I Wish This Was is a weekly series of badly photoshopped images that transform ignored, vacant or sometimes already occupied lots and properties in Orlando into something the City Beautiful can be proud of.
First, we want to say, this is just pie-in-the-sky brainstorming. We don’t think this is going to happen. We don’t hate swans (for proof, check out this Did You Know-town post) or Lake Lake Eola in general, we just like to entertain the possibilities sometimes. So bare with us.
Do you ever love something so much, you just want to get inside of it? Like a cupcake from Blue Bird bakeshop? That’s how we feel about Lake Eola … but to be honest, we’re a little afraid of it too. The green-brown cold brew viscosity of the water seems like it could possibly give us X-Men powers if we ever fell into it … or change us into were-swans like the Come Out With Pride mascot.
We love the swans, the fountain, the shirtless joggers, it all works for us … but what if we could actually swim in the lake? When we heard about the super-expensive mega lagoon that was going to be built in Lake Nona, all we could think was, “I wish we could do that downtown” but instead of on private property, why not make it publicly accessible?
The said mega lagoon is designed by Miami-based firm, Crystal Lagoons (Website), that specializes in building gargantuan pools. The water is kept clean using space age technology that uses less chemicals than in an ordinary swimming pool and less water than a typical golf course.
Watch the laughably buzz-word-filled video below to get a taste of what we’re talking about.
We just think the swans shouldn’t be the only ones having fun in the water during our hot Florida summers, they’re not even paying taxes!
Any kind of swimming hole in Orlando would be nice
Ironic it was a swimming hole back in 1883. Wealthy Orlando resident Jacob Summerlin—owner of the Summerlin Hotel, the first City Council president, and financial lender for the construction of Orlando’s courthouse in the 1870s—donated a large tract of it’s land to establish a park in Orlando. In 1883, Summerlin came to a city council meeting and offered the land around the lake on the condition that was beautified and turned into a park. He also required that the city plant trees and put a “driveway” around the lake. To ensure that the city followed through with the stipulations of the donation, Summerlin put reverter clauses in the contract to allow his heirs to reclaim the property if the city failed in its obligations. Several years later, his sons threatened to exercise the reverter clause if the city did not make good on its promise. Today, the park is still maintained according to his requirement that it be kept beautiful. At one time it even had a nice sandy beach area for swimming and other entities.
Not a bad idea really, just wrong lake. How about another? Lake Davis? Lake Como? Did you all know there was once a huge water slide at Lake Ivanhoe? Bringing that back would be just AWESOME!
Thanks Jeffery! We did know that! We’re huge fans of Joyland. There’s an electric box that Andrew Spear painted for Ivanhoe Village that has a scene of it on there. It used to have a pineapple farm on the shore too.
Just leave it for the birds, please!
Thanks Todd! We’re always accepting submissions, quesions and feedback from our faithful readers!
Is that a problem Viviana? We hadn’t heard about it. Can you PM us with some details?
Fun. Are your accepting other I Wish This Was submissions from others?
As if the homeless bathing in Lake Barton isn’t enough