Orlando Attractions Area News & Developments

[Dale]

21 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

I cannot agree with that at all.  It's certainly better than some of the extreme examples, but of cities that are comparable in size, it's way worse to me.

If you go by actual city population, Orlando is down in the 70s in the US.  Almost no city within 20 of them has worse traffic than Orlando.  Not even close.

However, metro area is a better judge with Orlando.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_of_the_United_States  lists Orlando as the 20th largest metro area in the US.

Admittedly, I haven't driven in all of them, but I have in several.  No way would I call Cleveland, Denver, or Minneapolis worse traffic.  Barring a snowstorm, obviously.  My time in Phoenix was limited to a week, but I was driving around in the middle of the work week and only experienced spots of jammed traffic.  It happened, certainly.  However, Phoenix is MUCH MUCH larger in population.

I have no experience driving in Portland or San Diego.  However, I didn't find St. Louis or Pittsburgh to be nearly as bad.  However, I'll admit my experience in both cities is several years old.

 

Didn't say traffic. Said roads. Especially road condition. Aside from that, I'd expect more traffic in a city that is glowing and going. And I spend more time in traffic in Charlotte than in Orlando.

[HankStrong]

Like road condition?

That's easy.  No freezing.  No salt trucks.  Fewer hardcore manufacturing hubs.

Orlando rocks like that.  You just have sinkholes and washouts.

[John Hargrove]

The roads are great, so long as you don't count the vehicle destroying, teeth chattering brick roads that haven't been leveled out in who knows how long.

Try rolling through Thornton Park with a full bladder. It's a unique form of torture 

[Dale]

2 hours ago, HankStrong said:

Like road condition?

That's easy.  No freezing.  No salt trucks.  Fewer hardcore manufacturing hubs.

Orlando rocks like that.  You just have sinkholes and washouts.

Doesn't explain why all the other Sunbelt cities I've driven in are worse. LA's roads are third world in comparison to Orlando's.

[metal93]

9 hours ago, castorvx said:

The roads are great, so long as you don't count the vehicle destroying, teeth chattering brick roads that haven't been leveled out in who knows how long.

Try rolling through Thornton Park with a full bladder. It's a unique form of torture 

I heard the city purposefully doesn't level the old bumpy brick streets to keep people from speeding and deterring rat running.

[HankStrong]

17 hours ago, Dale said:

Doesn't explain why all the other Sunbelt cities I've driven in are worse. LA's roads are third world in comparison to Orlando's.

You can't include Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama in any conversations.  They can't be trusted for much of anything public related... public roads are most definitely included.

[John Hargrove]

13 hours ago, metal93 said:

I heard the city purposefully doesn't level the old bumpy brick streets to keep people from speeding and deterring rat running.

That makes some sense but I disagree with it. There are other options. Traffic islands, those shallow sloped speed bumps ... things like that. 

[jrs2]

about a week and a half ago, they shut down the 528 to I-4 on/off ramps, around 9pm or so.  that created a cluster**** on I-4 from the SLR exit all the way past 535.  I was heading WB and couldn't exit to avoid the traffic.

They REALLY need to make Fenton overpass into an interchange, and make CFLA Pkwy into a full interchange b/c if you want to ditch I-4, your options are very limited.

[AndyPok1]

Fully agreed about Fenton.  I'm glad that they found a way to build it because it was desperately needed, but it also needs to be an interchange.  Sadly, I don't see that coming until the BTU project which is at least a decade off.

[jrs2]

ph Premiere Hotel

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2016/08/new-phpremiere-hotel-plans-give-sneak-peek-at.html

so this is still alive.

So, for new hotels, you have the ph Premiere, the hotel that's supposed to go next to the Westin Imagine, the hotel near Avanti Resort, the isquare megamall hotel, etc.

Edited August 26, 2016 by jrs2

[jrs2]

On May 16, 2014 at 9:26 AM, sunshine said:

 

New Hyatt hotel on tap for I-Drive

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/05/new-hyatt-hotel-on-tap-for-i-drive.html

 

Development plan shows that it will be surface lot infront of the building with the hotel set back from I-drive...

 

In a perfect world, this would be built up to I-drive and parking behind or underneath it to create an urban look.

this project has stalled.  they're on the 4th or 5th floor.  it's been stalled for like 5 months now.

[jrs2]

there was an article in the OBJ on Sept 14 about Skyplex, but its a locked article.  Some new about it moving forward.

[tc01]

Skyplex update 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2016/09/22/construction-update-skyplex-site-work-underway.html

[HankStrong]

15 hours ago, tc01 said:

Skyplex update 

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2016/09/22/construction-update-skyplex-site-work-underway.html

Woo hoo!  Excellent news

[JFW657]

On 7/15/2016 at 1:31 PM, uncreativeusername said:

....something that I was going to quote, but didn't. Now the forum software will not let me delete the old quote box on my Android device. In case anyone is wondering.

Damn. Why wasn't all this cool stuff around here when I was in my 20's and 30's??? 

 

[JFW657]

_{New Universal hotel to open in 2018}

Aventura Hotel

 

[John Hargrove]

A cross between The Waverly and Winnie Palmer Hospital. Something like that. Feels very familiar. 

[JFW657]

Hopefully it will have high visibility from I-4.

 

[bqknight]

36 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

Hopefully it will have high visibility from I-4.

 

It's pretty much going to be sitting on the Universal I-4 Exit, so you'll see it. 

[jrs2]

I like it.  It will be very iconic for Universal.  Personally I would have requested a variance and made it twice as tall.

Apparently, the Megastrom project is finally beginning Phase II per the OBJ today.

Edited November 7, 2016 by jrs2

[AndyPok1]

50 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

Apparently, the Megastrom project is finally beginning Phase II per the OBJ today.

I can vouch for this.  Kirkman Point phase 2 is in progress.  Over 6 months after blocking off our parking lot, they have had construction workers out there for the past week.  #NotBitter

[jrs2]

Ok.  So the Topgolf facility is u/c just to the west of the Westin on Universal Blvd, to the north of the N/S Building.  Andretti Racing is also u/c just to the west of Topgolf on an adjacent parcel.

[spenser1058]

Glad to see George Miliotes back in action at his new Wine Bar George which just broke ground at Disney Springs. Also good to see Chris again in the pics.

http://www.scottjosephorlando.com/news/3684-miliotes-breaks-ground-for-wine-bar-george

Edited November 17, 2016 by spenser1058

[gibby]

His mother in law was my landlady back in 1996.

[HankStrong]

16 hours ago, gibby said:

His mother in law was my landlady back in 1996.

Sorry for the off-topic note, but this reminded me of the time in the late 90s when our secretary (a MAYBE 5' tall older Jewish lady from Miami) was showing me photos and I said "Why do have a photo with Daunte Culpepper?"  She was shocked that I knew him.  She was like "You know him?  He's such a sweet boy.  He's my neighbor and he sometimes carries my groceries in for me and always smiles & waves at me.  You know he helped me carry some really heavy boxes in once.  I think he plays sports in college because he's so strong." 

I had to explain that he was about to be drafted in the NFL draft, likely becoming a multi-millionaire in a matter of weeks from then.  He was drafted 11th that year.