SUN SONG 25 + 26: City Beautiful
Early morning train, alligators, and strip mall pho.
June 9th, 2022
10.27 miles
Savannah, GA → Orlando, FL
I spent one extra day in Savannah as I planned a day off. I had a 4:30am train to Orlando the following day and didn’t want to feel pressure to cut my time short just because I needed to get to bed early. I’m not one who enjoys breaks, just because I have a tendency to get into a certain rhythm and it can be difficult to stop. Walking is a means of intimately experiencing the world, but it’s also inherently means missing things. I know this well, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting more than I’ve already experienced. There will always be something I’ve overlooked, more people to speak with, and streets to see. Walking for days on end is almost always a humbling experience. It’s a lesson in acceptance relinquishing control.
I really enjoyed Savannah and wanted to spend my day off walking all the parts of the city I’d yet to explore, but knew I’d likely regret doing so. Wednesday was yet another blazing hot day. My mind was urging me to go, go, go, but my body told me to take a rest. There’s less than one week left of this walk, and I've still a decent amount of sidewalk ahead of me.
I started my morning with the heaviest breakfast I’ve had in years. As I wrote yesterday, you gotta show up to Randy’s Bar-B-Q early if you want to eat. so I pulled up at 11am and joined a small crowd standing outside. After a short wait, I managed to snag a half slab of ribs and walked 15 minutes back to my Airbnb. I devoured the whole meal on the porch and didn’t stop until there was nothing left but bones. The ribs were coated in a mustard based sauce (which managed to get everywhere) and served with two pieces of white bread. Incredibly good and worth two trips. There was no chance I was going to walk a long distance now. Especially after all the extra weight I was carrying in my stomach. If anything, I was ready to go back to bed, but I couldn’t rest long as I’d scheduled a short walking tour at 2pm. A reader suggested I meet with a fellow named Chris. A couple years ago he started giving his own walking tours and is considered one of the best in the city. So I booked a tour.
I liked the idea of spending a couple days unpacking a city and then going for a walking tour on the final day. Walking Savannah has prompted many unanswered questions.
Chris is a great storyteller and talks with a fervent passion. He was born and raised in the city and enjoys sharing its history with tourists and fellow residents alike. We covered a lot of ground during out 90 minutes, but he explained why the city has so many squares, why it wasn’t completely destroyed in the Civil War like Atlanta (Savannah surrendered without any bloodshed), or why SCAD (the college of art and design) has such a significant footprint in the city, and that Casimir Pulaski was born intersex.
Thanks for the tour, Chris.
Getting to Orlando from Savannah isn’t easy. The only available train arrives at 4:30 in the morning. I went to bed early, but woke up around 3am thinking there would be very few cars available to drive me to the train station. I could have easily walked the distance, but didn’t want to risk moving in the darkness of the early morning. Fortunately, a car picked me up within 12 minutes of calling and I was on the road.
The train station was much busier than anticipated. I wrongly assumed I’d be the only one at the station. Amtrak service is popular in Savannah and I’d guess there were 30 people waiting on a southbound train to Florida. As expected, the train was nearly an hour late. The ride to Orlando took just under six hours
You could probably write an entire PhD thesis on the city of Orlando. There’s a lot to chew on here. Orlando, better known as the “City Beautiful,” is one of the most-visited cities in the world thanks to Disney World, major events, and lots of convention traffic, however that’s not why I’m here.
First of all, I’ve never been to Florida, so why not? Secondly, Florida leads the nation in pedestrian related traffic deaths and injuries. 9 of the top 20 most dangerous cities are located within the state. Orlando, specifically the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan area is consistently ranked the most dangerous area in the country for pedestrians.
Naturally I’m attracted to these places – those which lack substantial pedestrian infrastructure. Orlando is deemed unwalkable, but I’d argue you can walk anywhere. It’s just a matter of how much risk one can manage.
I landed in Orlando around 11am and darted for nearby Delaney Park. I had 3 hours until my Airbnb was ready and I just wanted to pass out as I didn’t sleep a lick on the train. Instead, I sat on a shaded bench, organized my bag, called my brother, and eventually got a move on. These travel days are always the most relaxing. Instead of busting all around town, I usually take it (somewhat) easy, find a park, or sit in a coffee shop for a little while.
First impressions of Orlando were exactly as expected: lots of construction, parking lots galore, palm trees, and very few buildings built prior to the 20th century, if any (I’ll have to do a little research on that to confirm). Not to make huge generalizations, but the city lacks a certain character akin to parts of downtown Dallas, Texas or Los Angeles. That’s not to say it isn’t a nice place. Generally speaking, Orlando appears to be an upbeat place. Nobody is saying hello to each other on the street, although anyone I approached was happy to carry conversation.
I've yet to see an alligator, but again, I only walked 10 miles today, which took place mostly within the vicinity of downtown. A Lake Eola groundskeeper (a beautiful lake located right in the middle of downtown) was feeding birds when I asked if he’d seen any gators down here.
No, no gators. They’d eat all the swans and that’s why people come to this park. No gators.
The wildlife down here is unmatched. At moments I feel like I’m walking Jurassic Park. Sure, Orlando is a big town, but it feels plopped right in the middle of swampy marsh, palm trees, and lakes. If it weren’t for the constant traffic, construction, and city maintenance, this place would be swallowed by the forces of nature in a heartbeat.
Oh and the cockroaches! I won’t complain about them ever again. I figured they were bad in New York City, but the South is a roach haven. I’ve counted at least two or three a day since reaching Charleston. They crawl all over the sidewalk.
I needed something to eat. One of my favorite things to do is to hide my phone in my backpack. No internet, Google Maps, or Yelp. I don’t want to develop a bias, and instead of researching the most highly coveted restaurants or places of business in a city, I’ll let my intuition guide me through the streets. I'm not so interested in what’s popular on Yelp. Hell, most of the good stuff isn’t even on Yelp anyways. After a bit of noodling, I stumbled upon Champs Diner, right across the street from the Orlando Public Library.
The place has been around since 1989, which feels like a long time in downtown Orlando. The owner, whose name I didn’t catch, moved here from Hawaii (where he’s from) for a cooking job at Disney World. After a five year stint, he opened up his own restaurant, closed said restaurant, and finally opened up Champs. The place is known for their breakfast, although I arrived and was in the mood for lunch, so I ordered a Cuban sandwich.
I needed a place to pee and there was a sign that read, “bathroom for customers only.” When I asked to use the facilities, I was told to walk across the street and use the restroom at the public library. Interesting.
My sandwich wasn’t ready by the time I returned. The woman preparing my sandwich was clearly upset and complaining about the delivery driver who recently quit with just days notice. She could have cared less about saving face in my presence. Instead, I was caught right in the middle of the drama.
God Dammit! What happened to decency! Where’s the help wanted sign?
The delivery driver tried explaining himself, mentioning some health issue he needed to address immediately. The whole exchange was comical like a scene out of some 90’s sitcom.
Don’t you get me started! I’m gonna get mad!
The husband brought me my sandwich, which was served on a styrofoam plate with a few paper towels torn from a roll. Classy stuff. Unfortunately, it was the worst Cuban sandwich I’ve ever had, but I can’t complain given it was only $5. I told ‘em it was good anyways and mentioned I’d be back before I leave. While the food wasn’t memorable, the deli was quaint and the owners were characters.
I got to my Airbnb just after 3pm. I was totally zonked, hopped on the bed and passed out for two hours. I reached a deep slumber and had dreams which I can’t remember, but when I woke up, it felt like I was living on Mars.
Full transparency, I should have just called it a day, but I was like five miles short of reaching 300 miles on this trip. I was hungry and in search of Vietnamese food as I’ve heard Orlando was home to some of the best. Many Vietnamese shops and restaurants have chosen to congregate in the Mills-50 district, which is just a skip from my stay.
Getting to Mills-50 was a taste of what’s to come here in Orlando. Thornton Park (where I’m staying) is filled with old Craftsman and Spanish style homes. The streets are made of brick, there’s plenty of sidewalk and lots of greenspace and trees as Lake Lawsona is just around the corner. The area is not what I’d have expected from Orlando and is your classic residential, decently walkable neighborhood. Walk 5 minutes north and you’re met with a wall of traffic, wide streets, and a lack of crosswalks. This is where Orlando begins to feel like Orlando.
There’s more Vietnamese restaurants than I can count on MIlls-50, but I chose Pho Huong Lan, which was tucked away beside the stripmalls lining State Road 50. Just like Champs, I walked around and stumbled upon the place. I thought it was out of business as the glass was tinted making it hard to see inside or maybe it was just closed? I wouldn't have known better if it weren’t for the open sign faintly flashing beside the front door.
I’ve had my share of pho over the years, but what they're serving here at Pho Huong is some of the best I’ve eaten. I ordered an iced coffee and a large bowl of soup with brisket and rare flank steak that cooked in the broth. The basil and bean sprouts were as fresh as they come and the noodles were thicker than most restaurants serve. For a hole in the wall, the place was ornately decorated and filled with different colored LED light strips.
The place could just as easily have been a bar despite all the families who showed up to eat during my stay. Groups of young men drank beers while the waitresses stopped to chat. Vietnamese pop music blared overhead as two large TV monitors played music videos and the local news. Pho Huong isn’t overrun by suburbanites seeking Vietnamese food. Instead it felt like everyone knew each other. Given it’s so close to my stay, I’m bound to return before departing for Miami on Sunday.
There’s nothing but rain predicted during my time here, but the weather has a tendency to change on a dime as you move south. I’ve a long one planned for today, starting at a Wawa gas station on the south edge of downtown and ending in Winter Park. Florida is unlike many places I’ve ever visited, but I feel a certain comfort down here. I’m used to walking in such car dominated cities, especially after walking the length of Long Island. Orlando is a city built for the car, but it’s nothing I haven’t experienced or can’t handle. I’ll report back when I land.
Thanks to those who’ve kept up with this newsletter. I’m pumping out more content than even I can read. There’s a lot to keep up with and I’m grateful for your continued support. Just ~8 more letters and this whole thing is a wrap.
I’ll see you out there,
–Alex
Nice white picket fence.