Let’s be honest- I am not a basketball fan; especially since in recent years the 76ers were laughable. Yet I would still begrudgingly sit through an Eagles, Flyers or Phillies game despite their loosing streaks since they were just across the bridge. Since Tampa has no basketball team I had refused to drive an hour and a half to Orlando to sit through my first NBA game for a team I don’t really care for, but last night… I did.
Even though I no longer live up north I still get to see a lot of my friends-(because I live in sunny and gorgeous Florida, duh) so when my friend Shane who was staying in Orlando asked if I wanted to go to the game I decided to make the trip. And a trip it wassss. After work yesterday I rushed home, changed and got on the road before rush hour began. After making good time all the way to Orlando I hit the traffic. Downtown Orlando was crawling between rush hour and people trying to get to the game. After some successful lane changes (and yes I used my blinker) I had made it to my friend’s hotel.
Heading back towards the Amway Center went way smoother as there was barely any traffic. I had envisioned a cluster of a parking situation but we got parking right across the street for $15. We made the short walk towards the center and noticed the fan fest taking place out on the plaza. Much like the pregame to the Lightning games, they had music and activities for kids to do before. Unfortunately we didn’t get to explore since we were running a little late due to the traffic so we made our way inside.
While the newly renovated Forum is beautiful and well- the Trop is the Trop, the Amway Center was gorgeous. I was so impressed with how clean and up to date everything was. And the staff was super friendly answering questions and flashing smiles to the fans. Prices for concessions were about the same as any other arena but what really got me was the view. While our seats were lower level in section 102, friends were in 212 and they said their view was just as impressive. They were playing the Chicago Bulls and there were tons of Bulls fans. It wound up being a great game for fans of each team as it came down to the last few seconds. In the end the Bulls won (womp womp womp) but I had such a great time taking in all that the Amway Center and Orlando Magic had to offer. If I had to do it again, I would probably choose a game on a Friday or Saturday night, grab a group of friends and get a hotel in Orlando. That way you can fully enjoy the weekend (and by fully enjoy I mean divulge in numerous adult beverages) and check out some other sights in “O-Town”
-Allison
NHIE Guys 