wants residents and visitors, not tourists. 

[codypet]

I thought we had signs like that at the Lymmo stops?!?

I know they used to track the buses moving around downtown with little sensors on the pavement.

Edited January 24, 2020 by codypet

[IAmFloridaBorn]

[KJHburg]

forgot this one from Lake Eola from last week.

Will be back next winter again but please I need a guarantee on warmer temperatures LOL. 

the City Beautiful....

[spenser1058]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

forgot this one from Lake Eola from last week.

Will be back next winter again but please I need a guarantee on warmer temperatures LOL. 

the City Beautiful....

We finally got a Pro Bowl with good weather so hopefully next time it will be your turn!

[smileguy]

On 1/23/2020 at 11:08 PM, aent said:

Thats one thing that always irks me almost wherever I visit... the price and methodology of riding public transit just varies so much, and its not immediately obvious to people going by it. Its something that requires research, while nothing else around it needs it... parking garages generally have their prices posted outside of the entrance (often by law), gas stations have the prices on the signs, everyone everywhere advertises the price.... yet public transit, which is supposedly usually a really good deal, almost never seems to post the price. Or other basics like whats needed to ride and real easy ways for first time riders to immediately buy whatever types of tickets are offered. Taking Lynx as an example, just looking at their website, its super unclear how to actually buy passes easily... there's an online purchase option, but it doesn't say anywhere if you can redeem it with your phone and it looks like they need to mail you the coupons to use it... if you go to where to buy passes, it gives a list of vendors that sell them, but then says you need to call them, as apparently each one stocks different types of passes and they don't have them all, and nowhere on the site does it say whether they accept cash or if you need some sort of token or ticket, provide change, accept credit card on the buses, or what, if any, passes can be bought on the bus. And realistically, the locations to buy passes look awful.

Orlando's hardly unique in this problem. The last couple trips I've taken I've actively tried to use a public transit to explore and avoid driving, and when we pass a stop, I'd look to see instructions on how to use the damn service, what I have to pay, etc... and without fail, nothing. I'd be trying to look it up online to figure it out, and by the time I'm doing that, the people I've been with just called an Uber and it arrived well before I could figure anything out. I don't know why making it simple is soooo complicated.

Cities that do it right - anyone with a single payment card/plan that combines different services, like Seattle's ORCA Card. 

Cities that make it easy - contactless payment/Apple Pay on CTA in Chicago. Just tap your phone and go.

Cities that make it hard - SF Bay area with multiple agencies and fee structures that make it a calculus problem just go get on a train.  I usually stick to MUNI even if CalTrain or BART would be a better option.

[aent]

5 minutes ago, smileguy said:

Cities that do it right - anyone with a single payment card/plan that combines different services, like Seattle's ORCA Card. 

Cities that make it easy - contactless payment/Apple Pay on CTA in Chicago. Just tap your phone and go.

Cities that make it hard - SF Bay area with multiple agencies and fee structures that make it a calculus problem just go get on a train.  I usually stick to MUNI even if CalTrain or BART would be a better option.

Honestly I think the best way to improve ridership at this point really isn't that complicated and should probably be less focused on adding routes:

1) Replace all card systems with NFC that supports Google Pay/Apple Pay, along with NFC credit cards. Its clear thats the future for at least a decade or so. Those who can't afford an NFC phone or get a credit card

2) All passes must be able to be bought on a website to be loaded onto said NFC card/device without picking anything up.

3) All transit stops need a sign with a basic pricing schedule for both a single trip from that stop and the most common passes, and the fact all NFC/credit cards are accepted and they can be bought on your phone (or select retailers for people who can't/won't buy on their phone).

[smileguy]

1 minute ago, aent said:

Honestly I think the best way to improve ridership at this point really isn't that complicated and should probably be less focused on adding routes:

1) Replace all card systems with NFC that supports Google Pay/Apple Pay, along with NFC credit cards. Its clear thats the future for at least a decade or so. Those who can't afford an NFC phone or get a credit card

2) All passes must be able to be bought on a website to be loaded onto said NFC card/device without picking anything up.

3) All transit stops need a sign with a basic pricing schedule for both a single trip from that stop and the most common passes, and the fact all NFC/credit cards are accepted and they can be bought on your phone (or select retailers for people who can't/won't buy on their phone).

I would love to see something where you can just tap on/off with your NFC, and it would retroactively convert into passes, if that makes sense.    If a single bus ride is $2.50 and a 30-day pass is $50, go ahead and charge $2.50 up until the $50 threshold is reached, then stop charging or refund additional rides.  I know that would have to be a very complex system, but I think ease of use would increase ridership.

[dcluley98]

They should do it like E-Pass/Sunpass pay as you go tolls. Buy a chip card, connect it to your credit card or bank account or other pay account such as Google/Apple Pay account or others. Can set it to auto-replenish if you want. Can load it with cash ahead of time from bank account if you want.   The system automatically charges you the fair you use, but  can tell you ahead of time how much each segment would cost. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by dcluley98