I was born, raised, and spent most of my life in Orlando. As much as I (somewhat vocally) criticize my home state of Florida, and honestly couldn’t wait to leave, Orlando itself has a special place in my heart. Most people think of Disney, Universal, or any number of amusement parks when they think of Orlando, and, while I have been to some of those parks, my best memories are of the actual city.
Most of my memories are in 2 neighborhoods, and, later, a suburban town. My favorite, though, has to be Thornton Park, where I went to elementary school. On the east side of Orlando, the neighborhood has an extensive grid of red-brick streets (which I didn’t realize were only revealed after asphalt was removed in the 1990s, which was an apparently expensive project), and some of the oldest houses, shops, and buildings in the city. Walking down the tree-shaded streets made even the hottest summer day feel a little bit cooler, and I made some of the closest friends I would have basically until high school. I later moved to Aloma after my mom struggled to afford rent, and later again to Oviedo when our situation started to stabilize more. Both of these neighborhoods (technically not in Orlando proper) were much more isolating experiences, being typical of postwar suburban development.
I still return to Thornton Park often, and while the physical environment I described earlier continues tempt me, the food is always what brings me back. Thornton Park itself has some of the best American gastropub-type food, but just a few blocks north Mills 50 has likely the best Vietnamese food I’ve had. Also called “Little Saigon”, the main arterial - E. Colonial Dr - is lined with Vietnamese restaurants and business owned by families who immigrated in the 1950s during the war. There used to be a restaurant owned by an older couple and their children which served amazing pho of all types; I used to go with my mom whenever I would visit her at work or on the weekends. Sadly, I believe it’s closed down, but somewhat surprisingly the area has remained relatively untouched by pretty extreme gentrification in the rest of the city.
Even though my favorite parts of Orlando are a decent drive from my mom’s house in Oviedo, I still go when I can. Even though I’ve lived there so long, there’s still restaurants I’m discovering to this day. I remember one time last year I went to “Ming’s Bistro” on Mills Ave. with my friends from school. I had no idea how to order - there was a list that had to be filled out by pen with your order, and no one spoke English - but the food was delicious, and that perfect kind of spice that makes your mouth numb.
East of the city limits is Winter Park, just west of Aloma where I used to live. Winter Park is considered one of the nicer areas of Orlando, being founded as a town for snowbirds from up north to live; the streets are even named after northern states! In high school I would go with my friends regularly to eat (of course) and walk up and down Park Ave., looking in all the stores just to leave after looking at the price tags.
Any time someone visits, I always make sure to take them to my favorite places: Thornton Park, Mills 50, the Science Center, Winter Park, etc., but I will say I rarely recommend going anywhere in Oviedo, where I lived most recently. Nearly anyone who lives further out from Orlando than Winter Park travels into Orlando to do anything, though this is a pretty common story in most US cities. Despite how much I complain in my personal life about the south, Florida, Central Florida, or even the city itself, I think I’ll always look back on my childhood in Orlando fondly.
Comments