Pandemic Getaway: Orlando
Look, I know…. How dare I travel during a pandemic!! And of all places I go to the mecca of IDGAF about COVID central. But please give me a moment to explain. Back in November I travelled to see my best friend for Thanksgiving in North Carolina. I was really really nervous at this point. Vaccinations were on the horizon but I had such cabin fever I thought I would burst. I had finally finished my four year degree, the entire year had just been one big ball of crappy stress, I needed to get away. Living alone and not having been in contact with many people except for errands and going to work, as well as being vigilant with wearing my mask and washing my hands, I felt pretty safe in knowing I wasn’t sick. I talked it over with my BFF, she was comfortable with me visiting and I knew that they too had not been in any high risk situations. I was scared, mainly of possibly picking it up and bringing it into their home. I continued to be vigilant. I bought sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer and a million disposable masks with me. I made sure I wiped down any and everything I came in contact with including the whole seat on the airplane. Luckily I did not get COVID (at that point) nor did my BFF or anyone in her family. Granted we basically just stayed in her home while I was there but I enjoyed finally having people around and just being somewhere different. So fast forward to mid-February. At this point I have already had COVID and both my vaccinations. I felt pretty comfortable being able to travel this time, even to FLORIDA. I still took the proper precautions because even if I didn’t get sick I didn’t want to possibly carry anything either. I was ready to try and actually enjoy some kind of normalcy I thought Florida could offer.
Thursday
I was all too eager come Thursday morning to get the heck out of Dodge. The weather had been total shit all week with below zero temps and snow. Thursday morning it was a balmy 6 degrees outside here in Kansas City. I was so ready to tan my buns and lay by the pool drinking a Pina Colada. I had only gotten about an hour and a half of sleep the night before but I didn’t care, I was OUT! Flying wasn’t too bad of an experience. The airports weren’t packed and I got lucky enough that there wasn’t someone in the middle seat which not only is uncomfortable but makes people nervous. This was a total difference from my experience returning from NC after Thanksgiving, you wouldn’t have even known we were in the middle of a Pandy the airport was so crowded and vaccines weren’t even a thing yet! We landed in Orlando two and a half hours later to the warm welcome of a lightly humid 86 degrees. I hadn’t seen my brother in over a year and was very excited when he picked me up. After our hugs hello and some catching up we were joined by another friend who had flown in from NYC. My brother, being the bougie one that he is, treated us to welcome bags filled with a bottle of Prosecco, chips, bars, and even Dunkaroos! I can’t tell you the last time I had Dunkaroos. All these things definitely came in handy later on and it was overall just a really thoughtful gesture. We were starving and headed to my brother’s favorite place, First Watch.
When I tell you I ate so much this trip… oh boy! I’ve had First Watch before but the food is amazing regardless of what state I am in. If you’ve never been to First Watch, it’s a must try. The food is always fresh, organic, and filling. The portions are out of this world and if you want gluten free, they don’t charge you extra. I definitely recommend the Million Dollar Bacon. My food was delicious and my drink was even better. They serve cocktails as well as fresh juices and other beverages. I personally had the Cinnamon
Toast Cereal Milk. This was a concoction of Coconut rum, cold brew coffee, coconut milk and agave nectar. SUPERB!
After filling our bellies, we headed to the hotel to check in. The one thing I forgot about Orlando or Florida in general is how spread apart everything is. You could say two places are in Orlando but you could end up driving like 45 min between each. For the most part with a good highway system and barely any traffic you could probably get to most places in 20 min.
Double Tree Hotel Orlando, Sea World
I didn’t really know what to expect when I booked the room. I had never stayed at this hotel before and was skeptical because I got such a great deal. I booked my hotel as I always do through Hotels.com. Make sure you make an account with them if you travel a lot as most stays reward you per night and I’ve even stayed at some hotels for free or super ritzy for cheap using those rewards. My first impression of the hotel when I arrived was that the lobby was vast but welcoming. The staff was friendly and Karl hooked it up with upgrading me to the Hilton Honors floor. I got to overlook the “city” from my window. I use quotations because it wasn’t downtown you saw, just the convention center. Regardless, the room seemed clean, they had pamphlets out explaining their cleaning protocols and products they use. I have a full walkthrough of the room on my Orlando Vlog. The hotel is actually a resort with a ton of amenities that I sadly didn’t really get a chance to experience, but they did give me warm cookies when I checked in and those definitely hit the spot later that night. Overall, I would recommend the resort. It was like $250 total for three nights. You can’t really beat that price for what I experienced. It wasn’t the fanciest place but it wasn’t a Motel 6 either. The decor could use a pick me up but like I said it seemed pretty clean, spacious and the staff was helpful. I did end up getting locked in the bathroom on the last day. Luckily my brother and his girlfriend were in the room and we eventually credit card jimmied me out. The bolt fell right out of the door and when I explained it to the front desk upon check out, they were understanding and didn’t charge me for anything.
After checking in to the hotel, we felt a little peckish. The traveling and running around was getting to us a little so we decided to head over to an aesthetically pleasing coffee shop called The Robinson Café. I loved it the minute I walked in. This place was an influencers wet dream. The aesthetic, the vibe the oh so Instagram worthy nooks and crannies. These people knew exactly what they were doing when they made this place. Later I would learn just how much these people know what the heck they are doing. I ordered what I thought would be the coolest eye catching drink that I would also want to imbibe. I got the Matcha Blossom. This green concoction with delicious freshly made pink whipped cream was decadent yet satisfying. We also ended up sharing some Buffalo cauliflower (to die for), and fries. The place was quite enough to be able to get some work done and so well lit that you couldn’t possibly fall asleep studying. I highly recommend it.
Friday
This was a doozy of a day. We crammed a lot in and I was more than happy about it. We were supposed to go out the night before but running on an hour and a half of sleep, as soon as we got back to the hotel to “change”, I touched that bed and said “Nope.” But, well rested and ready to seize the next day we were in for an adventure. We started the morning off with an impromptu brunch of sorts at a hidden gem called Orlando Meats.
Part butcher shop part glorious hodge podge of asian inspired diner food. Don’t let the outside and décor fool you, the food here was something out of this world! Everything on the menu sounded amazing it literally must have taken us a good 15 minutes before we could decide what on earth we wanted to bless our taste buds with. We settled for four individual meals and two that we shared. I ordered the George RR Market… clever name, I see what they did there. This was basically an Eggs Benedict with flare! The eggs were pouched perfectly and the combination of ham, hollandaise and Szechuan bun were a delightful medley. I shared the Korean dog which was deep fried perfection! The portions were phenomenal and they served alcohol too! Definitely one of the best meals I’ve had. It really is a shame that the vibe there is so mediocre. Around the time we went the place was basically empty and I think it’s due to the location. Overall I was very satisfied with the food and price! I practically had two meals and an alcoholic beverage for around $30.
After engorging ourselves, we decided to grab a nice cup o’ joe as a kind of pick me up dessert from the food coma we were fighting. My brother and his girlfriend took us to Qreate Coffee and Studio. It’s a strange concept but somehow it works. So unlike Starbucks or even The Robinson from the day before, the ambiance was less about being quiet and more about openly socializing, sharing ideas and getting inspired. Inside of the café there is a full blown portrait studio setup. They have the all white backdrop, the key and fill lights, large monitors where you could share your screens. This place was meant for creating and they really drove the point home. The drink options were also great. I chose the simple Viet coffee. There were so many zany drinks but I wanted something I knew I would like for sure.
After a quick nap refresher, it was into our night clothes we go. The night was young and we had a lot in mind to do. We headed to Stumpy’s Hatchet House where we dived into our wanna be Viking selves and got to throw axes like the warriors we always knew we could be. I’ve been axe throwing before and it was so much fun that I was really excited to do it again. The establishment gave me urban lumberjack vibes. The music was pumping a variety of 90’s and today’s hits, the drinks were flowing and the axes were being thrown. I really enjoyed my time here. The staff was super friendly we had been running late and were waiting on a couple more people and they were able to accommodate us by moving our appointment 30 min later. After aimless practice we broke up into teams and that’s when the real fun began. We were a few drinks in and I was sucking terribly, the couple that we had been waiting for was straight kicking ass thanks to the swindler girlfriend of my brother’s roommate who seemingly feigned being as terrible as the rest of us. We got them back in the second round though! My team actually won! After feeling as victorious as Ragnar seizing Paris we were starving and ready for some good food.
As soon as I walked into this place I was in love. Disclaimer, I do have a small obsession with Japanese culture. Regardless, this place had such a fun eclectic charm. The atmosphere was buzzing with animated conversations. The food and drinks were flowing and everyone seemed to really be having a good time. The menu had so many options, I didn’t know what to get. It was made up mostly of finger foods and shareable items with some bowls and noodles to fill you up just enough. The table decided to get a bit adventurous and try different kinds of yakitori (skewered meats). There was tongue flying, chicken hearts beating and even some regular shmegular run of the mill cuts of flank and breast. I wasn’t too adventures with my meat sticks but I did go ahead and add some Uni to my rice bowl. I’d never had Uni and to be honest I didn’t actually know what it was but for those at the table who had, they raved about it. For $4 I figured it was worth the try. I couldn’t even explain to you what the experience of eating Uni was like. The first bite was arousing. My mouth felt utter joy having the sample just melt into each crevice. I wanted more! I later looked it up and Uni is actually sea urchin GONADS!! Had I known I would have been more hesitant but now I am a true believer that ignorance is bliss. The restaurant not only had really good food, but the drink selection was also very creative and vibrant. They had a little signature gimmick of doling out little Japanese character toys with some of their premium drinks and I was here for it. I am a sucker for gimmicks!! I ordered the Astro Boy mule, not only because Moscow mules are my favorite but because I wanted the cute little Astro Boy souvenir. Unfortunately they didn’t have the toy but offered $3 off of my drink which I gladly accepted. I ended up taking home the cute aluminum Astro Boy can my drink came in. Shhhhhhhhhh.
After a great rowdy night of axe throwing and Japanese fun we decided to class it up a bit. I slipped into some heels and we headed into the swanky Ritz Carlton, Grand Lakes for some drinks. The heathen that I am, I don’t think I have ever been to any place fancier. I felt like Will Smith when his taxi pulled up to the Bel Air mansion. I felt both out of place but also like I had always belonged there. Everything about it just seemed nicer. Solid slabs of marble used as lamps decorated the elegant side tables lining the walls. The lighting was that perfect dim you get at nice restaurants. The vibe was rich but not snooty. Initially we went downstairs to the lounge/restaurant The Kitchen, but they were closing so we headed back upstairs to Knife and Spoon which took up most of the first floor once you passed the lobby. There was a gorgeous bar that was ginormous. They had a guy singing live music, and some of the drunk ladies were whooping and hollering so hard you would have thought that they had just thrown their panties at Bret Michaels. The scene was set and with dirty martinis in hand I was ready to take it all in. I had never had a martini let alone a dirty one. I ordered mine EXTRA dirty with a blue cheese olive. I felt like a Bond girl or something, sophisticated, classy with a little edge. We sipped our martinis and had some really deep existential conversations. Maybe it was the atmosphere but it felt like we were adulting at its finest.
Downtown Orlando
Feeling sophisticated and satisfied with our pseudo luxurious life, we decided to head to Downtown Orlando and bar hop a bit to end the night. We first arrived at what could be described as an antique store that only specialized in lamps. Somewhere your grandmother would go to get that lamp repaired that has been in the family for generations. Welcome to Ann Teague’s Lamp Supply. Not your ordinary bar that’s for sure. There were lamps everywhere you turned. It was definitely quite the sight but a bit too crowded for our liking so we headed out to the next location. Mather’s Social Gathering was an amazing experience. I won’t ruin the surprise but the gist of it is that it’s a swanky hidden speakeasy circa 1800’s. This place has so much appeal and class. The ambiance was impeccable. There were so many details to look at and the drinks were just as elevated. We nibbled on some bacon wrapped figs and my brother’s drink came with a silver platter of cookies. I would definitely visit again.
The night was late, people were spilling out into the streets. With one last thought on our minds we went to Bao’s Castle. I was exhausted at this point but will never turn down a good meal. The place was small but don’t let that fool you, the food was great. Baos are warm plump buns filled with basically whatever according to these people at least. We grabbed a few each and headed back to the hotel where I devoured and knocked out right away. I didn’t even get to take pictures!!
Saturday
So my brother, every year as a tradition for his birthday in September, goes to Epcot to “drink around the world.” If you’ve never been to Epcot, it’s a Disney park that I personally think was made for adults in mind. There’s like a couple of rides, the rest is restaurants, food stands, bars and souvenir shops representing 11 countries from around the world. So in a sense it’s like you’re globe trotting without needing a passport. The staff at each of the countries are supposed to actually be from those countries. Kind of like having foreign exchange students. Well the place is amazing and we always have a drunken blast when we go. Due to COVID, I wasn’t able to make it last year so we decided to go again this time around. Also due to COVID we never got into the park. Because of the pandemic the park is only allowed a certain amount of people in a day. Once they meet their capacity, they can’t let anyone else in. The system won’t allow them to activate the cards that allow you entrance into the park. We had purchased our tickets in advance for Epcot, for this specific day and gave all of our information but apparently there was an extra step to confirm-confirm you are attending. It was not very clear and basically we missed the mark. It wasn’t a total loss though because even though it was supposed to be the highlight of the trip, we had been many times before. They were gracious enough to refund our tickets and we went on our merry way to create new experiences.
It seems like we had quite the theme this trip eating a lot of Asian food but I was more than happy. I had previously been to Korean BBQ but never a Japanese one. This place smelled heavenly. For $50 a person, during lunch, we had an all you can eat buffet of meats, appetizers and sides. Now I know I previously mentioned being a sucker for gimmicks but one gimmick I don’t like is going to a restaurant and having to cook my own food. I don’t like cooking my own food at home, why would I pay you to make me do it? Luckily my brother took the reins on this one and BBQ’d the crap out of some primo cuts of meat. The food was so unbelievably good. I must have eaten three days worth of meals in one sitting. We also had some Japanese beer and my first ever sparkling saki!! I thought I hated saki till I had this one. It was so refreshing and tasty. We ate ourselves into a coma and headed back to the hotel for a nap.
City Walk at Universal Studios
So having lived in Orlando for a few years, Universal was my favorite theme park well before Harry Potter ever graced its presence. I had a year pass and went anytime I could. We didn’t go into the park this time but instead enjoyed a drink and took in the sites at City Walk. So for a lot of people worried about the pandemic and how on earth people could possibly be able to actual enjoy their lives during a time like this, the parks are actually very strict about their pandemic protocol. As you saw at Epcot they limit the amount of guests, as well they will literally catch an attitude with you for not wearing your mask. At City Walk they had to limit the number of patrons at the bar which lead to very limited seating and long wait lines. It took us awhile and walking about half way through it all to find a decent line to wait in for one drink. We grabbed our margaritas, found a table and had more deep conversations. We hit up VooDoo donuts on our way out and like the glutton I am, I picked three donuts! It was worth it.
I think for every New Yorker who ends up moving away, the one thing we always seek out is good pizza. There’s just something about NYC pizza. I can’t find anything like it anywhere else. Well when we arrived at Lazy Moon Pizza the heavenly scent of baking crust and melted cheese wafted into my nostrils like a fish to a hook. My heart skipped a beat and I thought… oh my this is a very familiar scent. Could it be that this pizza will be par for the course with that of my favorite $1 slices? I wasn’t disappointed. Although still missing some mysterious key ingredient, the pizza was really really good. Not to mention the pie was 30”. That is not a typo. One slice of this pizza was bigger than my head! God I love a gimmick. Like I said the pizza itself was actually very tasty so it’s not all about the size (that’s what she said). The vibe was also very Brooklyn to me. Lot’s of hipsters and alt babes. They also sell alcohol, assorted beverages, salads, soups and pizzeria type foods. What a great way to end the night. Stuffed to the brim, yet again, we headed back to the hotel for our last sleep in Orlando.
Sunday
The Wellborn House Bar and Kitchen
I loved this place and not just because they got me shmammerd in under an hour but because it was another Instagramer’s beautiful vision. So you know those people that I said owned the Robinson Cafe from day one? Oh and Mather’s from day two? Well they also own this place. I told you these people know what they are doing. The house is actually a historic building. The bar and kitchen part is located in the beautifully curated landscaped garden. The garden wasn’t even perfectly manicured, it had this sort of haphazard lazy but chic looking growth of greens and flowers. They perfectly complemented the scene with a fire pit area, swinging love seat and various mismatched lawn furniture. We chose a table on the veranda and I enjoyed my bottomless mimosas a bit too much. We couldn’t stay long which was a bummer because I really wanted to take more of it in but flights wait for no one and soon we would be on our way home.
I had such a great time. I felt like the four days flew by and I was actually sad to leave. Even though we didn’t end up doing what we had come all this way to do, I almost was ok with that. I got to experience new places I hadn’t been to, and spending an entire day pounding drinks then the next day recovering really takes a lot out of you. This time around I was able to really enjoy my time spent with my brother and good friends. I’m thankful for finally being able to travel and even more thankful to say that we are all still very healthy.
