Orlando-- Downtown Establishments

[SkyDiveJunkee]

^been to the new Publix a half dozen times an no exterior shots?

[MNiemann]

Originally Posted by jzquince69

that's like 5 pizza joints within that same area.

you forgot planet pizza next to ibar

i agree it's crazy, but i was stuck in the line the other night at dan's midnight pizza because we were drunk and hungry, and it was like out the door! i just don't get it!

i guess you have to have one pizza place per bar in orlando

[jzquince69]

sorry about the lack of Publix shots... I'll get some night shots...


pizza-- yeah, if you're out at night, it really hits the spot when you got the munchies.

[jzquince69]

Rustic Steakhouse opened last night at CCS in the old Improv space. I heard the steak was excellent.

So, here's the current state of affairs at CCS:

1. Hamburger Mary's
2. Brick n Fire
3. The Dessert Lady
4. Cheyenne Saloon
5. Ceviche
6. Rustic Steakhouse
7. Bliss UltraLounge

the newer part towards 55W and the Train Depot has:

8. Amura
9. Panchero's
10. Gino's III

and the Mako's block right past the skywalk to 55W has:

11. Antigua
12. Mako's
13. Chillers
14. Lattitudes
15. Dragon Room
16. Kress Chophouse
17. Tryst Martini Bar (around back)
18. Big Belly Brewery

did I leave anything out? 55W won't open its retail until they finalize the deal with the 4 star hotel they are courting. they have 2 levels of perhaps 4-5 spaces depending on how much room the hotel lobby takes up. and the second level above Amura et al., may be converted to meeting room space for the hotel.

as for the western edge of this area, the new Events Center is U/C directly on the other side of the I-4 overpass. The City and FDOT approved the "bridge district" to build 2-story low rise under I-4 where parking currently is to link the east side with the west towards the new arena.

[MNiemann]

Schakolad sweet shop opened near the corner of Jackson & Orange by the NY Deli. I heard they have another location on Park Ave?

Roho Cuban Coffee (and art?) shop just reopened at the corner of Pine & Orange inbetween the City Arts Factory and Panino's. The café is actually hooked on to the City Arts Factory, so if you're walking to the bathroom you can actually stop and admire some of the great works of art...after you pee of course. This was one of my favorite coffeeshops downtown and they used to be located on the first floor of the Izea building. This location will most likely bring them a lot more foot traffic and is WAY better.

Also I like the fact that they named it Roho and not Rojo...probably pre-empting the perpetual dumb-american murder of the pronunciation.

[jzquince69]

Originally Posted by MNiemann

Schakolad sweet shop opened near the corner of Jackson & Orange by the NY Deli. I heard they have another location on Park Ave?

Roho Cuban Coffee (and art?) shop just reopened at the corner of Pine & Orange inbetween the City Arts Factory and Panino's. The café is actually hooked on to the City Arts Factory, so if you're walking to the bathroom you can actually stop and admire some of the great works of art...after you pee of course. This was one of my favorite coffeeshops downtown and they used to be located on the first floor of the Izea building. This location will most likely bring them a lot more foot traffic and is WAY better.

Also I like the fact that they named it Roho and not Rojo...probably pre-empting the perpetual dumb-american murder of the pronunciation.

I went to Third Thursdays at City Arts last night; went into Roho. That place was packed. It was the busiest it's been in months. Roho was nice; it was also busy this afternoon during lunch. The guitars are all up and down Pine and in the Plaza plaza. I love Third Thursdays; it is so much fun.

Also, Gibson Guitar had a function last night which was open to the public at large for the first time. There's going to be a show there next week that I'm going to that's part of the "Guitar Town" event.

[MNiemann]

what's this calle orange thing all about?

[cubancoffeeguy]

- edit

[jzquince69]

Originally Posted by MNiemann

what's this calle orange thing all about?

I don't know, but there's a big event tonite on Wall St... I'm going to try and check it out.

[MNiemann]

Well you obviously know more about the situation than I do. However, I really didn't notice the coffee tasting worse since they reopened. To be honest, I haven't had Roho since like...january, so I don't really remember what it tasted like. And the two older people that I saw behind the counter who I was told were the owners looked hispanic and were speaking Spanish...so I dunno who they were then. Either way, everyone there has been extremely friendly and I like their concept, so I'm sad to hear about the backstory.

[cubancoffeeguy]

Well glad to hear you liked the concept anyway. I was one of the first employees and its just sad because it was so good before. The new location is definitely more centralized but it isn't the same.

[jzquince69]

as for what it is now, the location is good; the buildout was great; that block has two more spaces under buildout-- the one closest to the corner of Central & Orange, and one other near Ichiban.

too bad about the history of that company (Roho); but, soon, Black Olive will open at PTP on Pine St. and boy, with NV open and another space being built out on Pine near to it, that part of downtown will be a neighborhood in and of itself, with the Wall St/Central corridor to the north, and the Church St. corridor to the south; City Arts will be at the epicenter-- and is now; they recently put a new roof on BTW.

[MNiemann]

Originally Posted by jzquince69

soon, Black Olive will open at PTP on Pine St. and boy, with NV open and another space being built out on Pine near to it, that part of downtown will be a neighborhood in and of itself, with the Wall St/Central corridor to the north, and the Church St. corridor to the south; City Arts will be at the epicenter-- and is now; they recently put a new roof on BTW.

And, despite that garish empty lot (which actually adds some character), i still think Pine & Orange is the coolest-looking (and oldest btw) intersection in Orlando.

[jzquince69]

Originally Posted by MNiemann

And, despite that garish empty lot (which actually adds some character), i still think Pine & Orange is the coolest-looking (and oldest btw) intersection in Orlando.

yeah, that lot... it will be difficult to develop. needs to connect to parking; small lot; gotta build at least 4 stories up to make it cost effective... unless they got a variance; I proposed a walkway to the garage on Central from the back at an angle, and build a 10-15 story Times Square-looking structure with a few levels of retail and then offices above that; nothing major, but enough to make an impact on Orange.

[MNiemann]

Originally Posted by jzquince69

yeah, that lot... it will be difficult to develop. needs to connect to parking; small lot; gotta build at least 4 stories up to make it cost effective... unless they got a variance; I proposed a walkway to the garage on Central from the back at an angle, and build a 10-15 story Times Square-looking structure with a few levels of retail and then offices above that; nothing major, but enough to make an impact on Orange.

hmm small lot but needs height. maybe something drastic like a 5-story pagoda? like the one in japan at epcot only cooler and i can live in it.

[jzquince69]

Originally Posted by MNiemann

hmm small lot but needs height. maybe something drastic like a 5-story pagoda? like the one in japan at epcot only cooler and i can live in it.

I was thinking either a clone of the Merchantile Bank, opposite that lot, or, something radical, liek the Conde Nast or similar type building found in this new gen of Times Square buildings-- smaller scale of course, but something to compliment PTP and City Arts and that whole sector of DT. I wouldn't be surprised if the former owners (or present ones) who had the Quizno's in it set fire to it as a way around it's status as a protected building, as a way to get it sold to a new developer. if true, those bastards didn't realize that this strategy wouldn't work b/c of the market and zoning and cost and all that stuff. darn shame.

[MNiemann]

Originally Posted by jzquince69

if true, those bastards didn't realize that this strategy wouldn't work b/c of the market and zoning and cost and all that stuff. darn shame.

so i'm assuming then, that lot is quite expensive. probably some of the most expensive real estate in orlando? it's sad because any business that goes there will have good foot traffic but won't get the ROI that they'd get in like waterford lakes or i-drive

[jzquince69]

Originally Posted by MNiemann

so i'm assuming then, that lot is quite expensive. probably some of the most expensive real estate in orlando? it's sad because any business that goes there will have good foot traffic but won't get the ROI that they'd get in like waterford lakes or i-drive

apparently, buying an existing older building is one thing, and renting and renovating it. but, the inverse, i.e., buying the lot, and building a new building in it's place is not cost effective and b/c of the small footprint it is diff. to do much with it unless you go super vertical and abide by zoning ala retail/garage et.al...

[jzquince69]

Gibson Guitar hosted another event in their Guitar Town series at the Plaza. some Louisiana rock band on a stage they set up between the escalators... I think Cowboy Mouth or something like that. they were good.

Not downtown, but Millenia had a VIP engagement for Fashion Week in the center of the mall. Finola Hughes was there... I met her of course. event was nice; lots of snobby fashion types; I felt like I was in CA for a minute; couldn't wait to get the hec out of there... so I headed back downtown to see the Gibson concert I mentioned above...

I met a server at the new restaurant at Prime who moved from Tampa to E. Orange. I asked her how she liked Orlando... she was 50-50 on it... then I found out she had never been to downtown to go out. folks, if you want to go out in this town and you don't go downtown, you're missing the point. town centers are fine, but the spirit of the city is in the center, as it is in most places.

BTW, if anyone makes it to Rustic, let me know... I still haven't been there yet...

[jzquince69]

Pat Travers is at Gibson Guitar in an hour.

Good Morning America aired at CSS this morning and John Mellencamp performed at Cheyenne Saloon.