Dining near Florida Mall

[Tink]

Let's go back to the part about "walking distance from the Florida Mall."

DO NOT walk in that area. It's on OBT and the area becomes more unsafe with each passing day, it seems. Stay in the mall and find something there you can live with for a meal.

Personally, I don't like Five Guys at all, but that's just me. I find their fries/chips to be soggy and kind of gross. I know many people do like them though.

I'd say give Buca a try. You'll have a wider variety of choices. I've only had a bit of a pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. It wasn't bad!

[Mags]

Let's go back to the part about "walking distance from the Florida Mall."

DO NOT walk in that area. It's on OBT and the area becomes more unsafe with each passing day, it seems. Stay in the mall and find something there you can live with for a meal.

Is it really Tink? I was thinking about trying to make my way from the Mall to Barnes and Noble. Would that be an unsafe walk? I so miss the few book shops I used to go to in Orlando that have closed (non driver here). I had also thought of eating at Mimis so I reckon that would be out too.

Mags

[canesandphins1]

It's not the best of neighborhoods but at the sometime it's so busy right there prob will be fine

[Dawn]

There's a Barnes and Noble at Winter Garden Village.

[canesandphins1]

Also a books a million at Kissimmee loop about 4-6 miles from disney prosperity

[Mags]

There's a Barnes and Noble at Winter Garden Village.

Also a books a million at Kissimmee loop about 4-6 miles from disney prosperity

I know, but I dont drive in Orlando so the 42 bus to Florida Mall would suit me getting my book shop fix if I could just be sure it was easy/safe to walk there from the bus stop. Also I like the look of some of the restaurants. I so miss Books a Million on I Drive.

Mags

[Tink]

The thieves are attacking in broad daylight. Not only would I NOT walk in that area, but if I were going to the Florida Mall, I'd park as close to the mall entry door as I could.

I'm not trying to frighten you, but it's getting pretty bad "down there."

I know you said you don't drive, but there is a very nice Barnes and Noble at Dr. Phillips. That's a very short taxi ride from the Marketplace end of DTD. Plus, there are any number of nice restaurants there, and other shops. It's a safer area and I'd not be nearly as worried about walking around there in the daylight. You could walk "up" Dr. Phillips Blvd., too. Many shops through there. When you were all loaded down with purchases a quick taxi ride and voila! You're back at DTD.

[Keith]

I know, but I dont drive in Orlando so the 42 bus to Florida Mall would suit me getting my book shop fix if I could just be sure it was easy/safe to walk there from the bus stop. Also I like the look of some of the restaurants. I so miss Books a Million on I Drive.

Mags

I don't want to worry you either but.....

We didnt drive in orlando until recently so our habit was to get a taxi to barnes & noble where I could indulge myself, then best buy and walk across to the florida mall. Bit of a pain walking across that busy road but ok with extreme care and we did it for years quite happily

Anyway the last non-driving trip we did the usual. Got out the taxi and walked across the car park to B&N when a guy grabbed my jacket from behind and asked for money. I say asked, because it was half way ask half way threat. I'm not a small guy and reacted perhaps a little stupidly by removing his hand pretty forcibly and gave him a fair shove. Before I could move, there was another guy dressed similarly right in front of me. Anyway it didn't go further because a bunch of yellow cab drivers who were parked there came right over and chased them off. The cab drivers then had a go at the cabbie who'd dropped us off telling him he should have dropped us off right at the door not in the middle of the car park. They said that it just wasn't safe to be walking around and that there were nasty types waiting to grab people coming out of best buy with bags of electronics etc but they'd take a try on anyone who looked like they'd have money in their wallets.

Anyway, wandered round B&N, bestbuy and by the time I'd finished I was happily back in pah, random incident never happened before and I didn't need the cab drivers anyway pah so instead of grabbing a taxi for the 2 min trip, we started the walk.. got across the lights, JUST with a few beeps and were walking up to the mall but of course there's no sidewalk there so we were having to walk in the road a little until we could get to the car park. Anyway, white pick up stopped and three guys got out and started to ask us where we were going, did we have any change blah blah. SIGH :/ a minute later a mall security car stopped and the guys got back in their pickup and drove off. The mall security then told us we shouldnt walk there because there's no walkway. Fair enough I guess :/ They also said that they had increased security massively because there had been a lot of thefts and attacks in and around the car parks.

Anyway, that did it for us. The rest of the time we got taxis door to door even if we were only going 2 mins down the road.

I don't trust that area much any more for obvious reasons

[Keith]

Just to add... we've since found that we can visit all the places we visit in one area without that walk in various ways.

Winter garden village for example is a lowish fare cab drive IF they go the right way and it's a much nicer place. Book shops, restaurants all in the one area which you can happily walk around

[Wendy]

Oh my goodness Keith, that sounds awful

We always park as close to the entrance as we can and we just don't walk.