FrigginGr8est

Funny, that "one bedroom" looks awfully like an alcove studio. Can you say false advertising?

If people like me would stop sneaking into 3 or 4 movies on one ticket, maybe the lines wouldnt be so long

wait, Post Parkside became a tower? when did they add the extra floors? Ive been out of town for a few months so I guess I missed the addition a bit of humor, don't be jumping all over me now.

There is an article in todays business journal that states that they are going to start leasing the units at $900 a month for the loft and studio apartments and the retail spaces this summer. Since they have silly rules about posting a link, go fetch.

I thought the assessments were only to be on the Plaza businesses and the parking garage, not The Solaire condos. Why should condo owners in The Solaire subsidize the theatre? How are they(we) benefiting? By having more traffic in the parking garage and therefore taking longer to enter and exit? Where is the benefit to us more so then any other residence downtown? Remember, we the condo owners did not get any tax breaks from the city, the developer did and did not pass it along to us. In fact, the city tried to assess us a seperate tax on our parking spots even though they were included in the purchase price and the orginal assessment on the condo. If it means higher taxes then what we are already paying, take this theatre and shove it. Build a mini-mall in its place and be done with it. Sorry for sounding angry but this is ridicules. My condo is worth less then what I paid for it and my taxes did not go down to reflect the reduction. Now they want to charge me a special assessment? No way!

Can you post a link to the article?

Heard a rumor that Ulster is closing Kress and the space will turn into another club owned by the owner of Antigua (Chillers, Latitudes, et al.)

OK, I don't mind a little discussion on politics, and I do like to see other people's opinions on our elected (and some, by hanging chads, not so elected ) officials, but can we at least move this to the coffee house?

I do not understand your comparison of a conductor on Amtrak making $75K a year plus full benefits (more then a pilot on AirTran makes) to punch tickets, to "15 year old illegal immigrants work cheaper". Just what is your point? Redstar does have a point that with salaries that average $59K per year on Amtrak, it will never be able to cover the expenses of running passanger trains. Tickets are ridiculously overpriced to cover these salaries. Who in their right mind would pay $250 one way to Orlando from New York City when you can fly for about half of that (or drive for that matter)??? Railroad travel should be affordable to the average person in order to get people to use it and get them out of their cars. Im all for subsidizing rail travel for the better good of our society and the enviornment but the rail unions ARE crushing Amtrak and its ability to compete with other forms of transportation. If these unions had any sense they would see that by making Amtrak unaffordable, less people will use it and therefore, less trains will run with fewer union members employed.

Can we all chip in and pay them to change the name? That thing is hideous.

As per the e-mail I received and posted from the sales office over a month ago, they said they will have an announcement in August regarding which hotel company is going to go in. It is now September. The bank building this project foreclosed on this project in a "friendly" foreclosure which became nasty in August. They included the remaining 33 holdout buyers in the new foreclosure suit they filed in August, trying to seize control and ownership of the deposit accounts. Speaking to my attorney, he explained that this was done as a scare tactic to get the remaining holdouts to ask for their deposits back and they cannot seize the accounts. I could have responded to the suit and tried to keep my unit, but, at this point I am exhausted with this. So now 55 West is almost complete and empty. I got my deposit back (thankfully with interest) on Monday. The sales office asked if I wanted to be notified when the building goes back on sale (yeah, right) told them not to hold their breath. They also said that the bank is thinking of making it a rental building and that the negotiations are not going well with the hotels due to the current economy. This is the second time this building has given back deposits because they want to raise the prices, if they decide to sell the units. I really have a bad feeling about this and think that it may remain a ghost/empty building for a while. I cannot see anyone paying $600K for a 1200 square foot 2/2 downtown in the foreseeable future. Shame, it could have been a great building.

OK, a new twist. So, Im sitting at home and my doorbell rings around 6 pm (in New York). This guy is standing there with a crap load (like 2000 pages) of papers asking me if I am me. I say yes. Turns out he's a process server I have been sued by the bank that took over the project. They are (as we already knew) foreclosing on the buidling AND they are laying a claim to my deposit!!!!!! WTF?!?!?!?!?! Now me and the other 33 holdouts need to hire lawyers to answer this suit within 20 days. A pox on these people and their family.

OK, here's the deal. I just spoke to the sales office. Out of 300 sales, all but 33 (me being one of the 33) requested and received a refund of their deposit. The lender is now formally foreclosing on the project instead of just completing it, and is canceling the remaining 33 holdouts' contracts and giving their deposit back. The hotel will be announced in the next 60 days and the floors that the hotel will take over will require extensive renovations (don't know why they spent money on working on the interior). As the letter I posted states, they are starting a list of people interested in buying when the units go back on sale sometime in early 2009, Im sure at a much higher price then what I originally paid. I paid $355K for a 1200 sq ft 2/2 with 2 parking spaces. The latest price listed for my unit was $591K with an additional $30K for the second parking spot. Its going to be a beautiful vacant building.

August 12, 2008 Dear 55 West on the Esplanade Purchaser: As I believe most, if not all, of you know, the Lender on the 55 West Project is in the process of foreclosing on the property. As part of this legal procedure, you will soon, if not already, be provided with a large package of legal documents that represent copies of all the documents that have been filed in the Court system surrounding the foreclosure process. This process forecloses on all interests of any nature on the property (project) which includes your purchase contract for your condominium. It is unfortunate that this process is necessary; however, it is the nature of the proceeding in order for the lender to protect its interest in the property and to be able to successfully complete the project. You may wish to seek you own legal counsel to review these documents and advise you. Please be advised that our standing offer to you to execute a release and obtain a refund of your deposit with interest is still available to you. I have attached a blank copy of our standard release form should you desire to take advantage of this offer during the final phase of the foreclosure process. I sincerely appreciate your continued faith and patience throughout these challenging times and sincerely hope that once the project is repositioned and placed back onto the market that you will be one of the first to buy back into what I believe will be the most exciting and dynamic property in Downtown Orlando. Please feel free to call Carri or me at any time should you have any concerns or questions or would like to be placed on our waiting list for the future re-release. Sincerely, Carol Veal Sales Director And that is that. Second time this building cancelled contracts to raise prices. At least my deposit was put into an interest bearing account. Unbelievable. Hey Carol, don't hold your breath waiting for me to call to be put on your waiting list at a higher price. Hope you don't sell a single unit and the building remains empty. Makes me think that this was planned by the bank and Euro-American in order to raise the prices.

Just received the following from the sales office: Hello, we wanted to give you an update on the status of 55 West. The Developer is in final negotiations with two 4 Star Hotels. The decision as to which hotel brand will be determined by summer end. We will have information regarding the condominiums in the early fall. As soon as we have instructions from the Developer, we will notify you immediately. The tower is looking great and we are excited about the future of 55 West. Thanks for your patience. We are still refunding any deposits requested at this time. If you have any questions, please contact us at 407-8441-5583 or [email protected] or [email protected] . Sincerely, Carol Veal Carri Tisdell

Funny news story in NY/NJ today. A few years ago, NJ Transit wanted to build sidings for their train line in Bergen County so they can have 2 way service and more trains on the single track line. The towns along the line sued to stop the Authority from building them, so they werent built. Now, the same towns are begging NJ Transit to build the sidings because they now want more service due to high gas prices. Problem is, now NJ Transit doesnt have the money. Oh well. Hindsight, 20/20.

That was the problem with Cool Blue Burrito, they were never open. Guess they thought they would make it by having people slip money under their closed doors for fun.

Fast Company Magazine (June 2008 issue) names Orlando as one of 12 GLOBAL cities best for innovation. Only 3 cities in the U.S. were named (Seattle and Kansas City are the other 2) "There's more to Orlando than Mickey. It's now a hub for two burgeoning industries: interactive games -- a lively scene has sprouted around the Electronic Arts studio behind Madden NFL -- and biotech. A new medical complex in the Lake Nona area will house a University of Central Florida med school and a branch of the famed Burnham Institute for Medical Research."

Because that's the way all of his posts are.... belligerent, condescending, patronizing, argumentative, egotistical, conceited, and so full of himself, its a wonder he doesn't explode. If there was a way I could block from seeing his posts, I would do it in a heartbeat.

For those on the board that said that DT needs new condos in the $250 sq ft range: http://realnews-mail.com/email_proofs/solaire/06/index.html At least the developer is doing what needs to be done to move the remaining inventory and add new residents to DT. Now if 55W dropped their prices to around $250 a sq ft......

Just got this today, doesnt look good: 55 West on the Esplanade March 13, 2008 Hello, We wanted to send you an update as to the progress of 55 West. Below is an email we received today from the Developer. They are working diligently to make all the final decisions needed to complete the tower with the best possible use. We are still returning deposits plus interest upon buyer's request. Please call 407-841-5583 or email [email protected] or [email protected] if you have any further questions at this point. We will keep you updated as we are informed. Thank you for your patience. Carol Veal & Carri Tisdell This email is to update you on the current status of the 55 West project. As you know, the project is in foreclosure by the lending institution. This process is proceeding slowly and we have no indication as to what the eventual timeframe will be. Construction is proceeding on schedule with the following exceptions - We have placed a hold on the further development of the top penthouse floors as there is no market in the Orlando area for penthouses of this size or price point. These floors may remain as an unfinished shell for an indeterminate period of time. We have stopped construction of the townhouse units on the 12th level parking deck - again, no market for this product type. We have ongoing discussions with several possible hotel operators'; however, we are not able at this time to report any success with any of these negotiations. How we proceed relative to any hotel component within the tower may impact the finish of some or much of the lower three floors of the building. Wish we had better news to report; but, as you know the economy right now is a little in question and therefore it is difficult for us to obtain commitments from these hotel companies at this time. 55 West {sodEmoji.|} 54 W Church Street Ste 151 {sodEmoji.|} Orlando {sodEmoji.|} FL {sodEmoji.|} 32801

There's still the hotel that's supposed to go into 55W, so we can still hope for something more upscale.

that and staggering home after a night of drinking instead of driving