Orlando — the journey and more

So we drove to Orlando and back home again. After breakfast in Oxford, we headed for Birmingham for the afternoon. While Big Bad Breakfast kept us filled up for a while, there were snacks in Birmingham that we just couldn’t resist. For those not familiar with downtown Birmingham, there are a lot of empty storefronts and old highrises in the process of turning into condos. There are also hidden gems like Pete’s Famous where you can stand at the counter and savor a hotdog and orangeade in an atmosphere that hasn’t really changed much since 1925.

Our second day started in Atlanta with an exploration of the bounty of ethnic restaurants along Buford Highway. Buford Highway offers a rare chance to see Chinese restaurants nestled against Mexican taquerias right next door to Vietnamese pho and bahn mi shops, Cuban sandwich shops, and Korean barbecues. The variety is overwhelming and wonderful. It would be easy to spend a month just wandering and sampling all the exotic flavors, but we had to get to Savannah in time for supper at Desposito’s.

Our third morning found us wandering through the squares of historic Savannah. We decided on breakfast at Clary’s to soak up some Savannah atmosphere. Before we got out on the road again, we drove out to Tybee Island to see the ocean. Then it was time to get to Orlando.

Since this was a trip for business and not pleasure, we didn’t hit any of the theme parks. Aside from the theme parks, Orlando does have a lot to offer. There is some great architecture around the city, and a lot of food options away from International Drive. Of course, there’s also Ikea. Oh Ikea, how I long for you to come here with your stylish yet reasonably priced furnishings and housewares and your addictive little meatballs with lingonberries on the side. Who wants Bass Pro at the Pyramid? Let’s get our priorities straight and get an Ikea in there. Oh well.

So after four days of Orlando (Papa has recounted the highlights for you), it was time to head home. But we couldn’t head back the same way we got there. We decided to head back through Mobile, AL. We ended up spending most of our time there in Fairhope instead and enjoyed every minute of it.

It was a long road trip, but a good one. We found places we enjoyed and places that we look forward to visiting in the future.