U.S. 192 businesses want to create a brand for tourist corridor

[Grumpy Doc]

By Sara K. Clarke, Orlando Sentinel

In an increasingly competitve market, merchants along U.S. Highway 192 east of Disney World are hoping to carve out a separate identity for their tourist corridor with an orange-themed motif they hope will set them apart from other Orlando-area destinations.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[OrlandoMike]

It's gonna take a lot more than this to clean up this area!


The proposed fix is fast and easy by design: Transform a 5-mile-long strip of 192 east of Interstate 4 into "Orange Central" by painting the curbs or sidewalks orange. The theme would continue with a new public-transportation option consisting of two orange-colored shuttle buses. A new Web site would promote the area, and businesses would support the initiative with things like orange mints in their lobbies.

Note to buisness owners in this area, take a drive down Sand Lake Road AKA "restaurant row" if you really want to see what a booming buisness area is supposed to look like!

 

[Jason71]

Note to buisness owners in this area, take a drive down Sand Lake Road AKA "restaurant row" if you really want to see what a booming buisness area is supposed to look like!

Quoted for truth. Heck, even the stretch from Formosa Gardens west is better than the rest of the street.

Was talking to an industry insider last night, who raised a valid point--don't most people who make their way to 192 already have a car? Not sure what value a shuttle brings.

 

[Cricket2]

"Oh, look honey, this is the area where they painted the curbs in a futile desperate move to draw in tourist dollars. How quaint. Lock your doors kids. I'll be sure not to forget the GPS next time."

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

"Oh, look honey, this is the area where they painted the curbs in a futile desperate move to draw in tourist dollars. How quaint. Lock your doors kids. I'll be sure not to forget the GPS next time."

Seriously, painted curbs and shuttle busses are not much different than what WDW has been passing off as "quality" lately ... Unless you consider "American Idol' or the stupid baloon at DTD quality offerings. I say give it a chance. Any improvement is better than nothing and besides, look what happened at DL. Walt was apalled at the 'low rent' surroundings of DL back then and today it's all good. It has to start somewhere.

Re: Sand Lake Rd.(a booming business area???) This area does have a certain eye appeal but it's just high end restaurants (which are NOT doing so well) and housing developments. I don't see the correlation with 192, which is budget hotel/motel and dining. Isn't painted curbs and shuttle busses exactly what Disney's new Flamingo Crossings was going to be? Day's Inn? TGI Fridays? With painted curbs and Mears busses?

 

[ilovethisplace]

The only reason I ever go down that way is for Krispy Kreme. If they built one elsewhere in Orlando I would never go there again.