orlando
 

hi folks


decision is made off to orlando in dec:)

in the process of organising a place. renting seems the way to go and from my initial enquires having no job/credit rating doesnt seem to be a problem providing your willing to commit to a year. looking at lake mary area anyone got any opinions etc? any good pint bars in that neck of the woods?:thumbup: i know its a long shot but anyone on here know if theres any local rogby clubs in the orlando area?

:thumbsup:

Re: orlando
 

Do you have all your visa requirements fulfilled? No point in organising anything until that criteria is completed ;)

Re: orlando
 

hi kittie

yep won a card in the lottery:thumbsup: had forgot all about it started a biz etc and then out of the blue a email arrived telling me i was good to go:eek:
between all the toin and froin ive decided to go figure i can always come back to this if things dont work out.

happy days

Re: orlando
 

Nice- lucky you! There's a lot of people on this planet who would kill to take your place ;)

Re: orlando
 

There is a Forum called - http://www.***********.org/forum - it's mainly about immigration - however, it is based in Orlando and most of the posters are Brits and a lot of the posters live in and around Orlando. They have a monthly meeting so would probably be a good place to get advice and meet other Brits.

Good luck in your new life.

Oh - aren't we allowed to post websites. Please PM me if you want to know the web address.

Re: orlando
 

I think it's just that website -- yes I know which one it is. Full of British Daily Mail readers worshiping Enoch Powell from Florida on E-2 visas as far as I can see.

Re: orlando
 

Lake Mary is pretty upscale as it is next to Heathrow, a very expensive housing development..I believe Michael Jackson has a home there, or had. You will have a fairly easy commute to Orlando down I-4, going West. Sanford is right up the road, I-4 East, where you have a nice Mall to check out. Dunno about pint pubs though. Seminole County is a rising star so of course the taxes are high. Oh and you also get the greenway, toll road, for your easy way to get to OIA (Orlando International Airport). You should do alright there. HTH

Firtreesix

Re: orlando
 

Take a look at city-data.com/forums and check the Florida sections. It's not Brits but people moving from city to city and a lot of chatter about where to live/where not to live.

Re: orlando
 

There is a web-site for Florida Rugby Union (google will get you there)...shows Orlando in the mix. Are you looking at playing or watching? Those guys (and girls) can probably tell you where the pint bars are.

Re: orlando
 

What are you looking for in a city?

If you can imagine living in Ibiza only with less booze and more crime, Orlando might be your spot.

Re: orlando
 

thanks for all the responses

found that website will give them a shout plan on playin im 31 so theres a bit of life in the oul dog yet.

figure orlando as its the right side of the country for flights home ppl visitin etc plus i could do with the sunshine west coast ireland get a hellava lot of pissy weather.
been there a few times too so have a fair idea what its like. gun crime seems to have gone bananas. been checkin out orlando sentinel online and there interactive guide to crime:ohmy: from what i can see as long as i dont start dealing drugs or messin round with an other fellas lady i should be safe enough:rofl:

no state tax is a plus too. rent seems about the same here but you get a lot more house for the money in nice areas like lake mary. cars are feic all although i did get a few motor insurance quotes online and there nothing cheap there.

i know every city has its good and bad but what i would like is

hot weather
access to sea/lakes for boating
plenty of active things to do(get enough culture at home)
good nite life
low cost of living
nice place for the family and friends to visit with loads of things for them to do when they getting on my nerves
low crime
job opps

orlando seems to tick the boxes bar the last two but you cant have everything. san diego was running a close second but the cost of living is huge and its a fair haul to get to.

robert

Re: orlando
 

Are you in for surprise ...I live 100 miles from there
and thats too close

Re: orlando
 

i love suprises

Re: orlando
 

Most of us are ...

Re: orlando
 

well i guess theres alway a catch:D

that interactive map makes for interesting readin although all the gun crime seems to happen in the same areas in orlando. pine hills etc i guess like any city a common sense approach should keep ya out of trouble

Re: orlando
 

Figures for Orlando are massaged to ensure no bad press that the tourist will see....

Re: orlando
 

...and what's wrong with the Usenet immigration forums?

Re: orlando
 

??

I must be the only person who doesn't know what forum that link is going to...

Re: orlando
 

I wil explain it later

Re: orlando
 

Your old one Ray?

Whorelando another sacrifice to the house of mouse:(
I live a similar distance from the hell hole as Ray way too close:rofl:

Re: orlando
 

Oh thaaaaat.
Just wonder what it has to do with Usenet.

Re: orlando
 

You are in for a terrific culture shock my friend.

Re: orlando
 

Made the top 15 crime stats

Re: orlando
 

Brought my kids up in Lake Mary. Good schools, and far enough away from the tourist area to avoid the mouse. Kids have now left the nest so I moved to the country as I didn't have to worry about school districts. I'd recommend renting until you get a good feel for the area.

Rugby, one club in Orlando ( there used to be two ). Standard is pretty low but fun. Hardest part is getting the yanks to carry on playing once they've been tackled. It's an NFL mentality. Also away games take up the whole day and sometimes the whole w/e. due to the distances.

Local pubs, a new place called Jacks, with 60+ beers on draught. A Brit pub in nearby Altamonte Springs called the St. Andrews , passable - just. An Irish bar in nearby Sanford called the Speckled Hen, which I need to visit.

Hope this helps, more info if needed.

Re: orlando
 

Just a thought ... if you really want to make a go of it, try to get used to the place for what it is, not what it is not. If you seek out british pubs, british beers, british sports, etc, you'll find yourself crying in your warm beer with a bunch of other brit's about how everything is 'not like it is back home'.

When I first came here, I did the same thing - went looking for the pubs, the warm draught beer, the footy matches, the fish and chips ... when I was surrounded by new and exciting things, and a whole different way of life and quite different people. I got fed up with hearing how everything was 'wrong' with the place, yet the people never seemed to do the obvious - go back home!

I bumped into a bunch of brits while on vacation in Rome recently. While surrounded by the best restaurants in the world, and fascinating cafes, they asked me if I knew of any 'pubs' ... they'd only been there a couple of days but were already looking for pubs ... to each his own!

Re: orlando
 

Forget hoity toity Lake Mary/heathrow-over priced and over rated. working in Lake mary all you see are posers in their BMWs and Benz's and Hummers driving around paying for overpriced food in fancy restaurants.

No my friend, move to Oviedo in Seminole county-away from the hustle and bustle (and crime) of Orlando and a nice quiet, community just 20 min drive to O town ! and on the edge of development-next to us is the Eckon state parks.

See you soon !

Re: orlando
 

You can't have everything, but if you can't find the last one, methinks you might not be living there long.......

Re: orlando
 

Think you will find there is much more to it than just that. :D

Re: orlando
 

Most of the British pubs are near International Drive area and tons in Kissimmee. The thing about O-town besides its lack of culture; its very spread out so you have to drive. Be sure to check out the Cricketer's Arms in the Mercado on I-drive. I lived in Orlando for 25 years before moving to Palm Beach where we have tons of culture but not many pubs. Good luck!!!

Re: orlando
 

Theres a lot of dross on I-drive and Kissimmee. You might as well be in Marbella. Had the misfortune of staying there a year ago (for a local friends stag night, no less), and thought we'd go and try one of the many Brit style fy-ups in the morning. Big mistake that was - couple of anemic bits of bacon, about two baked beans and salmonella type egg -- very poor rendition of the real deal, would rather have been in Dennys any day.

I live about the same distance away and share the same views on Orlando as Ray and Thydney. Union jack short wearing 18-30 to Ibiza club just does not do it for me.

Re: orlando
 

Its not the website...its the word expat.s its banned from here...

Also your info as you well know is wrong....so I'll put it right...

Expat.svoice...is a young forum trying to get the word out about kids aging out at 21 in the USA...and having to go home alone..or their families having to give up everything they have built here and go home too......its for ALL visa's not just the E2...and its grown very fast in 2 short years....grown way faster than ever thought....we do have the interest of people who can help make change...but it could be a slow up hill ride...
We try to help people from all States with all problems not just FL...so if anyone has a problem with kids timing out anywhere in the USA we would to to hear from you...please PM me...your voice could help us...

Re: orlando
 

Plus,iIt is a site which is very actively seeking change to the broken immigration system apart from obtaining an amendment to the CSPA as not all children are protected from aging out, it is also very concerned about the death of a visa holder and impact to dependents, being landlocked through wrong/bad advise and the need for a compassionate visa.

Re: orlando
 

Their goals are laudable; their methods are not. Before the "Tribute to Enoch" thread, there was the one where I made my last post...a tribute to a country singer having a rant about "illegal immigrants" who also sang:


IMO, the site does more harm than it does good with these and other threads. Just being vocal is not enough if your message is totally lost in the this silly, racist garbage. It puts people of helping you.

Re: orlando
 

"This ain't no rag it's a flag
And we don't wear it on our heads"

I think that was Morrissey ??

threres nothing wrong with patriotism in my book.

Re: orlando
 

It was an idiot called Charlie Daniels.

Have no problem with patriotism but do have a big problem with racism. Also, there's more than a touch of irony that a site that purportedly stands up for immigrant rights seems to delight in throwing tributes to anti-immigrant racists. It does nothing for your cause.

Re: orlando
 

Hmm .... what's good about patriotism? I guess in it's purest form, it's OK, but it seems a short slippery slope to nationalism, and racism. Would Germany have elected H*tler if it weren't for his appeal to their patriotism?

I've lived in UK and US, and my girlfriend is from a third world country, and I've traveled far and wide. Supporting one country above others for any reason other than pure merit seems arbitrary and wrong.

Along with religion, I blame patriotism as one of the major causes of war and strife in the world. Whether an absence of religion, and an absence of regional allegiance, would improve things I can't say but I'd like to give it a try!

But I digress ... :)

Re: orlando
 

I have no idea what some people have against a forum that is trying to keep families together...all I can say is thank you to the people who have taken the time to join over the last few days or ask about the site and what its trying to do...I'm very shocked that a few could be so petty...when there is no reason for it
We want to see an end to families being pulled apart....from people losing everything they own...I can't see that being a bad thing....
If nothing else the forum has given support to many people who would otherwise be facing trying times thinking they are on their own....
Any change will take time...will it happen because of a few people in a forum...I'm not sure....but it feels a lot better trying to do something ...then doing nothing...

Re: orlando
 

The goals are laudable; that forum is not. How many more times do I have to write it!

Re: orlando
 

Not sure about rugby clubs, but several nice British bars in Orlando, which even cook fish & chips. Some nice chinese and indian places too. Take a helicopter ride, only costs $15 and gives you an birds eye view of the place. Kissimmee is only down the road too.

Re: orlando
 

I wouldn't piss on Florida if it were on fire.