“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalia de Castro
Welcome to everyone in town for Orlando’s Big Gay Weekend! My mission with this blog posting is a simple one, really. I want you to expand your GD 2010 adventure beyond the tourist area to discover Orlando. You see our theme parks have been designed to give you everything you need, so you don’t think of venturing north of the Mall at Millenia, an area marked by a bridge over I-4 that has big letters spelling out Orlando.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love the theme parks. They are part of the quilt that makes up my hometown, and I adore all of it – the good, the bad, and, believe me, we have the ugly covered. But you can’t say you’ve been to Orlando if you haven’t had a sandwich from Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria, or sipped $10 all-you-can-drink mimosas at the Eola Market while listening to musican Joe Martens, or taken a stroll through Leu Gardens. Maybe venture into Thornton Park and get a custom-made t-shirt for the big day at Magic Kingdom; Mother Falcon Clothing will do it in 15 minutes while you down the best bloody mary outside of New Orleans at Dexter’s across the street. Mother Falcon will text you when your shirt is done! See a Floridian’s proud perspective of our treasured Everglades at the Orlando Museum of Art’s exhibit of Clyde Butcher photographs.
You get the idea.
So here are some sites that will help guide you as you explore Orlando. Enjoy.
TheDailyCity
Mark Baratelli is a gifted performer who you might have seen onstage on one of his tours. The Daily City showcases the out blogger’s passion for informing the masses about local offerings, suggesting things that he’s seen in other cities, or creating projects himself. Mark’s Taco Truck Taste Test and his Mobile Art Show have become Orlando favorites. A winner of Best Blog honors from Orlando Weekly, The Daily City is the local source that even locals trust to find out what’s cool in O-Town.
Red Chair Project
This site wisely gives you a one-stop opportunity to find out about cultural offerings in the City Beautiful. Dance, visual arts, theatre…no matter your taste, Red Chair Project has it covered. In some cases you’re even able to buy the tickets directly through the site. One thing to note, some of the offerings on the site take place a bit beyond Central Florida, so pay attention to the location before getting your heart set on something. In some case you’re looking at an hour to two hours drive.
OrlandoWeekly – Annual Manual
This is one of the cooler things I’ve seen in a while. Our local alternative paper – and by “alternative” I don’t mean gay, although there’s plenty of homo-ness to it – put out this guide listing tons of stuff that Orlando has to offer plus fun facts like who is on our city council. You can find this in printed form around town, if the nifty link doesn’t suit you. My other half Brendan and I have a stack of Annual Manuals at home to give to relatives at a wedding later this year.
Design Sponge – Orlando City Guide
Popular Brooklyn-based site Design Sponge compiled a listing of Orlando offerings so comprehensive that even Mark Baratelli bows down to it. “I saw this and fell out of my chair,” Mark announced on his Facebook wall. “LOVE the crap out of it. THIS is what I’ve been waiting for. The layout, photos, style, etc. make you get excited about the city. Kudos to them. They are my heros.” They’ve listed enough hip things to keep you busy you’re entire trip!
One of the things that make the world a better place is building a strong community. That project is ongoing in Orlando. I look forward to sharing our work-in-progress with you. And don’t be a stranger, Scottie Saves the World is about more than Orlando — come back and visit often!
