Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
I love days like today! I’m announcing something many of you voted on and worked to bring to fruition. The inaugural Orlando Signal Book Club! Details a little further down. There’s nothing like bringing the community together for a fun event while supporting a local author at the same time.
In today’s issue: 👇
- A Little Bit of Hypocrisy
- Losing Preservation Clout
- Ánh Hồng
- ….and much more
Did someone forward this email to you? Join over 20K insatiably curious Orlandoans, right here.
Let’s dive in!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
(GREATER) ORLANDO REWIND ⏪
Ten Stories, One Hundred Years, and a Whole Lot of Nerve
Last week, I mentioned the Metcalf Building and what’s happening NOW, but let’s dig a little further into the history.
Every day, hundreds breeze past the ten-story brick tower at Orange Avenue and Pine Street without so much as a nod. Their loss. Because Walt Disney's people once ran a top-secret Central Florida land grab out of an office upstairs, and nobody downstairs had a clue.
Standing since 1923, the Metcalf Building is older than the theme parks, the interstates, and probably your grandma. 🤣 The Orlando Bank & Trust Company built it as one of only three Orange Avenue "skyscrapers," then promptly went bust in 1929. Enter investor H.W. Metcalf, who snagged it for a cool $125,000, held it a mere three years, and somehow got his name stamped on it forever.
Its bones held secrets, too: a mid-1980s $2.5 million renovation peeled back the linoleum to reveal an Art Deco terrazzo floor and a second-floor ceiling of painted plaster rosettes, hidden until someone thought to look up.
Its oddest claim to fame? Tanqueray's, the beloved basement dive that operated below it, was so iconic it earned a shout-out in "The Sims." A century of reinvention later, and the Metcalf's still writing new chapters with a fresh lease on life.
📜 Craving the deep cut? We condensed a century into a few lines, but the Metcalf earned every one of its stories, the good, the secret, and the slightly sticky. Get the whole history, right here.
📗 Inaugural Orlando Signal Book Club:
Traveler of Heart
You've meant to join one for a while now. So here's the least intimidating book club we could create.
One book. Nearly two months to read it. A brewery instead of somebody's living room. The author sitting right there. And the first drink round is covered, so you have something to hold.
The book: Traveler of Heart by Orlando author Elle Kish: a grieving mom, a world of fae and dragons, two weeks to get home. Daphne runs a book club in the novel, too. We took it as a sign.
We'll interview Elle live, then hand the questions to you.
Your ticket covers all of it: a signed paperback you can pick up free or have shipped, a drink at Sideward Brewing that covers much more than beer, and the evening itself. Ticket availability is LIMITED!
Wednesday, October 21st, 6:30pm. Sideward Brewing, Milk District.
Tap/click here to get all the deets!
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
Cars, Scooters, and a Little Bit of Hypocrisy
Eighty-five percent of Central Floridians drive. But they also walk, bike, scoot, and stitch together commutes from whatever options exist.
The 2026 Regional Transportation Survey, 2,536 residents across Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties, captures a region that can't quite quit its cars but is clearly flirting with alternatives.
The most human finding? One in five residents missed a doctor's appointment last year because they had no reliable way to get there.
Oh, and 60% admit to texting, speeding, or road rage, the exact behaviors they say bother them most. 👎
Residents want local transit fixed first. Fifty-seven percent would pay higher taxes or fees to get it done.
Orlando May Have Just Voted Away 40 Years of Preservation Clout
One bad ordinance could cost Orlando nearly four decades of preservation street cred.
Ordinance 2026-18, passed 4-2 by City Council, quietly shuffled Downtown Historic District project reviews away from the Historic Preservation Board, and the Florida Department of State wasn't having it.
The city now has 180 days to sort things out or risk losing a designation it's held since 1989, along with millions in federal preservation funding.
Local preservation leaders didn't mince words, it's a sad day for historic preservation in Orlando. And historians put it even more bluntly: trade history for a shiny new commercial building, and you've traded away what makes Orlando, Orlando.
(Dive deeper into how one vote put Orlando's history on the clock with Jaclyn Harold, right here)
Orlando Tries to Fix Leu Gardens. Residents Say: Don't.
Harry P. Leu Gardens had big dreams: lakefront dining, a children's garden, expanded parking, a performance area near Lake Rowena.
The City of Orlando has scrapped the master planning process after residents showed up to April community meetings with plenty to say about traffic, noise, mature trees, and whether the proposed changes had any business touching a beloved historic landmark.
The city was quick to clarify: no amphitheater, no entertainment venue. Just routine maintenance and infrastructure upkeep going forward. The Gardens still welcome nearly 300K visitors a year, apparently just the way they are.
(Dive deeper into the community showdown with Zach Van Dyke, right here)
👉 Partner With Orlando Signal 👈
💼 This Week’s Curated Jobs
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
🚛 Transportation Manager Pitney Bowes | Orlando (On-site)
Keep the mail moving and the trucks rolling at a presort facility that processes 17 billion pieces annually, managing drivers, DOT compliance, and delivery routes for one of America's most iconic mail brands.
💰 $85K-$89K/year + 6% bonus | 👉 Learn More & Apply
💊 Marketing Coordinator AdventHealth | Orlando
Bring healthcare marketing to life across service lines, managing campaigns, social media, physician events, and digital content for one of Orlando's most mission-driven health systems.
💰 $41K-$76.4K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🚚 Assistant Moving Center Manager U-Haul | Orlando (W. Colonial Dr.)
Get paid the same day you start, earn a $100 hiring bonus, and learn the ropes of running a full-service moving center while building a career that goes places fast.
💰 Competitive pay + $100 sign-on + $300 certification bonus | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🚀 Administrative Assistant Sr. Lockheed Martin | Orlando (On-site, clearance required)
Be the first face of the Finance executive team at one of America's most iconic defense companies, keeping directors organized, travels booked, and the hallways running smoothly.
💰 Competitive salary | 👉 Learn More & Apply
⚽ Communications Manager Orlando Pride / Orlando City SC | Orlando
Tell the story of one of the NWSL's most exciting clubs, owning media relations, matchday press operations, and strategic storytelling that puts the Orlando Pride on every sports desk in the country.
💰 Competitive salary | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Tap/click here for lots more opportunities. Jobs added constantly!
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Skyline and side streets edition
Late September New York City is the sweet spot where the summer tourists are gone, the weather is genuinely perfect (I’ve been in September!), and the city has this focused, purposeful energy that's hard to find in July. Hit the Chelsea galleries on a Saturday morning, catch a show at the Apollo in Harlem, walk the Brooklyn Bridge and actually stop to look around instead of rushing through. Smorgasburg is still running in Williamsburg, and restaurant reservation slots that were impossible all summer suddenly open up. This is the version locals actually love and now you're in on it.
Orlando (MCO) → New York City (EWR) for 163 bucks* (non-stop!), round-trip Thursday through Sunday, early-September. See the deal.
*Price shown above is accurate as of the time this newsletter was sent.
TASTY NEWS 🧑🍳
Orlando Area Eateries Coming & Going
1️⃣ SOFT OPENED: SEO Basilico - São Paulo's Finest Lands in Greater Orlando
From São Paulo's storied Italian neighborhood of Mooca, SEO Basilico (Insta) has landed in Winter Garden, already recognized as one of Latin America's top 50 pizzerias. Now open for its first U.S. location, the Brazilian pizzeria serves artisanal pies built on Italian flour, 48-hour fermented dough, and high-heat precision.
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
Waiting area @ Reyes
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍Downtown North Quarter
Tag @orlandosignal to get your photo featured in the newsletter!
FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
Ánh Hồng
📍1124 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32803. Map to this location.
Anh learned to cook by watching her grandmother: the spices, the herbs, the quiet confidence of someone who knew exactly what a dish needed. That early education never stopped. It just scaled up.
Since 1991, Ánh Hồng Restaurant has been a cornerstone of Mills 50's Little Vietnam in Orlando, earning seven consecutive Orlando Foodie Awards for Best Vietnamese Food.
With over 200 dishes, including standout vermicelli bowls, bún bò Huế, bánh mì, and a genuinely impressive vegan chay menu, this is Vietnamese cooking worth exploring slowly.
👉 Check out the YUGE menu, right here 👈
Source: Ánh Hồng
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
🎭 PHENOMENA: The Exhibition
📅 Through Monday, September 7th
📍 Orlando Science Center
Over 20 mind-bending illusions including a Zero-Gravity Room, Mirror Maze, and Ames Room where you can tower over doorways or shrink beside a potted plant!
👉 Trust Nothing
🍝 Chef Night: Osteria Ester x The Osprey
📅 Monday, August 31st | 6-8:30pm
📍 The Kitchen House, 26 East King Street
Chef Michael Cooper brings the warmth of an Italian home kitchen with handmade pastas, rustic flavors, and vegetable-forward dishes meant to be shared around the table.
👉 Gather and Feast
🎵 Rhinestones & Rust
📅 Tuesday, September 1st | 7pm
📍 Judson's Live, Dr. Phillips Center
Nashville singer-songwriter duo Jeneen Terrana and J. Marc Bailey bring chart-topping country Americana with acoustic charm straight from Music City.
👉 Country Roots
🛍️ Luminary Market
📅 Wednesday, September 2nd | 5:30-9pm
📍 Luminary Green Park
Monthly market with 20-25 vendors followed by outdoor screening of "Encanto" with LED visuals at 7pm under the stars.
👉 Shop and Watch
🎸 Marky Ramone and Who Are You (A Tribute to The Who)
📅 Thursday, September 3rd | 8pm
📍 The Plaza Live
Punk legend Marky Ramone teams up with The Who's greatest hits in one electrifying night of rock royalty.
👉 Baba O'Riley
🎭 Want to share an event? Use this link.
THANKS!
✅ Want to connect with 20K+ curious Orlandoans for your business?, start a conversation here.
🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you again on Thursday’s weekend fun issue.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
