International Drive, the most condensed area of food, shopping and entertainment in all of Orlando, is known as a little bit of a hell hole to most knowledgeable locals. Sure, the restaurants are great. The shopping has some wonderful deals. The entertainment is, well, entertaining. It is entirely meant for tourists. You don't go to Disney and expect it to be an area where the locals flock. The same goes for International Drive. It kills me that people will see that and assume that all of Orlando is some touristy nest of chain restaurants, silly, impractical museums and hardly any culture.
Think of the Hunger Games. There are different districts, each responsible for one industry. District 4 is aquaculture, District 12 is coal. Katniss and Peeta ended up proving that their District is made of more than just Coal Miners. See, Orlando's industry is Tourism. We thrive off of hospitality, and yes, if Orlando lost Tourism, the city would certainly falter. But we are more than just hospitality workers. We are more than just smiling faces that welcome strangers and beg them to spend money.
It sucks when someone comes and decides to judge your city based on one area. Worse, it sucks that they judge you, because you live in that area. And it's not just Orlando. It's everywhere, really. Get to know the locals and you'll know a town/city/country a little better. Expand your horizons.
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