A dive, not a dump
I am less than happy with the editorial write-up given our bar in the "Drink" supplement [June 9]. Wally's has been awarded Orlando's best dive bar year after year. However, the term "dive bar" does not, in my opinion, translate into a place " … for the truly washed-out and for those ironically intrigued by slumming it with the dentally challenged." We are a small, neighborhood watering hole, where you can drop in anytime and feel comfortable (and safe, I might add). Its charm is in its lack of pretension and its welcoming atmosphere.
We are proud of the fact that so much remains the same in terms of atmosphere and décor.
Far more than that, however, we are so proud of our customers. The description given above makes them sound seedy and unkempt. Reading it did nothing that would entice me to visit the place.
Wally's is, in fact, a 50-year-old establishment frequented by a fascinating clientele, ranging from construction workers and every type of tradesman, to teachers, to lawyers, to actors, to politicians, to health care workers … I'm sure you see my point.
As to the comments about the toxicity of the drinks, I suppose it's a matter of semantics, but we know that Wally's pours the best drinks in town. Order a double and chances are everyone will chime in and call you a virgin! However, we are proactively involved in discouraging irresponsible drinking.
To whoever wrote the piece, I'd suggest stopping by some Friday around happy hour to get a good look at our patrons. I'll be happy to buy the first drink!
— Linda Updike (aka "Mrs. Wally"), Orlando
Everybody who died
I was surprised by the "Orlando by the numbers" feature in the July 14 issue ["Best of Orlando"]. I had no idea all of those famous people were in Greenwood Cemetery. I took five minutes to do a little research.
William Faulkner is buried in Oxford Memorial Cemetery in Oxford, Miss. Martha Washington is interred in a tomb next to her husband on the grounds of Mount Vernon. I assume you meant Sammy Davis Jr., who is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif. Boone's final resting place is in dispute as he died at his son's home in Defiance, Mo., and was interred there, but the people of Frankfort, Ky., swear that his body was exhumed and moved to Frankfort 25 years after his death. There is not another George Bush in the Bush lineage and according to Findagrave.com, no George Bush of any true stature is buried in Orlando. Last but not least, who in the fuck is Michael Angelo? Are you saying the almost-celebrity folk singer (not dead) is buried here or ... God forbid ... are you trying to tell us the artist Michelangelo is buried in Orlando? Or ... are you claiming that the death of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michelangelo escaped the national headlines and he was secretly buried here by the rest of the Turtles so their sinister enemies will not discover their dwindling number?
Once again I am disappointed (not surprised by any stretch of the imagination) by the lack of merit in a report by your tabloid.
— Ray Oxley, via the Internet
Editor's reply: Um, Ray, see, the joke is that there are real people with those names buried at Greenwood Cemetery, but they aren't THE famous people with those names.
Bush-supporting rednecks
Funny thing, reading your two articles. I have to agree with Ms. de Armas, Orlando is boring ["Point: Orlando is boring," July 14]. All there is to do around here are the theme parks and once you have experienced those, there's not much to do around here.
Mr. Ferguson did note some great festivals, concerts and performances ["Counterpoint: No it isn't," July 14]. However, those are few and far between.
We don't have as diverse a culture as we would like to think we do. How can we when "the best seafood" is found at Red Lobster?
None of those restaurants, boutiques or theaters (DMAC, Enzian) will survive if we don't find and support something off the beaten path. We are that cookie-cutter town, a bunch of Bush-supporting rednecks. Sad but true.
— Richard Godinez, Orlando
