"407 represent! a.k.a. Why I love Orlando
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1/21/2008
Orlando, Florida: I'd be willing to bet most, if not all of you have heard of it. You may know it as the home of Walt Disney World or many other theme parks. We've got 3 non-Disney affialated parks, just off the top of my head (4 if you count The Holy Land Experience...I don't). Perhaps you're more familiar with the University of Central Florida? Or maybe you have family here. Or perhaps you just know it as that city you pass through to get to Miami. The city takes many different forms in our minds.
Well I'm here to give you the straight dope on Orlando (area code 407, hence the title). After you finish with UCF and get sick of Disney, there's still plenty to do and see.
Some of you may be familiar with the Beat generation, writers like Allen Ginsberg or Jack Kerouac. Well Kerouac actually had a home here in Orlando in college park, which is where he wrote the book Dharma Bums (and where the original manuscript sits to this day). Don't care about Kerouac? That's fine. What if I were to tell you the most famous gangster in the history of Chicago lived here? That's right, Alphonse "Scarface" Capone had a house here in Winter Park. In his day, Winter Park was one of the richest neighberhoods in the entire nation. I actually have a friend from high school who went to a party at Capone's house.
All this and I haven't even mentioned the sunny weather, the night life Downtown, or the city's natural beauty. If you don't move here, at least come visit and see what I mean. Chicago may be the Windy City, New York may be the Big Apple, but ONLY Orlando is the City Beautiful.
Jay | Orlando, FL