We’ve made it through another year, thanks to the help of our amazing readers.
Bungalower is a social enterprise that believes strong cities are built with informed and engaged residents and you validate our mission every time you click on our stories and share them with a friend. Our Bungalower Buddy Membership Program is a quick and easy way to support our hyper-local newsroom and if you contribute over $20 you’ll get a fancy keychain that will help you “unlock” deals around Orlando at participating businesses.
Our weekly radio show on Real Radio 104.1, “Bungalower and the Bus,” is still going strong and we just wrapped up our 306th episode and we just published the 62nd issue of our monthly print product, the Bungalower ‘Zine.
The following list is a collection of our top ten most-read posts in the past year, in order of clicks – not including our event calendar and our main landing page, which are the most-visited parts of our site.
TOP TEN MOST READ POSTS OF 2021
#10 – “Ask Bungalower: Is it true they’re going to knock down Colonial Plaza for new apartments?“
FEBRUARY 20, 2022
“Kimco Realty Corporation, which acquired Colonial Plaza via a merger last year with Weingarten Realty Investors, is reportedly considering knocking down some retail on the site to be replaced with new apartment buildings.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE OR HERE FOR AN UPDATE
#9 – “Orlando launching “controlled entry” checkpoints for late-night bargoers.”
AUGUST 2, 2022
“Following another night of violence in the Central Business District, Orlando Mayor Dyer has just shared that the City of Orlando will be rolling out “controlled entry” checkpoints starting as early as this Friday.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#8 – “Eyes on the Street: Hurricane Ian aftermath sees massive flooding, sinkholes, and property damage.”
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
“As Orlandoans meekly peeked out their leaf-splattered windows this morning, they were greeted with some fairly apocalyptic views. Trees have fallen across the city, sinkholes carved out from overloaded storm drains and stormwater runoff are popping up in brick streets in our historic neighborhoods, and lakes are spilling out into the roads and parks, including Lake Eola, which has turned Robinson Street into a river.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#7 – “Joysticks’ founders opening six new concepts in downtown Orlando this summer.”
APRIL 26, 2022
“The owners behind the short-lived former arcade bar, Joysticks Arcade Lounge, are working on six new concepts that will be opening in downtown Orlando by the end of the summer.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#6 – “Mason Jar owner finds new home in Winter Park.”
AUGUST 4, 2022
“We told you HERE in June 2022 that Mason Jar Provisions (Facebook | Website) was closing its Thornton Park location and looking to move somewhere “bigger and better” and we now know they’ve secured a spot in Winter Park near Rollins College.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#5 – “POPULAR KISSIMMEE RESTAURANT TAKING OVER FORMER FUDDRUCKERS.”
JULY 12, 2022
“Crocante Rotisserie Kitchen (Facebook | Website) is moving into a former Fuddruckers storefront at 4309 E. Colonial Drive [GMap] this summer. Led by Puerto Rico-born chef/owner Yamuel Bigio, the sit-down dining concept will have a full bar and will be able to seat 210 people at a time. Crocante, which means “crunchy” or “crispy” in Spanish will also have a meat market offering porchettas, sofrito sauces, sausages made in-house, and more, as well as a catering menu.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#4 – “P-HOUSE THE RISE AND DEMISE OF A LEGENDARY GAY RESORT.”
JULY 25, 2022
“Orlando was a boomtown in the 1960s. All-American brand, Tupperware, chose it as the home base for its world headquarters from which it sold its products to over 100 countries around the world, Lake Eola amphitheater was about to open in Lake Eola Park, Colonial Plaza had just become one of the state’s first indoor shopping malls, and I-4 had just been finished. Enter stage left, Parliament House, the fanciest hotel project Central Florida had ever seen which would one day become a hotbed for sex workers, drag queens, and people (mostly men) on the hunt for a good time.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#3 – “PANICKED RESIDENTS STAMPEDE OUT OF LAKE EOLA DURING FIREWORKS FEARING GUNFIRE.”
JULY 4, 2022
“An estimated crowd of over 100,000 people flocked to downtown Orlando’s Lake Eola Park to watch the City’s official Fourth of July fireworks display but as soon as they started, hundreds were seen leaving en masse from the western side of the park.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#2 – “OWNERS OF WINTER PARK’S LARGEST HOME SET TO LAUNCH INTO SPACE WITH PETE DAVIDSON.”
MARCH 15, 2022
“Local philanthropist Sharon Hagle, the founder of STEAM education organization SpaceKids Global (Website), and her husband, Marc, are going to space with Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson this month.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE
#1 – “DRUNK DRIVER CRASHES TRUCK INTO HIDEAWAY BAR.”
DECEMBER 19, 2022
“Around 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 18, a man drove his Dodge Ram pickup into the front of The Hideaway Bar (Facebook | Website) in Ivanhoe Village. According to eyewitnesses and staff who were working during the incident, a patron who had been “mean-mugging” some other guests at the bar got into an argument and some (likely four-letter) words were exchanged. That unidentified man then left the bar and got into his truck, which was parked in front of Factur (Website), the tool-sharing/makerspace warehouse next door, and proceeded to leave.” – CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE