Friday Funny

 

DS Update: What Was The First Store To Open?

Ten years ago this month, the very first store opened following the construction of Disney Springs. The Town Center section was not finished yet but a couple other areas of new construction were. What was the first store? Not counting a couple new kiosks in Riverboat Square, it was Chapel Hats located in the so-called Motion Corridor section of Pleasure Island. And surprise, it's still there! What was the second store to open? That was Sound Lion located along Hill Street on Pleasure Island. And coincidentally that was also the very first store to go out of business.

This Weekend In Techno Town

Shipwrecked Music Festival is in Tampa so a slow weekend in Orlando.

THU   23JAN     OLIV BAR     DJ Alpha (USA) & DJ MF (USA)

FRI     24JAN     HAMMERED LAMB     DJ Tooltime (USA)

FRI     24JAN     BEACHAM     "United We Dance" EDM event 

FRI     24JAN     ALFIE'S HIFI     DJ duo Latenight Society (D/USA)

FRI     24JAN     IRON COW     DJ Lola B (USA)

SAT    25JAN     ALTIRA POOL     DJ Atnarko (USA)  2:30pm-8:30pm

SAT    25JAN     HAMMERED LAMB     Closing Party/Final Night

SAT    25JAN     OLIV BAR     DJ The Reverend (USA) 

SAT    25JAN     ALFIE's HIFI     DJ Sean Samaroo (USA)

SUN   26JAN     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Nimino (GB)

SUN   26JAN     GRAPE & THE GRAIN     DJ Sneaky Pete (USA) 

SUN   26JAN     DANCERS ROYALE     DJ Micro (USA)

 

DS Update: That Cupcake ATM

There was a time just a couple years ago when this Cupcake ATM outside Sprinkles was all the rage. There would be a line to order a fresh-baked cupcake via the machine.

During those days, not only was there a line for the Cupcake ATM but there would also be a long line to get inside the store. Now, no line for either. Ever since that cookie store opened-up over the No. 2 Bridge.

PI Update: Remembering Snow On Pleasure Island

With cold weather a possibility this week on beautiful Pleasure Island, we looked back in history to January, 2010 (which is now 15 years ago) to recall this 34F° morning. Snow flurries and later sleet were spotted at EPCOT during the Disney Marathon event that weekend.

There were also snow accumulations at the higher elevations.

I-Drive Update: Remembering 10 Years Ago This Month

Ten years ago this month along International Drive was a shopping mall called Artegon (originally Festival Bay) where quite a few things were going on. One of them was the opening of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill. It went into the spot where the Caddyshack Restaurant had previously operated. If we recall correctly, Toby Keith's didn't last very long.

KingBob On The Go

KingBob is traveling again, this time an uncomplicated quickie.

                              DL MCO-BOS

                              DL BOS-MCO

Friday Funny

Now on sale at Toys "Я" Us nationwide.

 

This Weekend In Techno Town

Headed out of town early Saturday AM so will miss most of these events!

FRI     17JAN     PALM TREE CLUB     DJ duo Forester (USA)

FRI     17JAN     SAUSAGE CASTLE (Astatula)  DJ Keoki (USA)

FRI     17JAN     CELINE     DJ Anna Lunoe (AUS) CANCELLED

FRI     17JAN     CELINE     DJ Moon Boots (USA)

FRI     17JAN     SESSIONS     DJ Dre Mendez (USA)

SAT    18JAN     AURA     Berlin Techno Night

SAT    18JAN     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Sasha Robotti (USA)

SAT    18JAN     VANGUARD     DJ Nicole Moudaber (RL/GB) 

SAT    18JAN     CAPITAL ROOM (Sanford)  DJ Eric Berretta (USA)

SUN   19JAN     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Classmatic (BR)

   

CW Update: That Groove Rumor

We have absolutely zero factual evidence nor inside information but a rumor we had heard over a year ago resurfaced again within the past month. The rumor is that The Groove may be returning. As you may recall, The Groove closed along with everything else during 2020's covid19 pandemic. After things began reopening, The Groove never did.

After sitting idle for quite some time, in 2022 it was announced that CityWalk was replacing the dance club with a Universal Studios themed Escape Room called Universal's Great Movie Escape. We've heard they are high quality, awesome escape rooms. We have no idea what the numbers are for this place but surely it's not anywhere near what The Groove used to bring in every weekend.

 

If you go inside UGME, you can still kind of see The Groove in there. The theater-look is still there. Those stairs to the upstairs balcony are still there. The two escape rooms (not pictured) have a temporary look to them. It would seem to be pretty easy to turn this back into a dance club. We've not seen that their new theme park Epic Universe, which opens in May, is going to have a nightlife aspect to it. (The Universal Helios Grand Hotel will have a rooftop bar.) Disney is sticking with family-oriented music entertainment in Disney Springs and seemingly is not going after the adult market whatsoever. Meanwhile over on International Drive, both Icon Park and Live! at the Pointe are going after adult nightlife in a big way. Universal could be seeing adult hotel guests leave property at night and heading over there. So perhaps CityWalk will see a much-needed rejuvenation including the reopening of The Groove. That's the rumor.

PI Update: Long Live 8TRAX!

I was getting ready to dispose of two old computers so I mass-downloaded any pictures still in their hard drives. This pic was among them. I've previously posted 8TRAX photos, many of them taken in 2007. I just don't know the origin of this one although obviously it was from a time they were still in business. Long live 8TRAX!

 

Club Reports: London House, Palm Tree Club, Shark Bar, Sports & Social, Iron Cow

For decades DJ Mark Sanchez (USA) was the resident NYE DJ at EPCOT-Italy but that ended with covid19. We got to see him do his thing last night at Iron Cow. The Saturday night pics can be found on sister website Orlando Entertainment News here.

 

Club Reports: Oliv Bar, Los Tres Golpes, The Robinson

DJ Amber Jane (USA) headlined one of the events we went to last night and a good time was had at all stops. Friday night pictures are on sister website Orlando Entertainment News here.

 

Friday Funny

 

PI Update: The Last Club Sign

11 Years Ago This Week On Save Pleasure Island Blog: Of all the dance clubs and comedy clubs that once operated on Pleasure Island, curiously, this is the only one left with a sign still hanging!

This Weekend In Techno Town

At last, some events!

FRI     10JAN     OLIV BAR     DJ Cru-Dawg (USA) & DJ Repunzel Rose (USA)

FRI     10JAN     CELINE     DJ duo Twinsick (USA)

FRI     10JAN     AXE TRAP     Memento Mori: DJ Lavidicus (USA)

SAT    11JAN     IRON COW     DJ Tony Faline (USA)

SAT    11JAN     WALL ST PLAZA     DJ Green Velvet (USA)

SAT    11JAN     OLIV BAR     DJ Freeda Sol (USA)

SAT    11JAN     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Oscar G (USA)

SAT    11JAN     SIGNAL @ SIMONS (Gainesville)  Superstar DJ Keoki (USA)

SUN   12JAN    AURA NIGHTCLUB     DJ Daniel Orpi (GB)

DS Update: The High Line Bar

Ten years ago this month there was excitement about the Disney Spring "High Line" which was being built across the West Side. While most were to be standalone sections, this one section near Food Truck Park (now Expo Park) was to have stairs and an elevator to take guests to the top to eat food or have drinks. We believe a bar would have been located up there too. All the sections were built including this one but the idea to have guests go up there was scrapped before it ever opened. We never heard any reasons given.

 

PI Update: The Status Quo

Let's cross this bridge one more time to beautiful Pleasure Island. Problem is, once you're on the Island, there still isn't the return of night time DJ dance music that existed before the covid19 closures. It seems that multiple bands cost a lot more money to hire than a single DJ stationed at the Waterview Stage, but Disney apparently doesn't see it that way. Disney Springs seems to be doing well. The restaurants are busy and people are buying merchandise in the shops. The amount of store turnover has been minimal. So no changes to the entertainment lineup that we're aware of.

 

Club Reports: Permanent Vacation, Good Times Bar & Grill, Barbarella 3.0

Saturday night in the city and instead of returning downtown, we headed to the burbs. We began in north suburban Maitland where The Copper Rocket has been in business for more than 20 years and remains popular. And hidden within, this door to a place called Permanent Vacation.

Opening that door (slowly) brings you into a small foyer where the Attendant confirms your reservation and brings you into the main room where you're greeted by this skull wall. You are now inside a tiki bar.

To the side, this long bar stocked with all kinds of peculiar concoctions. There is bar seating, multiple tables plus two semi-private tiki rooms if you have a group.

The drink menu is already in front of you and it comes with a tiny flashlight to help read it in the dim lighting.

My companions for the evening.

 

Each drink is delivered with its own unique mini-show. My "Rain Killer" drink came with a darkening of the room, lighting and thunder and waitress delivery with an umbrella.

The place is jammed with African and south Pacific theming. We won't show any more because you need to experience this for yourself. Walt Disney World has Trader Sam's Grog Grotto at the Polynesian Village Resort. Maitland has Permanent Vacation. Reservations are a must here. Admission is free.

As long as we were checking out Maitland nightlife, we wanted to revisit Fredster's over on Keller Road in the former Silly Grape spot. But we arrived to find it's now called Good Times Bar & Grill.

Downtown Orlando may be dead this weekend but this place was packed with live band The Franchise Players (USA) playing.

The music was mostly 70's & 80's classic hits and they had the dance floor jammed. The Franchise Players play often on the Waterside Stage, Disney Springs Marketplace.

Between band sets, recorded music such as the "Cupid Shuffle" kept the dance floor full.

There is definitely an older crowd here, kind of like what you used to find at the old Why Not Lounge inside the Holiday Inn-Altamonte Springs back in the day.

When this was Fredster's, Orlando Weekly stated “Retirees pack the dance floor to test out their new hips” and “What’s old is old again.”OW appears to have removed those comments, lol. Admission is generally free except when a special band is playing. The band ends at 11PM so come early.

We next headed one exit south along I-4 to Lee Road in Winter Park, home to The Axe Trap. And on Saturday nights, home to Barbarella version 3.0. 

We walked in to a crowd.

Just as it should be on a Saturday night, resident DJ Indie John (USA) was in the booth.

The music, mostly 80's New Wave.

Music by the likes of The Cure (GB), New Order (GB), Nitzer Ebb (GB), Peter Murphy (GB) and more!

A bit later, DJ Rob Bates (USA) took over and continued with all that great stuff.

Lots of beautiful Barbarella girls on hand such as Alison.

Susan

Renee

Some INXS (AUS) kept the dance floor active.

If you've not been to the new Barbarella, you need to come check it out. Admission is $10 and parking is free. There's a full liquor bar too. A good time was had by all.

Club Reports: Downtown Carcasses, Elixir Bar, Aero Bar, Monkey Bar, The Robinson

The last time we saw DJ Jay-R (USA) he was playing at STK on Pleasure Island in Disney Springs. Last night we saw him downtown at The Robinson. We also visited all the downtown clubs that went out of business last year. Friday night pictures are on sister website Orlando Entertainment News here.