Latitudes

I need to find a downtown spot which will work for an Orlando Urban Sketching Workshop about sketching the Orlando Downtown skyline. Pam and I decided to go to Latitudes (33 W Church St, Orlando, FL 32801) which has a rooftop bar. After getting drinks we walked upstairs to another platform above the bar to see if the view might work for a workshop. The New Year’s Eve ball or orange was still on a pole having ushered in 2019 in January.

Unfortunately this rooftop bar is surrounded by much taller skyscrapers which cut off the views. I rather liked the intimate view of the couple sitting on the bar stools chatting with the bartender. During the week this spot if rather quiet until the crowds arrive much later at night. We discussed the idea of renting an upper balcony apartment just for the workshop. Another building was nearing completion across the street.

If anyone has suggestions of building which might offer good views of a 360 degree view of the downtown skyline please let me know. My next thought is the courthouse but of course there is tight security to get into the building and art supplies tend to confound most security guards. Another thought is to just sketch the skyline from Lake Eola Park. There is however a definite added drama of sketching a city skyline from an elevated vantage point.

Fireworks

In the week between Christmas and New Year’s day, all the large tents on Colonial Drive are converted from selling Christmas Trees to selling fireworks. Dry Christmas Trees and fireworks are both explosive with a simple spark. The proprietor of this fireworks tent actually has a little pup tent set up inside where he sleeps at night. You can buy anything from firecrackers to large mortars. Boxed sets are arranged on most of the shelves offering a wide variety of bangs for the buck. A bus stopped, dropping off passengers. They narrowly avoided getting hit by oncoming traffic as they crossed Colonial. A busted strip mall sign was naked allowing the wind to blow through the rusty frame.

On New Year’s Eve, Zorro my pet cockatoo raised his crest in surprise and concern every time a rocket blast echoed down our suburban street. New Year’s Eve isn’t his favorite holiday.  I sat watching a Twilight Zone marathon until minutes before midnight and then I switched the channel to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Years ago I was in that crowd with friends, and we ripped up our Playbill programs from the play we had just seen, creating confetti. In downtown Orlando, a beach ball sized ball was suspended from a flag pole above Latitudes bar. Illuminated with orange Christmas lights, it didn’t pack quite the same punch as the Times Square ball.