Uno’s Pizza – Analog Artist Digital World

After picking up some artwork at Drip, I went to have some pizza at Uno’s Chicago Grill (8250 International Drive Orlando, FL). I’ve been inside Uno’s before, but only when it was full of zombies. I searched for the cheapest single serving pizza I could find on the menu and it still was about $9. I quickly sketched the interior while I waited for the pizza to arrive. I asked the waiter about all the construction going on across the street on International Drive. A large one block area had been leveled just north of Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Apparently a very large aquarium is being build which would certainly bring in the tourist crowd.

Over the next two years, more than a 500 million dollars worth of new projects are planned and visitors will be able to view it all from the
425 foot-high Orlando Eye which is scheduled to open in summer 2014.
The $250 redevelopment of the former Mercado site also plans to include
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Sea Life Aquarium, 232,850 square feet of
retail, restaurants and entertainment.

At the heart of the new project is the Orlando Eye, a long-in-the-works
observation wheel inspired by the iconic London Eye found along the
Thames Embankment. A 425-foot tall observation wheel (actually three
feet taller than its London counterpart) will serve as the centerpiece
of the entertainment district, allowing guests to experience a near-30
minute journey into the Orlando air to see the city’s unique skyline. Of course people could see the Orlando skyline a whole lot better if the went downtown, but that is just crazy talk. Who would want to leave International Drive if it has a Ferris Wheel and an aquarium?

Early signers in the food and beverage department have begun to reveal
themselves. Red Robin, Outback Steakhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings and
Carrabba’s Italian Grill are existing Central Florida franchises that
will have new locations within I-Drive Live. Concepts new to the area
include Cooper’s Hawk Winery, Chuy’s Tex-Mex Restaurant, and Seafood
Republic, Orlando restaurateur Bobby Moore’s latest project for the
area.It looks like Uno’s is going to have stiff competition in 2014.

At the last minute I was told by Paula Large that there was going to be a zombie march in broad daylight on International Drive. The starting spot was at Uno’s pizza right across from Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Driving down International Drive the sudden appearance of hundreds of zombies wandering around the Uno’s parking lot was unsettling. I drove around the block making my way back to the mayhem. My pulse quickened. I parked at the Indian restaurant next to Uno’s.

As soon as I walked into the crowd, I was surrounded by pale, lifeless, brain eating zombies. A stage was set up at one end of the parking lot for a band that I assumed would be playing later. I was immediately drawn to this Hurst parked in the corner of the lot nearest the street. I stood on a small island covered with dried out dead vegetation. Little Red Riding Hood seemed out of place until I saw that she had slit her wrists. A young woman in a tight black leather dress had a cross tattooed between her shoulder blades she walked with a limp. With her nose ring and studs, I suspect she wasn’t really in costume. She must live Goth.

Loud music blasted from the two speakers strapped to the roof of the Hearst. A guy in a black leather vest got on the roof of the Hearst and shouted into the megaphone, “Do you want to see some blood?!” He fired up a chainsaw and the crowd of zombies went wild. one zombie never broke character, he just swayed side to side with his eyes rolled back in his head. A foam manikin was thrown on the roof of the Hearst and he started cutting off limbs to the roar from the crowd. When he thrust the chainsaw blade into her chest blood began to fly and spill everywhere. A pizza was delivered from the restaurant . He began attacking the pizza with the chainsaw with shards of crust and tomato sauce raining down on all the zombies. He threw large chunks of pizza into the crowd where I assume they were devoured.

0n the sidelines citizens with signs protested the march, demanding that the undead return to the graves they came from. When the march began I stayed behind frantically throwing blood red washes onto my drawing. The Goth girls limp must have been real since she remained behind as well, seated in one of the two wooden chairs near the Hearst. A female zombie asked to see my sketch. Her eyes had a strange metallic blue shine. She complimented me and thanked me for sharing with a sweet voice that seemed very out of place since her skin had decomposed rather horrifically. I am sure the party would continue late into the night, but I had to get to class back in the world of reality.