2010 in Orlando

Here is a quick glance back at just a few of our favorite stories, discoveries, pieces of coverage, interviews and new events from 2010 in Orlando. Its a remarkable city and we were grateful to share these stories with you over the past twelve months. Thank you! -Mark

Event Coverage:

1. Large Group Feeding Ordinance Press Conference: July 7th City Attorney Mayanne Downs spoke
2. Backstage at Phantom of the Opera: Touring the touring production in Orlando
3. Otronicon Preview Party
4. Broadway Across America Season Announcement Party
5. Mount Dora Art Festival: Lots of people
6. Chef Tal Ronnen cooking class: cookbook author who cooked for Ellen's wedding cooked for us
7. Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival: Lots of people
8. In the Heights Opening Night party: Our introduction to Mucho
9. Festival of Chocolate: Tables full of chocolate everything from local and national vendors
10. RotaryFest Chalk Artists: The sidewalks in front of the History Museum covered in art
11. Hearts of Gold Fundraiser Featuring Styx: loud music, lots of money and lots of good will
12. Playground Arts & Music Festival: tables full of summer arts camps brochures
13. Video: Collaboration in Orlando: Voci Dance & Doug Rhodehamel
14. Video: Demolition of Fire Station #1: in downtown Orlando
15. Tour of IKEA: new catalogue brings new merch (and a private tour!)
16. 4th Fest: live music and some rain
17. Art in Chambers Lynn Pauley: sketches and paintings from 1996 paid for by Orlando
18. HUD press conference: refurbished downtown elderly home press conference

New Orlando Discoveries

1. Hip Dog Hydrotherapy: water therapy for your dog

2. Congress for New Urbanism Meetups: learn about how cities work

3. Freecycle: an exchange of plants and gardening tools on the porch of Ethos Vegan Kitchen

4. Orlando Wing Girls: So strange. Pay girls to get you unpaid girls.

5. Northland is the new Bob Carr

6. Which Orlando robot was better: Promotional robot or Dog Powered Robot?

7. The anti-tights movement

8. Neon Forest Arts & Crafts Bazaar

9. Monument of States: an old Kissimmee landmark full of rock and quirk

10. IDignity: Providing ways for the homeless to get IDs for free

11. reThink: Florida website for non-car travel

12. Orlando Weekly's tiny sub titles: Our favorite: "Like an Apple Tablet on Paper"

13. The Black and White yard: These evergreens will forever be green. 

Favorite Orlando Stories

1. Orlando Named Top Domestic Destination

2. Orlando's Commute Named 34th Best in Country

3. Orlando Ranked 19th TV Market in US

4. Orlando Neighborhood Named 25th Most Dangerous in Country

5. Orlando Not Known as Gay-Friendly Destination

6. CVB Spends (Some Amount But Not Zero Apparently) on Marketing to LGBT Audience 

7. President Barack Obama Parkway?

Favorite Interviews

1. Jordin Sparks: former winner of American Idol

2.Steve Sansweet: Head of Fan Relations of LucasFilm 

3. Susan Vargo: Nickelodeon National Tours Producer 

4. Ryan Yerdon: Drummer for Puddle of Mudd 

5. Emmanuel Itier: French filmmaker at Orlando Peace Film Festival

6. Patrick Kahn: Producer of Snap! Orlando photography event

Food

Food Trucks

1. The UCF area enjoyed Orlando’s only vegan food truck, Food For Smile, while it lasted

2. The Great Food Truck Race tv show bypassed Orlando for other Central Florida cities

3. The Daily City continued its semi-monthly food truck tasting events

Finds

1. The Big Twist in Mount Dora does a mean Taco in a Bag

2. Breakthrough Theatre sells amazing cookies

3. Drunken Monkey put The Baratelli on the menu (briefly) after we kept requesting the dish

4. Shame on us: we still need to try Yellow Dog Eats

5. Stardust started serving brunch

Openings & Closings

1. Closed: Morris' Market (though we tried to prevent it)

2. Closed: The Black Olive, home to our failed Martini Tuesdays

3. Closed: Blue Smoke Burger replaced The Black Olive and got an eviction notice

3. Opened: Festival Park Community Garden

4. Opened: Raphsodic Cooperative Company vegan bakery

5. Opened: Blue Bird Bake Shop: one of the best decorated spaces in Orlando

6. Opened: BabycakesNYC vegan bakery in the heart of Downtown Disney

6. Opened: The Milk Bar opened by the owner of Social Chameleon

7. Opened: Eat More Produce

New Publications:

1. Jernigan Post
2. You Yarn
3. Dropp

New Film Events in Orlando

1. Against the Grain Indie Film Night

2. Bad Film Appreciation Society: bad movies 

3. Creationist Film Series: movies about art

4. Movies Out Loud: bad iconic gay movies with two comedians doing commentary

Favorite Locally-Made Commercial

El Corral

Worst Thing To Be Destroyed in Central Florida:
KAST Shuffleboard Courts: piece of downtown Kissimmee history gone


Needs Improvement
1. Library Graphics: clearly they have the budget, so why this?
2. Too Much RENT: How many productions of RENT were in Orlando this year? Too many!
3. Too much A Christmas Carol: Ditto
4. Red Chair Affair
5. Stranger Danger Class at Chicken Restaraunt: Wha?
6. $60 Orlando Tour: Why didn't we think of this first?