Central Florida Ladies

[Nikker]

Is it mostly a hook-up site? It kinda sounds like it.

OMG no! haha. I guess some people might look at it that way but I don't. I have a lot of friends that I know IRL that go on there but it's not like that. Just check it out and see for yourself. You can lurk.

[lindybug]

Hello to all the ladies in Tampa!

We're heading to FL in January, around the time of DH's 40th birthday. I'm thinking of throwing him a surprise party in Tampa, where he was born and raised. A lot of his family and friends are still down there, so it would actually be more convenient to have it down there than up here in MD.

I was wondering if any of you could suggest possible venues. So far, my top 2 choices are Maggiano's on Westshore, and the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. If any of you have been to private parties at either of these places, I would love to hear about it. Also, if you have any other ideas, I am all ears.

Thank you!

[maxandmolly]

It was a few years ago now, but I went to a private party-a graduation-at The Columbia and it was totally wonderful.

[nylons73]

Hello to all the ladies in Tampa!

We're heading to FL in January, around the time of DH's 40th birthday. I'm thinking of throwing him a surprise party in Tampa, where he was born and raised. A lot of his family and friends are still down there, so it would actually be more convenient to have it down there than up here in MD.

I was wondering if any of you could suggest possible venues. So far, my top 2 choices are Maggiano's on Westshore, and the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. If any of you have been to private parties at either of these places, I would love to hear about it. Also, if you have any other ideas, I am all ears.

Thank you!

Lindybug - Please feel free to PM me with your email addy if you want me to expand upon any of this. heh heh :)

However, to answer your specific questions - Maggiano's on Westshore is ok. It is attached to Westshore Mall however, so it's not really a 'special event' type of place. It's normally filled with families and kids who have been shopping, etc. I'm not saying they'll do a bad job, but it's not really a "Tampa' landmark if you kwim.

The Columbia in Ybor is a Tampa institution. I don't know how you could go wrong there. I don't know where you'll be staying, but I enjoy the Columbia at St. Pete Pier as well because of the fabulous views that you have of the Gulf of Mexico from its many windows. Same food as the one in Ybor, but add on an amazing view! The Columbia is very accustomed to doing private parties and doing them well, so I wouldn't bat an eye at giving them my business.

Another place I love here locally is the Rusty Pelican. http://www.therustypelicanrestaurant.com/tampa/index.html Don't let the name put you off. They have good food and great views of the gulf. They also have many different sized private rooms you may book. DH and I had our rehearsal dinner there and it was def. the right choice. They are on the Causeway, not too far from the airport. Would be an easy location for anyone living in Tampa, St. Pete or Clearwater.

I also like Grille 29 down in the Channelside area. http://www.grille29.com/t-index.html It also has great waterfront views and I've never had anything but good service and good food. I've attended one party there, but I'm not sure if they have a private room or not. The party I attended was just in the main dining room. This location is bascially downtown so it should be a good spot for everyone coming.

If you have the time and inclination for a little drive, by far one of the shining stars of Tampa cuisine is The Salt Rock Grill. http://www.saltrockgrill.com/aboutframe.html
It's out near Indian Rocks Beach which is about 35 min from downtown Tampa, but the view, the food and the service are all 5 star! You will have a memorable experience here I assure you! :)

Like I said, if you need anything further I would love to help. I think I missed my org. calling as an event planner! heh heh

~Nayla

[maniach]

If you live in Orlando, tell me how you like it. I have an interview there next week and I really don't know anything about the area that doesn't have mouse ears attached. I would like some more info about it before I make any serious decisions.

[Wrighty26]

If you live in Orlando, tell me how you like it. I have an interview there next week and I really don't know anything about the area that doesn't have mouse ears attached. I would like some more info about it before I make any serious decisions.

I really like living here! However, I think that has a lot to do with my family (they all here - or within a 1 hr radius at least), friends, and job. I enjoy the area I live in (Waterford Lakes/Avalon) - it's far enough from Disney/touristy stuff so I don't really encounter any of it, but close enough for me to enjoy them when I want to. The beach isn't too far from where I'm at either (about 45 minutes away) so I feel like I have the best of both worlds! I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for... but for me, I'm really very happy here! What are interested in? What kind of area do you live in now?

[annielynn]

Orlando is really a great place to live. You have everything right at your finger tips. You just have to know where to live. Like Michelle said as long as you are away from disney and universal you don't even have to deal with the tourist traffic which is the worst. I have lived here most of my life and I just cannot imagine living anywhere else. Please let me know if you need more specifics! :)

[lindybug]

Thanks for all the great info, Nayla!

[maniach]

It's funny... people who are from Florida but not from Orlando generally don't want to live in Orlando because all we ever see of it is Disney! So, really I'm just looking for a different perspective.

I live in Jacksonville, now so the climate and all that would mostly be the same. The major difference is that Jax is coastal. However, Jacksonville is one of those cities that rolls up it's sidewalks at night. I get the impression that Orlando is not that way (and that's a good thing).

I guess I just don't really know anything about where is a good place to live there... Since I have never looked for that kind of thing. Regardless of whether we move out of town or not, we are definitely going to move out of our neighborhood before too long.

Thanks for getting back to me on how you feel about the location in general. If we do decide to move, I'm sure I will be back to get advice on where to look for houses. When we moved to Jacksonville everyone we knew told us to look in this particular part of town to live and when we got here, that part of town was old and gross and rundown, so I want multiple opinions this time.

[Oakley]

Chiming in...

I love Orlando!! I grew up in Naples and have lived all over Florida (Tallahassee, Tampa, West Palm) and I have to say that aside from Naples (which will always have a soft spot in my heart but is so darn expensive), Orlando is my favorite! Since I didn't grow up here and haven't been to Disney 10000 times, I love that we are so close. I love having the theme parks here and being able to go to them, or Downtown Disney/City Walk anytime. I love having a touristy aspect of town and I think I appreciate it more since I live on the other side of town (by UCF)! My biggest advice is to live somewhere close to work if at all possible!! I live around six miles from work and never have to experience the traffic around here!

[framboise]

Hi Ladies! I'm another one with questions about relocating - I hope you don't mind!

We currently live in Southern California but the cost of living here is really really getting us down. We're exploring the possiblity of getting the heck outta here. My husband works for Disney so a transfer to Orlando would be very easy / logical. We're a little not excited about the prospect of the humidity (and I'd miss Trader Joe's terribly :p ) but we think making this move could be really good for us. We have a "scouting trip" scheduled in October so we want to do some exploring and narrow down a couple of areas that we might like to settle in. If we end up making the move, it would likely be on somewhat short notice (like a month or so) so we wouldn't necessarily have the time to scope things out then.

I'm just wondering if anyone has suggestions of communities for us to take a look at while we're in research mode over here. We would rent for the first handful of months & hope to buy a home not long after we learned our way around. If at all possible, I would like to rent in the same city where we eventually buy because when my parents moved our family from WI to CA 20 years ago, our community really became our extended family and I would like to end up with the same feeling after this move too. So suggestions of cities with reputable schools and a level of family friendliness would be much appreciated (we hope to start a family within the next year or two). And of course, a convenient commute for DH (although we don't need to live directly in a tourism hotspot - just need to be able to get to it without the LA-style traffic we're used to, ;) ) would be wonderful.

Thanks for your help!

-Nicole

[maxandmolly]

Living in Orlando-I moved there for a job, and it sucked. The traffic SUCKS. I've driven in Tampa, cross country, in LA and San Francisco. Orlando has the worst traffic, and the worst drivers, I have ever seen.
I live about an hour outside Orlando once again, and it's close enough to go there for shopping/whatever, but I am very glad I don't live there.
Nicole-if he will be looking at Disney you may want to look in the Kissimmee/St. Cloud area. Also, Haines City, Davenport, and such which is all in Polk County. It's fairly close to the Disney area. Depending on how far he'll want to drive, you may also want to look at Winter Haven or possibly Lake Wales (also Polk County). When I worked for a large local builder here, we sold lots of houses to Disney people.

[maniach]

Traffic -- They are really doing a lot in Orlando to help with this... I know that, but I'm just not a patient person at ALL. I don't mind it taking a while to get somewhere necessarily, but I can NOT be stopped or I go stir crazy.

BTW, as an aside, they are building a commuter rail system through central Florida on old CSX tracks. They are to start building it next year with a completion in 2010 and it will stop in Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, downtown, and Sand Lake. In case you wonder why I know this, I am a civil engineer and have a friend at the Department of Transportation office in Orlando.

Also, from what people have told me (and this is what I'm kind of here to verify) as long as you stay off of I-4 there's not a WHOLE lot of traffic... you just have to be willing to pay tolls. I am TOTALLY willing to pay tolls. I think it is silly that people will sit in their car for 60 minutes to not pay a $2 toll to make their commute 20 minutes... ummm... how much do you get paid an hour that 40 minutes of time is worth less than $2?

[Wrighty26]

As far as traffic goes -- I have to agree with Oakley. If you live close to where you are working, it's not bad. The only time I run into traffic is during rush hour-- to and from work. I also live near UCF and while on occasion it will take more than 20 minutes to get to work, it's not nearly as bad as some people. If I leave early enough, I avoid school traffic (which is why it's so bad in my area) altogether. However, if I were to work downtown - traffic would suck as the 408 gets really backed up. I think the one road that I RARELY hear traffic issues with is 417. That would be the best way to get to Disney from my house (and my DH worked in Kissimmee for a while - having to take that road and he never had problems). 408 and 417 are both tolls roads, but the tolls are DEFINITELY worth it to me.

Other than rush hour (and even then it's hit or miss)- I NEVER run into LA style traffic - or really any traffic. They are definitely doing their best to make improvements to the highways. They have and are still working on expanding 408 and are making the tolls easier to pass through.

I find it interesting when people complain about Orlando traffic. It makes me curious where people live and where they are commuting too. I am originally from Boston and I'm sorry, it's FAR worse there!


As far as areas to look at -- I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a community. Each areas/surrounding city in Orlando has a different "personality" and there are, no doubt, pros and cons to living in any of them. I grew up (middle/high school) living near downtown/Conway area. It's older, has decent schools, the population is older, but it's a nice place for families. I now live in the Waterford Lakes/Avalon area. It's much newer and growing in leaps/bounds. We picked it because it was close to work and seemed like a nice area to raise a family (the average age is 32). We also figured it would be a good investment area (as the Conway area was 20 years ago). I highly recommend pinpointing what kind of "suburb" you are looking for and that should help you narrow down the list!

[maxandmolly]

All I can say is I got highly irritated sitting on I-4 today (not my commute, thankfully!) with it all stop and go, and it took about twice the time it does without traffic. People cutting across 3 lanes of traffic, cutting people off, not signaling, rubber-necking at an accident, it was BAD today. And when I had to drive the John Young Pkwy from one end to the other (well, almost) to work and back, it drove me absolutely nutty. It was all torn up with construction and nothing seemed to move quickly.

[Nikker]

All I can say is I got highly irritated sitting on I-4 today (not my commute, thankfully!) with it all stop and go, and it took about twice the time it does without traffic. People cutting across 3 lanes of traffic, cutting people off, not signaling, rubber-necking at an accident, it was BAD today. And when I had to drive the John Young Pkwy from one end to the other (well, almost) to work and back, it drove me absolutely nutty. It was all torn up with construction and nothing seemed to move quickly.

I hate I-4 especially around the Disney area. With the construction and all that. And I ALWAYS hit traffic around the Haines City/Kissimmee/Poinciana/Apopka are. Thank goodness I only head that way maybe once a month. I'm a Universal freak :D I can't help it.

[annielynn]

I avoid I-4 all together!!! The only time that the traffic is decent on that road is in the middle of the night! lol

I live in the 'burbs over near the airport and work 10 miles away in Winter Park. It takes me 25 mins to get to work in the morning. I really don't think that is bad. My DH on the other hand has a much longer communte driving 30 miles to work in the morning (sanford) but the saving grace is our SunPass (prepaid tolls) and the 417. There is very little traffic up there and like it was mentioned if you are willing to pay the tolls you don't have to deal with 90% of the commuters in the morning. We are VERY willing to pay the tolls.

Orlando is just a booming city. It keeps getting wider and wider with lots more people. But (big but) if you are used to being around people and commuting to work it isn't too bad. Every big city has its issues and every city also has the bad drivers. You just have to know how to get around them and avoid them. After living here for 22 years I have learned all the back roads and it makes life bearable.

ITA with Michelle about the burbs. We grew up in the same neighborhood (actually attended the same HS) It just depends on where you need to be for work.

[1MegMeg]

I agree with the other ladies regarding I4 being the worst for traffic, but still overall, I don't think traffic is that terrible, certainly no worse than any other large metropolitan area. I travel from the east end of 408 to downtown (takes me around 35 minutes, on averge, to get to my parking garage, which is 17 miles door-to-door) and it's really not that bad. When I listen to the radio in the morning all I ever hear about is I4 being totally backed up. But I think if you live somewhere where you can take the toll roads you won't have a problem.

[framboise]

Thanks for the ideas, ladies! We'll look into the places you listed & add them to our "drive by" list.

As far as what we're looking for:
- Like I said before, we'd like someplace that's family friendly while still being kind of young (I like the rationale you used for your own neighborhood, Wrighty).

- We don't really want to live in a downtown kind of environment because that's kind of what we have now that is part of what we're looking to escape. We both grew up in suburbs of major cities (me about an hour from downtown LA and hubby near Minneapolis / St. Paul) so we do like the advantages of being close by but not *right there*.

- We also both grew up in cities that were medium-sized (25 - 35k) and would probably like something of a similar size because it feels so much more friendly & like people know each other than the 300k suburb we live in right now. We really don't feel invested in our local community right now & we would like that feeling wherever we settle next.

- We only have to take hubby's commute into consideration because I would be starting from scratch job-wise and could look anywhere. We'd want to keep his commute pretty short (like around 30 minutes max if possible). A work contact of his recommended checking out Winter Garden & Windermere for this convenience factor.

- We'd like a promising housing market. Whether that means that the community is growing or that it seems to be a good investment area or something else, I don't know. But it's hard to imagine that anything *wouldn't* look promising coming from LA!!

Kinda wordy, but I hope that explains a little more. If anyone thinks of anything else that might fit the bill, I'd love to add it to our list! I really appreciate your help so far & am really looking forward to narrowing it down both before our visit & after it.

Thanks a million! Have a great long weekend!

-Nicole

[ruledbymercury]

Hey there Nicole! Sorry I'm late to the party. The other ladies have given you great advice. I live WAY on the other side of town from where you would be looking (about 45-50 minutes away in Altamonte Springs), so they would be better able to give you ideas of neighborhoods to look at than I would. The only thing that immediately came to mind was Kissimmee/St.Cloud due to the proximity to Disney.

My close friend Bet grew up in the Bay Hill area, which is really nice, but pricey, so I'm not sure if that's the type of place you're looking for. His dad was an executive at the Magic Kingdom, and the Hotel Plaza Blvd entrance to Disney property was literally a 5 minute straight-shot drive down Apopka Vineland Rd from the entrance to his subdivision. So commute-wise, it was extremely convenient. There are a ton of well-established little neighborhoods up and down Apopka Vineland Rd, basically in the area between Universal Studios and Disney. Some are very expensive with million dollar homes, some are more modest middle-class homes.

As for traffic, I wouldn't say it's all that bad and I've lived in this area for over 17 years. I stay off of I-4 as much as possible, but even if I need to drive it, it isn't absolutely unbearable. Just keep on top of traffic news when necessary and give yourself a little extra time if there's a problem. If you're on I-4 and run into traffic, you can call 511 from your cell phone to get traffic updates for any highway in the state. I find that service very convenient for those times when we do have to take I-4. Like Michelle (Wrighty26), I find my hometown Boston to be an absolute nightmare in comparison (both traffic-wise and in terms of the number of scary drivers on the road). And I'm sure Los Angeles is even worse than that. Orlando certainly has its traffic problems, but nothing that is so bad that it should deter you from moving here.

Hey, do you think once your husband gets settled at WDW, he could put in a good word for my husband to get hired for a graphics position there??? *wink wink, nudge nudge* Hee! Just kidding. He'd really like to work for Pixar someday, so going back to working at Disney is something he is seriously considering so he can work his way over to Pixar. :D

Congrats on getting closer to making your decision to move! If I can help you with any other details or questions, please let me know!

[KristyK]

Well, I'm late to this game too, but wanted to add my $.02.

ETA: Just wanted to add too, the women on here gave great advice on where to live and work when I was looking.

I just moved from the Seattle area (one of the worst traffic areas in the nation) to Orlando. Although I didn't live in Seattle, I've driven that traffic many many times and it was horrendous. Orlando, IMO, is just as bad, if not worse, whether you take the highways or the regular roads. I've also lived in Philadelphia and did their traffic too, oh and Honolulu, so I've lived in plenty of places with a lot of traffic issues.

Most of the people here don't know what a blinker is. They don't know what a speed limit is, and red lights......oh, those are just for the faint of heart, anyone can run one! They like to tailgate you and barely miss you when they decide that its time to go around you because that 2 seconds of tailgating has put them behind, from something or other.

Cell phones...if your not holding one on your ear, or if you're not texting than there is something wrong with you, and staying in your own lane while your texting...what's that??

Ok, now that I've gotten the crazy drivers off my chest. I do love Florida. The only complaint I really have is the traffic and the crazy people on the roads!

I love my house. I am close enough to my work, as is my DH that it only takes us 10 minutes, or so to get to work, with no highways. The shopping in Waterford Lakes is great, there is anything you could want here. We are close to the attractions, and the beach. Same amount of time to get to either one. We've driven all over the place to explore, but something about where we live, even with all the congestion, its nice to come, home.

We looked in other areas, but the traffic and the speed at which we needed a house, was what brought us here, to Waterford Lakes/UCF area. I don't think we'll ever leave. Unless DH's job moves us again!

Wishing luck to those thinking of moving here. All I thought of Orlando was Disney before we got here too. Now I see it's really just another large city with a lot of people. It does remind me a lot of Philly, since you basically stay in your own "living section" for everything. We don't wander out of here unless its to explore.

I will say, I love the weather! Even (what we call) the "pouring ass rain!" :D! Its funny, I come from WA, home of rain. DH told me before I moved here that I'd never seen "pouring ass rain". Now I have! :p

Good luck with whatever decisions anyone makes!

[maniach]

Most of the people here don't know what a blinker is. They don't know what a speed limit is, and red lights......oh, those are just for the faint of heart, anyone can run one! They like to tailgate you and barely miss you when they decide that its time to go around you because that 2 seconds of tailgating has put them behind, from something or other.

Cell phones...if your not holding one on your ear, or if you're not texting than there is something wrong with you, and staying in your own lane while your texting...what's that??

...

I will say, I love the weather! Even (what we call) the "pouring ass rain!" :D! Its funny, I come from WA, home of rain. DH told me before I moved here that I'd never seen "pouring ass rain". Now I have! :p

Good luck with whatever decisions anyone makes!

I just want to welcome you to Florida. Trust me, the drivers are not ONLY like that in Orlando, it extends throughout our great state. That aspect of Florida I am definitely used to!

Also, the pouring ass rain, lol. My brother lives in Seattle now. We both mostly grew up in Florida. Anyway, I have talked to him a couple of times about maybe moving out there, and say that I don't think I could handle the weather. He always says, it's not rain like there's rain THERE. But, honestly, it's more to do with the gray than the "mist" as I call it. I do love the sunshine!!

BTW, KristyK, did you enjoy the previous 2 weeks of pouring ass rain! Not sure if you got it in Orlando, but OMG it was RIDICULOUS!

[HeatherFL]

LOL take people from every state in this nation with different driving styles and laws of the road, then people from other countries...which is mostly what Florida is comprised of (meaning people not actually from here.) Stick them all on the roads-and yeah...it makes for some interesting traffic. Most native Floridians are actually pretty good drivers. :p (not that I am biased)

I lived in Seattle for a year. Yeah, beautiful to visit in the summers, but there's pouring ass rain then there's constant drizzle and grey. I'd rather have the pouring ass rain short-term LOL.

~H.

[annielynn]

My family and I were planning a day trip to the Brevard COunty Zoo next week. At one point I had a BOGO coupon for the zoo from the 2008 Entertainment Book. Of course this year they didn't insert one in the Orlando EB. If we aren't able to find a coupon we will unfortunately not be able to afford to go. HELP!