orlando: theme parks, sinkholes, and sticky heat
i just got back from orlando and wow...what a place. it's hot. like really hot. i just checked and it's 13.42°C there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the humidity though? brutal. feels like 110°F in summer with those afternoon thunderstorms rolling in daily. you'll need a poncho and a lot of patience.
the city sits on this weird limestone bedrock that makes sinkholes a real thing. remember that winter park sinkhole in 1981? yeah, that happened just north of downtown. lake eola is actually a 80-foot-deep sinkhole in the middle of the city. kinda wild when you think about it.
someone told me that orlando wasn't even a big deal until disney showed up. founded in 1875 as a citrus town, then became a rail hub, then boom - mouse ears everywhere. now it's the theme park capital of the world with disney world, universal, seaworld... you name it. and the crowds prove it.
if you get bored, winter park, kissimmee, altamonte springs are just a short drive away. winter park's got that whole artsy vibe and kissimmee's where you'll find cheaper hotels if disney prices make you cry.
the weather's a whole thing. humid subtropical climate means hot rainy summers and mild winters. annual rainfall's about 51 inches, mostly june through september. and hurricanes? yeah, they're a risk. charley in 2004 and donna in 1960 both hit hard. inland location helps but doesn't eliminate the danger.
food scene's decent - fresh seafood, cuban sandwiches, key lime pie. lots of international options too. but honestly, you're probably eating most meals in the parks where everything costs twice what it should.
population's super diverse and growing fast. tourism drives everything here. locals call it "o-town" or the "city beautiful" but i'm not sure beautiful is the word i'd use after sitting in i-4 traffic for two hours.
things to know: hurricanes june-november, summers feel like walking through soup, sinkholes happen, traffic sucks, and those afternoon storms will soak you in minutes. pack accordingly.
despite all that, there's something about orlando. maybe it's the lakes everywhere (over 100 of them), maybe it's the energy, maybe it's just the magic of seeing your kid's face when they meet mickey. it's not perfect but it's definitely memorable.
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