Mickey and Minis

I so dreaded going to Orlando on business. I thought, what can be worse than a humid, alligator-infested, land-locked Florida city? Well folks, I was wrong. What I discovered is Orlando is kinda cool. Sure, it still has mosquitoes the size of dogs, lightning (lots of it) and the aforementioned alligators, but it has some other neat stuff too. Here's a quick download from my very brief trip:

• Thornton Park - A charming, tiny downtown among a stunning neighborhood of parks, lakes and cute cottages and bungalows. Stop for a drink or two and stroll.
• College Park - Another park-themed neighborhood, this area is a little more grungy than Thornton Park, but still has a lot of character. I was especially fond of the neighborhood's 50s-era Publix, which took me back to my 70s-era childhood. Jack Kerouac lived here.
  
• Outlet malls - There is some darn good shopping here, including one of the few outlet malls in the U.S. with European labels. Dior, Ferragamo, MaxMara, Fendi, Marni, Etro.
  
• Disney, Sea World and other worlds of fun for those who still like to wear mouse ears (like me).
  

For more ideas, check out this 2006 NYT story on the area. Guess I'll stop being a travel snob.

Credit goes to thorspecken.blogspot.com for the amazing Publix illustration.