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I totally agree. Anyone that is even putting Orlando in the same category as SE Florida needs to get out more. Orlando is nothing compared to SE Florida.
Why?
This thread is about me and what the best decision for me would be. It's not really about what looks better on paper.
I'm a single guy working in the restaurant industry.
What I need more than a monthly southbeach visit and lots of beaches around is to be able to find a restaurant job that will pay my bills. After that I want to be able to live in a mostly safe neighborhood that is close to walkable bar hopping area's so that when I get out of work at 11pm I can either walk or be a very inexpensive cab ride away from nightlife. Even more ideal is to live in a compact area with a lot of people so that the friends I meet don't live 30 minutes away and have different agenda's than me on a given night.
I want to live in a place with an active young community where I can meet people easily that live nearby and live a similar lifestyle as me.
These are my objectives.
My objective is not to try to live out a TV lifestyle on southbeach getting into elite clubs and paying 50 dollar covers. I don't have the money. Any night life that is not in the immediate surrounding area would be of little use to me for my daily life.
I need a place that is logistically sound for me and easy to network in for someone without a ton of cash and time. I will be new to the area and will not have many connections. In Orlando I have some connections already because I only live an hour away. Imagine what I could do if I lived right IN ORLANDO.
Again Southeast Florida does seem to have a lot of things going on but it is scattered over a stretch of an hour commute. This is part of the problem I have right now. I'm an hour from Orlando so it makes it hard for me to hang out there and make friends. Where I live is close to a small stretch of bars/clubs but it's hard for me to have the money to go out because it's not close enough. By the time I get out of work everyone is already out and now I need 40 bucks just for the roundtrip cab fare. I don't have that kind of money. I like to go out as much as I can and have fun and still be able to pay the bills.
Why?
it'
This thread is about me and what the best decision for me would be. It's not really about what looks better on paper.
I'm a single guy working in the restaurant industry.
What I need more than a monthly southbeach visit and lots of beaches around is to be able to find a restaurant job that will pay my bills. After that I want to be able to live in a mostly safe neighborhood that is close to walkable bar hopping area's so that when I get out of work at 11pm I can either walk or be a very inexpensive cab ride away from nightlife. Even more ideal is to live in a compact area with a lot of people so that the friends I meet don't live 30 minutes away and have different agenda's than me on a given night.
I want to live in a place with an active young community where I can meet people easily that live nearby and live a similar lifestyle as me.
These are my objectives.
My objective is not to try to live out a TV lifestyle on southbeach getting into elite clubs and paying 50 dollar covers. I don't have the money. Any night life that is not in the immediate surrounding area would be of little use to me for my daily life.
I need a place that is logistically sound for me and easy to network in for someone without a ton of cash and time.
If your mind is made up then I do not understand to reason for your thread. All I can say is that SE Florida will offer better opportunities for networking and a better job outlook. There is really nothing that Central Florida excels over SE Florida. This is why there is over 5 million people living in the metro vs Orlando's 2 million.
As you can see Downtown Orlando is more alive, and it is like that year round. Ft Lauderdale is a snow birds paradise. During the summer it is not nearly as busy as it is during the winter. Downtown Orlando is full of people who live there year round. It has a grocery store and other daily conveniences that you may need, and plenty of restaurants, It also has a brand new sports arena scheduled to open this fall that will bring even more restaurants and businesses to downtown. So you will be able to see NBA games, concerts, and other big events, all within walking distance. Downtown Orlando also has many more bars/clubs within walking distance that are busy year round, and downtown orlando has a large young population. Ft Lauderdale looks like a nice place to visit, but not the place you are looking for.
All I can say is that SE Florida will offer better opportunities for networking and a better job outlook. .
How so? Why?
My mind isn't 100 percent made up, which is the reason for my thread.
Unfortunately for me no one can tell me why they say what they say.
I don't understand how south florida can be better for me to get a restaurant job that pays the bills when their population is so scattered and the area is highly seasonal. On top of that since there ARE more people in this region and many are desperate it probably makes competition much more fierce for jobs that are much more spread out, which could result in a horrible commute to work.
Yes Orlando is seasonal but it's a compact city with a lot more people per mile so there are more customers living in the immediate area (short of if I lived in Miami). Orlando has a bigger population than SE florida's largest city outside of Miami -- which is lauderdale.
Obviously a whole region of a state like south florida is going to have a higher population. I'm not going to live in Miami. How many people from Miami are going to come up to fort lauderdale to eat lunch? How many snow birds are going to be here in 2 months? Who is going to drive from West palm to lauderdale for dinner?
How am I going to make plans with the new person I just met who lives 30 minutes away when I work all the time and get out of work at 11?
If someone could tell me exactly why the area is better for my situation than that would be great.
Right now all i keep hearing is generalizations and stereotypes, nothing really based on my situation. I hear no personal stories, i get no relevant advice.
I never considered Orlando before I was here. I thought of it the same way, as just a theme park city. A good friend of mine recommended it for it's walkable conveniant nightlife. Many others in various area's also recommended it.
I have spoken with multiple people who have lived in both places that recommend it. I worked with people from south florida who adviced against south florida for economical (higher cost of living, entertainment) and other reasons. So I'm a bit weary and what Im trying to do is to find someone who can give me some real down to earth advice who knows both area's well enough and every time I find someone like that so far they say Orlando.
If your mind is made up then I do not understand to reason for your thread. All I can say is that SE Florida will offer better opportunities for networking and a better job outlook. There is really nothing that Central Florida excels over SE Florida. This is why there is over 5 million people living in the metro vs Orlando's 2 million.
he didn't make up his mind, he listed his objectives and wants people to prove with facts, which will be better based on his objectives. And that would be downtown orlando over downtown ft. lauderdale in my opinion.
As you can see Downtown Orlando is more alive, and it is like that year round. Ft Lauderdale is a snow birds paradise. During the summer it is not nearly as busy as it is during the winter. Downtown Orlando is full of people who live there year round. It has a grocery store and other daily conveniences that you may need, and plenty of restaurants, It also has a brand new sports arena scheduled to open this fall that will bring even more restaurants and businesses to downtown. So you will be able to see NBA games, concerts, and other big events, all within walking distance. Downtown Orlando also has many more bars/clubs within walking distance that are busy year round, and downtown orlando has a large young population. Ft Lauderdale looks like a nice place to visit, but not the place you are looking for.
Wont be any different from the old Amway that was also located in downtown, just more box seats. Orlando's delusions of grandeur are fantasies especially if you think anything you have in tiny Orlando can touch SE Florida. Grow a beach and then maybe you would have a chance.
Exactly, a highschool kid may like Disney but not an adult that wants true nightlife and beaches.
Ehh, he's young - he means well. I don't think it much matter Daily - the OP plans to work in a restaurant (waitor I think), so I don't think he has grand plans anyway. City Walk might be perfect for them or Pleasure Island and the truth is there really isn't a time that isn't touristy in the disney area, so again all is right in the world if OP chooses Orlando.
Ehh, he's young - he means well. I don't think it much matter Daily - the OP plans to work in a restaurant (waitor I think), so I don't think he has grand plans anyway. .
I'm in a transitional period and looking to get back into school. I have a bachelor's degree in business right now but it's not specific enough to help. From my understanding Orlando area wins out for schools as well.
I feel bad for Orlando. Anyone who doesn't know what they are talking about thinks anyone who lives there wants to go hang out with mickey mouse or something. They have no idea of the downtown district which is totally seperate, seem unaware of winter park, don't even seem to realize that Orlando has water. They have no idea that many area's in the disney area itself (like universal citywalk) has a lot of adult options.
These last few posts pretty much sum it up for me that it's clear that I'm not getting educated responces. It's cool.
Orlando it is.
Thanks for the help everyone, it may not have been what I was looking for but i appreciate people trying to help.
he didn't make up his mind, he listed his objectives and wants people to prove with facts, which will be better based on his objectives. And that would be downtown orlando over downtown ft. lauderdale in my opinion.
When was the last time you were in Ft. Lauderdale? You should talk about the facts that you know - LOL. Neither is better or worse! Ft. Lauderdale offers something different than what Orlando offers - neither is better or worse - I don't love Orlando, but the OP might and it is up to him to make that decision and frankly if he is defending Orlando when people are asking him why he should not live there, it gives the impression that he has already made his decision!
Wont be any different from the old Amway that was also located in downtown, just more box seats. Orlando's delusions of grandeur are fantasies especially if you think anything you have in tiny Orlando can touch SE Florida. Grow a beach and then maybe you would have a chance.
lmfao, The amway center is going to be much better than the amway areana, its going to be the most technological advanced arena in the US when it opens.. wow that just shows how biased you are toward orlando and how much your obsessed with bashing it. The amway arena is technically in downtown i guess but it is much further from the center of downtown. The amway center will be right next to the heart of downtown. This is about the OP and his objectives. stop turning this into a South FL vs Orlando argument. He is not looking to live in Miami its too far from where he wants to be. Ft. Lauderdale is one of his options and Orlando is much larger and walkable than ft lauderdale, has more nightlife, etc. stop trying so hard to bash orlando for no reason.
To the OP, this is a neighborhood just east of downtown orlando - Google Maps and within walking distance. A lot of people choose to live here because it is not as crazy as the center of downtown, and still has nice restaurants to eat at, etc. And its still walking distance to all the bars and clubs and other amenities downtown orlando has to offer.
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So you will be able to see NBA games, concerts, and other big events, all within walking distance. Downtown Orlando also has many more bars/clubs within walking distance that are busy year round, and downtown orlando has a large young population. Ft Lauderdale looks like a nice place to visit, but not the place you are looking for.
