Wednesday, May 28, 2014

DTO & DTD Updates

At Downtown Orlando, the bar One Eyed Jack's on Orange Avenue has closed.  It will be renovated and reopen in a few months with a new theme.  It was technically part of the Wall Street Plaza group of bars and was open for more than 20 years.
Next door neighbor Loaded Hog on Orange Avenue has also closed.  Because their website says that OEJ and LH are going to be renovated into something "bigger and better", there is speculation that the two venues will be combined into one larger club.
When the Hiphop nightclub Liquid opened in March, 2011, I predicted its demise would happen within a few months.  Well I've been proven correct but it took 3 years!  Liquid Nightclub is now closed. Prior failures at this location on Pine Street include Blue Room, Red Velvet, Voyage, Deja Vu Ultra Lounge and Zen Exotic Lounge.  Add Liquid to the list.

Moving to Downtown Disney, United World Soccer has opened on the West Side in the spot formerly occupied by Blink by Wet Seal. Not sure if this is permanent or just a pop-up store to stay open for the duration of the World Cup.  Either way, should do well.
And our sources on beautiful Pleasure Island say that the first Starbucks in Downtown Disney should open within the next week to ten days. This is the one near the currently-closed No. 4 Bridge adjacent Characters In Flight.

8 comments:

  1. United World Soccer is a Permanent Store, they are opening up in lots of Major Malls around the country.
    The Second Starbucks, the first one is already Open in front of the World of Disney Store.

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  2. I like what Dj Freefall said on Facebook recently: "I-Drive/Sand Lake area will replace downtown as a nightlife destination in 3 years."

    Downtown sucks. Hip Hop has overrun a lot of it along with the "crowd" that comes with it.

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  3. Hip hop was all over downtown when PI closed. Now theres very little hip hop downtown orlando.

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  4. Go hang out in from of the Beachum on Sat Night from Midnight on. Soak up that atmosphere...

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  5. "I-Drive/Sand Lake area will replace downtown as a nightlife destination in 3 years."
    I can see that! because Downtown parking SUCKS! and so do MOST of the clubs!

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  6. Anon at 10:10am, thanks for the info. Was not aware that the Starbucks in Marketplace had already opened.

    Anon at 10:53am, I think DJ Freefall is wrong about I-Drive replacing downtown Orlando as THE nightlife destination. Most locals avoid International Drive like the plague. For those in E Orlando or up in Seminole County, it's just too darn far away. I think I-Drive's importance as a nightlife destination will continue to improve over the coming years but it will never replace downtown.

    Anons at 2:39pm, 5:00pm and 10:23pm: One of the reasons this Blog got created is because people kept asking me what their options were going to be after Mannequins closed. I quickly found out that Hip Hop was king in Orlando and there was a dearth of EDM options downtown...or really anywhere in Orlando. That is definitely no longer the case. There are a plethora of EDM options downtown and far fewer Hip Hop options. There will always be some and if you think it dominates downtown then you haven't been downtown in years.

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  7. E Orlando or up in Seminole County, it's just too darn far away?
    what? people who came from TAMPA every week! Melbourne! and other FAR away places! so that will not fly!

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  8. Sure a few people come to Orlando every week for everywhere. Places in Disney and on I-Drive are counting on tourists to fill their coffers. But most locals avoid I-Drive and those from the north and east part of the city don't go to DTD anymore. Pleasure Island clubs did draw them but that's about the only thing that drew them.

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