Another Blow For Freedom

After all the hypes and start-and-stops of our nearby Gay Resort-to-Be, and an apparent opening followed by a temporary re-closing, it appears they are open "for real." They promoted an opening day of April 29, and despite an unfinished faux roof extension that got blue-tarped at the last minute, it looked like they really were open.

So, Dan and I decided on a whim to give them a try Saturday night. Dan called to confirm there was no cover charge, and self-parking available. We drove over ... and discovered the only parking was valet. Complimentary, mind you, but that meant someone else driving Dan's new baby Jeep. Their recommendation, if we didn't want to valet, was to park at another, nearby hotel or business and walk across the lawns to get to the club.

This place isn't Pulse, which has valet parking but also generally ample on-street parking, too. Freedom is on a busy Federal highway in the heart of tourist world, five miles off the interstate. I couldn't name even one either bar (gay or straight) in Kissimmee, Florida, that would have valet parking.

We spent our evening at LAVA Lounge, instead. Of note, when we returned home around midnight, all of 20 cars (perhaps less) remained valet-parked at Freedom. While the downtown clubs could blame the lack of attendance on the rainy weather, it didn't rain out here.

I'm wondering which cliché I should follow: third time's a charm? Strike two...? Fool me once...?

On a side note, we do have a second-hand report from someone who did go. They had three things stick out in memory: low ceilings (I'm waiting for comparison to other Orlando venues), a very large fish tank with very small tropical fish, and lots and lots of lesbians.