The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-04-08
ORANGE COUNTY AND ORLANDO


years be T lc1.dl.'s capital city at
good gait. The marrow brick road
would have been fine if we had not
met SO many cars, but the traffic was
heavy, and it was seldom we drove
two hundred yards without having to
turn off to let car go by. I was glad
TO hear that Orange is planning 20
widen that and its other eight or nine
foot roads. The people say the road
was sufficient when first constructed,
but it has caused so many new homes
to be built along its line that the traf-
fc has about quadrupled. Marion
county people who are afraid to bull Il
roads should reflect on this state
ment In fact, the road came very
nearly being a continuous street into
Orlando, with several goodsized vii
lagos, of which Ocoee was the big
gest Ocoee has the reputation lin
northern republican circles) of having
depleted the Florida republican vote
by four dozen to four thousand. How
ever, it is a pretty and pleasant
looking little town, and the people
looked so amiable that l would much
rather be caught there by nightfall
without gun than in New York city.
The homes and truck farms thick
ened as we drew near the city. Near
the limits we passed an excellent
aviation field-something Ocala much
needs. 1t was almost twelve-thirty
when the brick road widened into
city pavement, the premises began TO
| lap over each other, and soon we were
in the heart of Orlando.
Our caravan drove thru the business
center, around Lake Lucerne, up on
one of the principal streets and
parked its cars about a block from
the San Juan hotel. Altho' my sense
of direction told me that | was on
ground perfectly familiar to me
thirty-odd years before, saw no
building that ] could recognize. Ev-
erything had either been built over
and enlarged, or torn down and re-
/ built. Looking up and down a street
that once was thought busy if twenty
five to fifty wagons and buggies were
in sight all at one time, there were
more than that many automobiles
parked on either side, while along the
street, as far as my eye could reach,
the cars came and went endlessly. I
have no doubt that the automobiles
in my ken amounted to more in cost
| than the entire assessment of the
city of Orlando in 1890.
The big San Juan Hotel seemed
, crowded; right across the street from
| it was going up the steel skeleton of
a genuine sky-scraper, and back
across the street from that the ground
was fenced in where workmen were
laying, was told, foundations for yet
another big hotel. By next winter
! these hotels will be finished and filled
with guests, for the atmosphere of
Orlando has lost none of it's old-time
golden charm.
| | walked around over the business
center, and while here and there |
J could recognize some old-time place
, it had invariably changed for the
! better, and there were enough new
and near new buildings to make =
good-sized town of their own.
| had time to go but little way or
the residence streets, but these haG
even more changed, making Orlando
. city of magnificent residences anc
pretty homes, as well as one of bust
ness hustle.
The people are like their town
They have a snap and go unexcelle.
anywhere. Loafers seemed few ant
far between.
Friend Wilson and myself havin:
butted a gasoline breeze for ninet!
miles, had an appetite, especially tn
former, who hadn't come in on Mis-
Lancaster's sandwiches. So we re
paired to an excellent cafetaria, op
posite the San Juan, and put ourselve
under the influence of food. Eve
more refreshing than the dinner wa
the pleasure of meeting in that plac
Mrs. Clara Moore Pyles, an Deal
girl, who Orlando has charmed ava
from US. Mrs. Pyles, or "Miss Clara,
as Ocala knows her, is court steno
grapher for Orange and the othe
counties of that circuit. She is as eff
ficient as she is charming, and that
enough said for her Ocala friend:
She likes Ocala and Orlando like
her. She had with her two charmin
girl friends, both from Tallahassee
One of them, on being told | was tr!
ing to help move the capital, shook
small, symmetrical fist at me, but Il
q other sweetly said she would forgiy
me for l knew not what I was dom
=, I'm told that lots of time at home, bl
seldom by so musical voice.