When Ryan and I decided to move to Ocala for his new job, we were both excited about a new adventure and sad about leaving a city we love so much.
Ryan and I attended the University of Central Florida, located in Orlando, and following graduation moved downtown. I have lived in Orlando for eight years (totally didn’t realize it was that long until just now) and have fallen in love with all that the city has to offer.
As I’ve mentioned in my post about the non-theme park side of Orlando, the city is very large, with the theme parks at one end and UCF at the other end, about 40 minutes apart. Ryan and I have really enjoyed exploring all the different parts of Orlando while we’ve lived here.
I thought it might be fun to put together a “What I’ll Miss Most About Orlando” to post on the blog on MOVING DAY!
1. Friends. Though many of our college friends have since moved out of Orlando, some of our very best friends still live in the area. They will undoubtedly be what Ryan and I miss most when we move.
2. Blogging Network. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I felt like I really became immersed in the Orlando blogging scene, but I feel very fortunate to have the ability to meet up with Orlando-area bloggers a few times a month and discuss blogging with people who understand exactly where I’m coming from and also enjoy sharing ideas and exchanging advice. I hope to still attend these meet ups since I’ll only be an hour away!
Some past blogger meet up posts:
- Dinner at Season’s 52
- Blogger Boot Camp
- Meet Up at Crave
- Dinner at Matteo’s
- Lunch at Virgin Olive Market
- Interview with Florida Swim Network
- Central Florida Blogger Conference
3. Lake Eola. Our apartment is located less than a mile from gorgeous Lake Eola and walking around the lake with Ryan and Sadie is one of my favorite things to do in the city. There are always people out walking around and the fountain in the middle of the lake is the symbol of the city. Whenever I look out over Lake Eola, I feel comfort and happiness and I will miss all of the birds, wildlife and energy surrounding the lake.
4. Restaurants. Orlando has every kind of restaurant you could wish to find. We have the touristy joints, the mom and pop restaurants, fancy schmancy places and cheap eateries. Though Ryan and I have our personal favorites, I will miss the ability to never run out of new restaurants to try.
Some favorite restaurants:
- Hillstone (Previously Houston’s)
- Emeril’s Orlando
- Le Coq Au Vin
- Season’s 52
- Vines
- Luma
- 310 Park South
- The Dessert Lady
- Park Plaza Gardens
5. Downtown Orlando YMCA. Now that I’m moving, I feel comfortable enough sharing the gym Ryan and I go to nearly every morning. We both absolutely adore the YMCA. It has a personal, family feel and isn’t uptight. Both the staff and gym members are friendly and welcoming and it truly feels like a judge-free place.
The Y offers so many different classes, including my all-time favorite BodyPump, and also has a gymnasium, indoor and outdoor pool, special spinning room and more. It’s hands-down the best gym I’ve ever belonged to and I will miss is very much.
6. Activities. There is always something to do in Orlando. I’m not lying when I say I have literally never struggled for something to do in the eight years I’ve lived here. If you’re looking for some fun ideas for things to do in Orlando, please check out my Orlando Travel page.
7. Memories. I went to college, went on my first date with Ryan, met some of my very best friends, held three different full-time jobs, got engaged and moved into my first apartment with Ryan and began my new career as a full-time blogger and freelance writer all while living in Orlando. There are memories from my life around every corner in this city.
8. Variety. Orlando has something for everybody and I will miss the ability to go out to bars with friends one night and then go hiking with Ryan and Sadie the next day. The mix of outdoor activities with city life is a wonderful aspect of Orlando and it something I will miss very much.
9. Fleet Peeple’s Dog Park. This would be number one on Sadie’s list for sure! Fleet Peeple’s dog park is unlike any dog park I’ve ever seen. It has a lake, trails to explore and a large open area to play fetch. It’s every dog’s dream and Ryan and I have loved the ability to bring Sadie to such a picturesque, clean, large and fun dog park.
10. Whole Foods. Though I probably only visit Whole Foods once a month at the most because of the expensive nature of the foods, I love the ability to browse around a place where I know I’ll be able to find the obscure ingredients to some of the healthy recipes I wish to make and enjoy the atmosphere. The Whole Foods on Sand Lake Road also offered some super cheap cooking classes that Ryan and I have really enjoyed in the past that I will miss as well.
And that’s my list!
Orlando really has been a wonderful location for us throughout the past eight years and I will miss it very, very much.
Question of the Morning
- If you moved away from where you currently live, what would you miss most?
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I moved away from Orlando in 2007. I live in Atlanta and I miss Orlando. All of my family is in Orlando and Tampa. My family moved to Orlando when I was 6. I am still incredibly homesick and go back to FL 3 or 4 times a year. As soon as the economy picks up and I can sell my house I’m moving back!
It sounds like you make the best of every thing you do, every day — I have a feeling you’ll find a way to fall in love with every new place you move to throughout your lifetime.
Happy decorating! One of my favorite things to do…
I would miss the small town feel of where I currently live. Although, eventually I would like to move somewhere where there are more restaurant, activity, and shopping options!
Good luck with the move and I can’t wait to hear about all the new adventures Ocala holds for you. Until I started ready various Orlando based blogs, I only thought it was theme parks. If I had to leave my current area I would miss being able to walk into town and my church.
Moving is scary yet exciting! I’m sure you have many
New adventures to look forward to. All the best 🙂
I’m reading thus as I sit on a flight from Seattle to Utah. My husband just got a promotion requiring a relocation and we’re spending the next two days looking for a place to live. I cant imagine living out of Seattle! I cannot begin to list everything I’m going to miss! Eek!
I moved from the city to rural area last year and I definitely miss my running routes and the dog parks. The scenery in my rural area is nothing to get excited about and there are no dog parks within 1.5 hrs from here! Oh and the choice of restaurants. We have two Mexican restaurants and a few fast food joints too choose from, lets say we eat at home a lot more now!
I am currently in the moving process myself… and I 100% agree with you that moving stinks, especially the packing-up part! Unpacking… that’s a different story! It’s like Christmas! 🙂
I, too, am moving from huge Newport Beach, Ca to teeny Santa Barbara. Both are excellent places to live, but I think that I will miss having so many different options at my disposal in NB. AND- there are NO Hillstone restaurants in SB! Waaaaaa! (I currently live a 3-min walk from Houston’s).
1. This is not the post to read when PMSing! I’m about to start boohooing at the office!
2. I understand how you feel. I moved from Houston to Missouri for college, and then eventually back to Houston but it was so tough each time. You make connections and feel like you’re leaving a piece of you back in the city.
Everything will go fabulously though. You always make it work and you’ll see, everything will fall into place. You’ll love exploring a new town and getting to know new people. It’s such an adventure!
The friends. I haven’t lived where I do for very long, so I haven’t been able to attach a lot of memories to this place. But some of the friendships I’ve made are unreal, and I see those people everyday. That would tough 🙁
Wine country! There are about 300 wineries within a 50 mile radius and they are glorious!
I found your blog awhile ago and let me just say you are an inspiration! I am extremely overweight and partly because of you I am on a healthy eating exercise life change. Good Times. I am a stay at home mother now yeaaaaaa but I use to work at Metlife right there next to Lake Eola. Orlando is a great city, however Ocala does have a lot to offer I would go there for meetings and I have family there I think you will enjoy it very much. We move ALL the time but have a home base in Pittsburgh,Pa I am sad every time we leave there and miss EVERYTHING about the city, however, it is always fun and exciting to learn about new places and have new experiences. Best of luck to you and your husband I know all will work out. If you are looking for a church in Ocala this is an awesome church http://www.mbcocala.com/
I would definitely miss family and friends the most!! I would miss Chicago summers. I wouldn’t miss Chicago winters!!
The lake for Sadie’s walks and your close proximity are such wonderful (and lucky!) aspects of your soon to be ex-apartment. Just think of all the new, fun and exciting aspects of a new home! It’ll take a bit to adjust, but it should be a fun experience!
It will be hard to adjust to your new lifestyle. But for me, Ocala probably has more to offer than my town. Think..no Target, no restaurants, no bars… So, the thing I would miss most about my lil’ town is the community. We are all so tight-knit, and you literally know everyone. You can’t go to the gas station without seeing a friend, so I’d miss the familiarity of my small town.
Aw Julie–I feel you! I hope you love the new place, but moving is definitely an adjustment. I just moved to California from Indiana and I miss everything!! Def my fam (and my twin sister!) the most, but also just the familiar stores, the walks around the lake, my dog (he stayed with my sister!!). It’s overwhelming. But slowly I am beginning to enjoy things out here too. I just keep telling myself it doesn’t have to be forever, and I’m here to support my boyfriend in his job endeavors too, and it’s GOOD for me to get out of my comfort zone! (And I realize California isn’t exactly a hardship. Haha.)
Good l luck and I hope you get the house! 🙂
Awww great post! It sounds like you have a ton of amazing memories in Orlando and at least you won’t be toooo far away!
I grew up in California, went away to Arizona for college and came back immediately after – I am not someone who can be landlocked, I’ve discovered. I need the ocean (or large body of water!) near me. I’d miss family, friends and just the every day things that make the city I live in (SF) feel like home to me… just like you!
Good luck with the move today! I think a LARGE fro yo is definitely in order!
I moved from Boston to the small college town of Charlottesville, Virginia where I currently live. While I have to come to love Cville (it’s gorgeous in the Blue Ridge Mountains and there is so much to do outside!!), I miss Boston all the time. I miss living in a city, walking from my apartment to Red Sox games, taking short drives up to Gloucester or the Cape for the beach, shopping (hello, Saks and Neimans) and the overall feel of the city. I also miss the vibrant young professional crowd. If you’re in your late 20s and single there it’s the norm not the exception and everyone goes out and is social during the work week and on the weekends. After I finish my PhD I might try to move back up. If it wasn’t a 9 hour drive from here, I’d be back visiting all the time. Good thing your move is only 1 hour away, you can go back all the time 🙂 Good luck on your move!
If I moved away from where I live now (my parents house) I would miss the quiet associated with the country and the fact that I don’t need to worry about keeping blinds shut at night so people can’t see inside my house.
My first move will probably be to an apartment in town, nothing major but yet kind of is haha.
Awwww! Such a teary post, but great too! It is fun to look back and realize how much something/someone/someplace means to ya.
I just moved, and I def miss my friends/people there the most. But it feels good to move on and seize the day 🙂
The great hiking trails that are so CLOSE and the beautiful mountain scenery…plus Whole Foods 🙂 hehe
This is how I know I need to move (back to FL)…the only thing I’d miss if I moved away is the proximity to the bike trail we have at our current house. Other than that, get me out of here!
Good luck with the move today! I’m positive there are many more amazing memories in store for you in Ocala!
I just relocated last week to North Carolina… All the way from Alaska! I know the biggest thing I will miss is my friends (I didn’t have any family left in Alaska so that was easy). That is definitely the biggest… It is harder making new friends as an adult!
it if helps at all, I have always felt a great loss when we’ve moved but also hope and excitement for what is to come. You know and love Orlando. Now you have the gift of getting to know Ocala. Those who live there love it too! AND I’m still nearby! Love, Mama
I’d miss the location of my neighbourhood – it’s perfect for everything!
Gosh, I just recently moved here to D.C. (1.5 yrs ago from NY where I went to grad school), and before that had been on the west coast forever. As a result this feels like a funny question to think about answering, bc at first I really didn’t like it here and it took a while to adjust… But now, I’d say I would miss my routine and my neighborhood- including my little running path along the Potomac, and my friend and coworkers. Basically the life that I’ve been able to build for myself in this city I moved to all alone after school. 🙂
Don’t be sad girl- you can always visit, and always change your mind in life..
I recently moved from Philadelphia to Washington DC and its been an adjustment. I left some of my best friends behind, my family, knowing where everything is etc. But honestly the positives I can take from it are so much more important like independece, a job, new friends, a new city/town to explore. I just feel like sometimes when you’re out of your comfort zone a little, as uncomfortable as it can be, you learn so much more about yourself and what your capable of!
Moving to a new city is a big step and can be unsettling to have to start things all over again, find new places, routines, friends, etc. It can be hard leaving a place that you loved and have so many connections with. But, just think of all the new memories you will shape, places you’ll eat, and things you’ll do that will be exciting and new!
It’s really hard to leave the first home you share with your husband. I am sure you will fall in love with Ocala in lots of different ways.
Aw it sounds like Orlando was a really special place for you and you have a lot of great memories there! But at least the fact that you’re only an hour away will mean you can go back and visit a lot! Also, I found it so interesting that the gym you went to was a YMCA! I had no idea they had classes! I will have to look into this in my own city!
As far as moving, I think the things I missed the most were the weather (warm almost all the time to cold SF) and the restaurants. San Francisco has a great foodie scene, but spending four years in LA I definitely had my favorites. I’m slowly developing my list here but I do miss my fave LA haunts.
That would be so hard. I have lived in the same town for my entire 28 years. Well technically during high school I moved one town over…but it was only eight miles and I didn’t even have to change schools, so I don’t think that really counts!
I live in the Bay Area of CA, so I would definitely miss living so close to the city (San Francisco) and the beach (Half Moon Bay). I would also miss our downtown area, the great restaurants, friends, and our beloved nice gym Equinox. The #1 thing I’d miss most though is my family, we only live about 10 minutes apart so I would greatly miss that huge part of my life.
Best of luck! I know you’ll find stuff you love in your new home too 🙂 Loved all the post recaps! perfect for a newbie reader like me!
I love living in DC, and it’s where I’ve really grown as an adult after college. However, the steep cost of living (in particular rent prices) means I can’t stick around forever. And when I do have to leave, I’m really going to miss Rock Creek Park. It’s the national park that the zoo is a part of, and on the weekends they shut the roads down to car traffic. Down on the trails with the creek running by and all of the trees, you’d have no clue you’re in a city. It’s so beautiful!
This is such a great list! I live in NYC and would miss the constant buzz and endless things to do. We would also miss our families as both our parents still live in the neighborhood. Good thing you won’t be too far from yours.
ah, the end of an era. it’s hard to say what i would miss the most about the place where i live if i moved, because you really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone (joni mitchell and whatnot).
i love that my apartment is within walking distance of my favorite breakfast place, the local library, and my boyfriend’s apartment. it’s also a measly 7 minute commute to where i work, which is also a huge advantage!
My aunt, uncle, and cousins live in Longwood, and my cousin went to UCF. He said it was the most awesome place in the world!
I just got married two weeks ago and did the move thang myself. Left my hometown in Tennessee where I’d lived for the past 27 years and am now living 800 miles away in Lawrence, Kansas. I miss my family and friends, my gym, my Whole Foods, BUT I am making my presence known in this college town! :0) Good luck with your move and new journey!
If I move, and I know I will because I need change, I’d like to move from the suburb of Paris to another big city in France, to see something different. And I know it’s scary!, What I’ll miss the most is definitely my friends. But sometimes you can take a little risk to live your dream or to hope for something better, or simply move on.
that friend of yours in the second pic with the headband looks ridiculous…who wears headbands????reminds me of the girls downtown who try to look all fancy like a celebrity on 30k income
I’d miss my friends, but a part of me thinks that isn’t a good enough reason to stay, I’d keep in touch with those the matter the most, regardless of where I live.
Good luck with your move. I read your blog often, but don’t comment a lot.
I recently moved from St. Pete to Louisville, KY. I LOVE the St. Pete/Tampa area and miss it so much – mostly the people, but also the weather and beach! It’s only been a month since I’ve moved …. you, too will adjust and make new friends! And … the good news is .. you’re only an hour away!
Best of luck to you and Ryan
PS: We, too, have been living out of a suitcase w/our stuff in storage. We get it on Monday …time flies! 🙂
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This comment made me smile!! Thank you!
Since reading your blog, I have definitely wanted to visit Orlando more and more. And NOT the park side of it. I’d love to explore the coffee shops. 🙂
Oh my gosh. I would miss so much about Atlanta! I’d miss my family, friends, radio stations, gym, dog park, parks where I walk, restaurants and shopping! I’d also miss being in a city where so many events happen.
Ohhh my. And i thought the last post (previous post? because I’m catching up…) made me sad. You’ve got me all nostalgic for a city I’ve barely spent time in! Orlando seems like an amazzzzing city, and you are so lucky to only be going an hour away! Heck, some people commute an hour (or more!) to work every single day. You can easily visit whenever you want!
OH, and I LOVE that your gym is a YMCA! I work at the YMCA here in Charlotte, and I absolutely love it! Are there no Y’s in Ocala?
I’m looking forward to reading about your experiences with moving to a new city so that I can live vicariously through you. 🙂 I have lived in the same town all my life, and am ready for a change… but that won’t be happening for at least a couple years. :/ But I know that when I do move I will miss my friends, family, and the feeling of knowing everyone in our little town.
I have never been to Orlando, but aft reading this post, I am definitely adding it to my list of places to visit.
Last year we moved over from France to California, and lived with our stuff in storage for 2 months before finding a place of our own. But as many people have said, that time will fly by as you have fun exploring!
Reading your post made me realize all the things I miss from moving from Europe, the biggest being family and friends. But from someone who has moved countries TWICE in the last 5 years (yes we are crazy!), Moving will give you an opportunity to make a whole new list of things and memories about Ocala.
And I am sure Orlando will miss you as much as you miss it 🙂
I look forward to reading about all your new adventures!
PS Sadie is sooooooo cute!
Julie, I know this might be a crazy question, and someone might have asked it already… You’ll have to forgive me though, I just got back from vacation and lots o’ blog entries to read so I haven’t read many comments. 😉 Have you and Ryan considered just staying in Orlando and having Ryan commute? I know it’s an hour, but I’m a strange one…for the last 4 years I’ve commuted 90 minutes one-way to work, so I’ve just been wondering if it was even an option for you guys. Then again, the price of gas is astronomical… Luckily, my commute got about 30 miles shorter this month, just in time for the prices to rise some more!
I admire how you’re handling this, at least publicly. 😉 I’d be a total disaster over uprooting!