All my favorite childhood movies took place in New York City, so it’s not surprising that I ended up moving there as an adult. After graduating from Florida State University in 2018, I booked a plane ticket and eventually ended up in Bushwick, a neighborhood located in the northern part of Brooklyn. While I always dreamed about living in the Big Apple, I sometimes get homesick and remember all the things I miss about Orlando.
People likely fantasize about snow settling on every surface, winter activities like sledding, and freezing cold temperatures when they think about Christmas. That’s not the case in Orlando, where it’s rarely freezing and the closest thing we have to sledding is tubing. It might sound blasphemous, but I never liked the cold and actually appreciated that winters in Orlando didn’t require an entire wardrobe shift.
In fact, I have memories of wearing flip-flops in the dead of December because who needs Ugg boots when it’s 80℉ outside? Another aspect I miss is seeing palm trees covered in ornaments and string lights, which always seemed very on-brand for Florida, in my opinion. Some of the best food I’ve ever had was in Brooklyn , where the combination of cultures means no cuisine is out of reach. From Japanese to Ecuadorian eats, I’ve never lived in a city where I have access to so many types of food.
But even so, there are a few foods that I struggle to find in Brooklyn, including boiled peanuts. In my opinion, there’s no better snack than spicy boiled peanuts since they can be eaten alone or added to larger meals like crab broils. I’ve tried to find boiled peanut cans in Brooklyn, but I usually have to order them from Amazon.
In Orlando, boiled peanuts can be found at local grocery stores or are sold at pop-up shops on the side of the road. According to the US Census, Brooklyn had more than 2. 6 million residents as of July 2021, while Orlando had just over 309,000 residents that same year.
I consider myself a city girl, but even I’ve felt claustrophobic at times because of the number of people who live in close proximity to one another in New York City. I love my charming — and small — apartment, but I could do without hearing my neighbor’s toilet flush at 3 a. m.
or arguments from two floors up. In Orlando, the street I lived on had one-story homes which were distanced from one another, and each had a backyard that offered privacy. In Brooklyn, I visit my apartment building’s roof anytime I need a moment to myself.
While I didn’t visit them often, amusement parks like Disney World and Universal Studios offered year-round thrills that I miss in Brooklyn. I lived about 20 minutes from both parks, and high ticket prices aside , they were fairly accessible since I didn’t have to travel across state lines or pay for a hotel. One of my favorite memories was participating in Universal Studios’ Mardi Gras parade as a pre-teen because a friend’s relative worked there.
Another time a friend and I attended Halloween Horror Nights together on a school night, which is something only a local could pull off. But there are no amusement parks in Brooklyn. However, I’ve never visited Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey , which is about 90 minutes away from Brooklyn, so I’m looking forward to exploring the theme park.
As I mentioned in a previous story, going out for drinks in Orlando typically costs less than it would in Brooklyn. The financial advice website FinanceBuzz reported in April 2022 that margaritas in Florida cost around three dollars less than they do in New York. It’s not a huge price difference, but the cost adds up when you factor in the number of drinks purchased, transportation, bar snacks, and more.
While New York has the Statue of Liberty, Florida has the Majesty Building that locals affectionately call the “I-4 eyesore” or “eyesore of I-4. ” It’s a local legend since most Central Floridians spot the ominous glass building as they drive down I-4, or Interstate 4. The building is well-known because it’s been under ongoing construction since 2001.
According to the Orlando Sentinel , the religious independent TV station WACX owns the 18-story building and uses a “pay-as-you-go” method. The official WACX website noted that funding included viewer donations, charitable gifts, and charitable grants, among other resources. While the building is technically in Altamonte Springs, a city in Seminole County, it was a fixture in my childhood.
I feel nostalgic whenever I’m reminded of the Majesty Building. Many perks come with living in Orlando, but the annual hurricane season puts a damper on the experience. The National Hurricane Center said hurricane season typically takes place each year between June 1 and November 30.
I was always envious of Northeastern students when I was a child because, on TV, they got snow days where they could skip school and play outside. In Florida, a hurricane day means stockpiling on water and bunkering at home while torrential rain battered everything in sight. I vividly remember when I was in elementary school and Hurricane Charley swept through Central Florida in August 2004.
When we emerged after the hurricane, our neighborhood was littered with downed oak trees, fizzling power lines, broken glass, and chunks of peoples’ homes. Floridians deal with hurricanes yearly, which is probably why we make headlines for some residents’ blasé outlook and viral memes. .
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/things-i-miss-about-orlando-after-moving-to-brooklyn-2022-8
