Orlando
By "Matt Lawrence"
First mistake most people make about O-Town is thinking that everything revolves around Disney or Universal Studios or one of the attractions. It doesn't. The heart of Orlando is actually in its Downtown district.
Some of the biggest clubs in Orlando are: Tabu (owned by Howie- D), Antiqua, Bar Orlando and Blue Room (Latin Style). There are a million other places, but those are the ones that are most prominent. Citywalk (Universal Studios) and Pleasure Island (Disney) serve mostly the tourist faction of the area, but can be a fun way to avoid going downtown and dealing with the local crowd.
The second mistake that people make, is thinking that Orlando is pretty small, It's not. Orlando is in Orange County in Central Florida. To say "I live in Orlando" is being extremely general, and because of this, Orlando itself is divided up in to mini-communities around the area. Because we're dealing with celebrities here, most of them live in Dr. Phillips, Windermere and Winter Park. A few stray to the beaches of Cocoa or Melbourne. Dr. Phillips and Windermere are on the far south-west side of town and Winter Park is just north of Downtown. The main interstate through Orlando is I-4 (which is currently under construction, if you want to have your character complain about it- heh.) There are a zillion and one toll roads, the most heavily travelled are: 408 (E-W-Xway.) 417 (Greenway) 527 (B-Line) and the Turnpike.
Disney is located in Lake Buena Vista, just north-west of Kissimmee. Part of Disney is actually located in another county (Osceola), but Disney is so huge that no one really pays attention. The big airports to the area are Sanford International and Orlando International.
For a non-touristy good time for your character:
1) The Leu Gardens in Winter Park. Beautiful flowers that bloom all year round in tropical conditions. Has a great picnic area outside and its right on one of Orlando's many lakes.
2) Orlando Science Museum. It sounds cheesy, but they actually have interesting stuff in there. Best advice is to go during the summer because during the fall and spring it is usuallly packed tight with elementary, middle and even some high school students.
3) Fashion Square Mall or Altamonte Springs Mall: The "locals" mall. Less traffiked than Mall of Millenia (west Orlando) and Florida Mall (south-west Orlando). Has all the same shops and if you ask me, its a little cheaper.
If you want to get touristy-- aside from the obvious Disney trips:
1) International Drive-(I-Drive for short, ALWAYS) Every type of shop, restaurant, and store you can possibly imagine on a 2 mile strip in South Orlando. Very close to Dr. Phillips. Home of AJ McLean's "favorite" McDonalds/World's Largest McDonalds.
2) Wet & Wild- Also located on I-Drive. Its not as cheesy as it looks. Honest.
The big schools in the area are UCF and Rollins for 4-year and graduate schools. UCF is in east Orlando. Rollins is in Winter Park. The community college that most people go to is Valencia (that's where Chris Kirkpatrick started). It has 5 different campuses, spread out, everywhere.
The best thing about Orlando is the fact that it is so culturally diverse. If you live in Orlando full time, you're going to have some idea of how to speak another language before you leave, if you like it or not. Spanish is very prevelant (I'd almost dare say MOST prevalent, even above English) and the city thrives on its Puerto Rican, (NOT Cuban) Culture.
And of course, like every big city, the heart is in its park. Its Lake Eola here and it could be considered one of the most romantic spots in the city. At night there is a huge fountain that lights up and turns teal that sits against the city's outline.
Highly transient and has a population of more than 800,000. Mayor is Glenda Hood. Major business faction is largely tourist,there are a few major companies that have their home base here.
Orlando is really a mesh of culture, so if your character grew up some place else, they more than likely kept their traditions/way of speaking from wherever they came from.
Hope this helps.
