Plan to attend the July 4th Celebration family parade at Celebration Florida.

I love a parade! A fun, family parade is the annual 4th of July parade in Celebration which models itself after the real old-fashionned parades of our dream of simpler days. This parade glories in its lack of sophistication! Dads push toddlers in strollers decorated with red, white and blue ribbons, dogs prance at the end of red, white and blue leashes, moms sit on floats with red, white and blue bunting, children sit on the curbs waving flags! The parade winds its way along the lakefront of Main Street in Celebration which is decorated with red, white and blue flags. It is fun!

Members of The Orlando Avenue Top Team, real estate specialists with wisdom, knowledge and integrity, have watched many an All-American parade. One team member refers to it as a "heart-warming, small-town event and one which has grown both in size and popularity over the years."

If you want to march in the parade or want to be a vendor, applications can be found at http://www.celebration.fl.us/specialevents.html  If you’re not in the parade, come and watch and wave a flag! If you are looking to buy or sell a residence in Celebration or any other community, or if you are looking for a vacation home or investment property, I and The Orlando Avenue Top Team can help you with all of your real estate needs.

Universal Studios New Closing Display

Starting the first of July, Universal Studios Orlando Florida is ending each night at the park with a new display. In the past, the parks closed with a display of fireworks. Now, though, the show will be bigger, more extravagant, and newly multi-media. Called "Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular" it will combine music, lasers, lights, flamethrowers, videospheres, fireworks and video projectors.

Rehearsals for the nightly event are slated to start toward the end of June. Information about Universal Studios in Orlando Florida can be found at http://www.universalorlando.com/index.html  

I brought this new extravaganza to the attention of the real estate specialists of The Orlando Avenue Top Team and we are eager to see it. We enjoy these high tech events. We also enjoy the business we are in and stay thoroughly up to date with the real estate market. Whether you are buying or selling a primary residence or vacation home, or looking for investment property, The Orlando Avenue Top Team can help you with all of your real estate needs.

Silly Stories

This perhaps goes under the heading of silliest stories this week. It seems that last year Old Spice ran a "sweatiest city" contest, officially called the Top 100 Sweatiest Summer City rankings. The contest ran again this year so it’s now the "second annual."

This year, Phoenix was the winner, sweatiest summer city in the country and Las Vegas came in second. Cities in both Texas and Florida ranked high on the list. The Orlando Avenue Top Team, real estate specialists with wisdom, knowledge and integrity, all perspire (or sweat!) As do I, The Orlando Avenue Top Team leader. We know that in our part of the country, it is hot!  We live in this area!

But we see a cooling thought here: In the dry heat of desert areas, as compared with our hot and humid Orlando weather, residents and visitors get  hot, sweat, and lose bodily water.  So The Orlando Avenue Top Team considers it a real plus that we didn’t win this contest! Check out Old Spice’s sweatiest cities list, and Phoenix’s crown at the top of the sweatiest list.

The Orlando Avenue Top Team can help you with all of your real estate needs. Be cool! Give us a call!

June 16th I had an inspiration to see what the weather was in Anguilla.

I am the team leader of The Anguilla Top Team, real estate specialists. I and the Anguilla Top Team can help you with all of your real estate needs. You can see La Dolce Vita, the beautiful villa we offer for sale, and find out other pertinent information at our web site

Flying to Orlando Florida is easy. You can fly into Orlando Florida without going to Orlando Airport. Sanford Airport is also open for business on the east side of Orlando Florida.

Although Orlando International Airport, OIA, is most often the airport people fly in and out of, the Orlando Florida area has a second, smaller airport, too. This is the Orlando Sandford Airport located a little further north of the City. To get there you take Exit 50 off I-4 and go east on Lake Mary Boulevard or, alternately, take Exit 49, Lake Mary Boulevard off State Road 417. Information on the airport, designated as SFB, can be found at their website http://www.orlandosandfordairport.com  

Truthfully, neither I nor any of the other real estate specialists at The Orlando Avenue Top Team has ever flown in or out of this airport. We hear though that it’s easy and convenient and lines for ticketing and security are short.

This is a growing airport with several regularly scheduled arrivals and departures each day along with specially chartered flights. At the end of March, Icelandair announced regularly scheduled non-stop flights to Iceland and to several European destinations via Iceland. Flight schedules can be found at http://www.icelandair.com  

Recently, flyglobespan announced non-stop flights to Scotland. Additional information is waiting to be had at http://www.flyglobespan.com  Within the continental USA, Allegiant Airlines, based in Las Vegas, is now flying into Sandford from several of its mid-sized cities. To check the schedule, the website is http://www.AllegiantAir.com  

Here is a fact: In 2005, Sandford Airport served 563,931 domestic passengers and 1,085,306 international passengers. We at The Orlando Avenue Top Team serve you, too. Whether you are buying or selling a primary residence or vacation home or looking for the right investment property, The Orlando Avenue Top Team can help you with all your real estate needs.

If you need a place for your own private plane near Sanford Airport there are hangars starting at about $200 per month and up. If flying is your dream there is also Comair Academy for private, and commercial licenses.

Many Florida residents spend Saturday afternoons watching college football. The Seminoles and the Gators football teams rilvalry continues.

Florida is a great football state. Friday night is high school football, Saturday afternoon or evening is college football, Sunday is pro football. All of us at The Orlando Avenue Top Team can help you with all of your real estate needs but none of us at The Orlando Avenue Top Team is a big football enthusiast.

We’ve noticed though that other people are. In fact we’ve shown homes where the potential buyer stays in the den watching football with the home’s seller while we show the home to the spouse. Sports is the great equalizer. It gives people something in common to talk about.

The big Florida football rivalry is, of course, between the Seminoles of Florida State – the ‘Noles – and the Gators of the University of Florida. The official website of the Seminoles lists the names of 41 Florida State players who have gone on the play pro football. (You can find this on the official site of Florida State University Athletics

The orange and blue Gator page, on the other hand, has a "countdown to kickoff" which may be enlarged and used as a screensaver. When I looked at the site there were 89 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes and 25 seconds to go until University of Florida kickoff. You can find this information here.  

In Orlando Florida, we are proud of the University of Central Florida’s Golden Knights. Their football coach, George O’Leary, staged a great athletic turn-around. The year before, the Golden Knights didn’t win a single football game, closing out the season at 0-11. Last year, they were at a bowl for the first time in their history and ended the season 8-5.   

My expertise and that of The Orlando Avenue Top Team is in real estate. Whether you’re buying or selling a home or looking for investment property, we can help you with all of your real estate needs.

IKEA coming to Orlando Florida

I and The Orlando Avenue Top Team, real estate professionals with wisdom and knowledge, are excited to learn that IKEA, known for its fun and inexpensive furniture, is opening a store near The Mall at Millenia, at Conroy Road. This will be the first IKEA store in the area. We are happy to learn of this happening!

The 310,000-square-foot store is expected to open in the fall of 2007. Construction is expected to start this summer. The store will feature three model homes, 50 room settings, a supervised play area for children and a 300-seat restaurant featuring Swedish specialties. The Swedish retailer has 27 stores in the United States. More information can be found at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/

The location of this giant store shows with what enthusiasm the Orlando area is  growing.  Orlando is not only an international destination, it has international and world class shopping.

Whether you are buying or selling a primary residence, looking for a vacation home or investment property, I and The Orlando Avenue Top Team can help you with all of your real estate needs.

The island of Anguilla in the British West Indies has incredible wildlife and of course our favorite Cats and Dogs!!

There on loads of pictures posted on the web of cats and dogs adopted through this foundation and each is cuter than the next! The Anguilla Top Team (Teri Isner, Eileen Wilson and Tammy Martinez) can help you with all your real estate needs and we have a great website, too. It is http://www.come2anguilla.com We feature one of the magnificent villas for sale on the Island which we are fortunate to represent La Dolce Vita.  Another beautiful vill that has just come to our attention is called Exclusivity.  Our website features that villa too.   Don’t miss all the wonderful pictures of both on the website.  If you know anyone who wants to own a piece of paradise we are just a phone call away. 

Now I am having a fantasy!  I and the Anguilla Top Team stay on Anguilla, rescue some adorable dogs, and live near the white powdery sand and the calm turquoise water happily and forever!

Facts about Anguillan currency exchange and atm services while visiting Anguilla in the Caribbean.

Sometimes, even in the midst of beautiful, white powdery beaches and turquoise waters, sometimes even in the midst of being pampered to the extreme – you need cash! The Anguilla Top Team, has often found that cash event happening to them, and I have, too!

Money in Anguilla is easy. Banknotes are called the East Caribbean Dollar. One East Caribbean Dollar equals 100 cents and is printed as 1EC$. Bank notes are issued in 1,5,10,20,50 and 100 dollar denominations, just as in The United States. The East Caribbean Dollar has a picture of Queen Elizabeth on the front and the back of the bill has a representation of the Island. Currency is printed in attractive and colorful inks. (You can find more on currency at encylopedia caribbean money).

US currency is accepted on Anguilla. The Anguilla Top Team is always on the lookout for ATMs and there are several on the island. We have noticed them located at Wallblake Airport, The National Bank, Caribbean Commercial Bank, and Scotia Bank. (The National Bank of Anguilla Ltd. has a website which provides many interesting financial facts such as the length of time needed for a check to clear.  Check out other financial facts about finance options in Anguilla)

I, and the rest of The Anguilla Top Team, can help you with all of your real estate needs. Our own website has more details and contains much information. This website features one of the luxurious villas on this beautiful island and one which, it is our privilege, to offer for sale. Come2Anguilla and remember to bring your passport!

This is the Orlando Florida International Airport gateway to Central Florida’s top travel destinations including Disney, Universal, Sea World and the Kennedy Space Center.

The Orlando Avenue Top Team thought a good place to start our blog on travel and tourism would be right at the beginning – at the airport. After all, Central Florida is one of the top travel destinations in the world. To brag a little – Disney World, Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure, and Sea World Orlando are all located right here in Orlando and The Kennedy Space Center is just a short drive away.

If you don’t live here, you have to get here, and one way to get here is by airplane. If you don’t yet live here you may soon want to and, in that case, the Orlando Avenue Top Team can help you with all your real estate needs.

The local airport serving Central and Northern Florida is called Orlando International Airport , OIA for short. It’s designation code is MCO. This airport is beautiful and it’s clean. At the Orlando Avenue Top Team, we feel it’s a pleasure to fly in and out of OIA.

This airport is very busy! It serves over 34,000,000 passengers on an annual basis and over 93,000 passengers each day. You are not the only one waking up early for a morning flight!

There are 53 airlines- from Areo-Mexico to Zoom- which serve OIA. Nearly 1,000 flights take off or land each day and some 354,000 flights arrive or depart annually. The airport is the third largest in the United States in terms of land mass – it’s consists of nearly 13,300 acres, so it is quite a big place.

None-the-less, it is easy to get around the airport. There are two large terminals, A & B, and directions for reaching them are clearly marked. It’s a pretty place with flowers and trees along the road. There’s a large parking garage at the terminals with some 9300 parking spaces and there are also satellite parking lots. Inside the terminal are many stores. The Orlando Avenue Top Team likes to shop here if we are flying in or out. We can get a meal, or a book or a Starbucks coffee, or a set of Mickey Mouse ears for a nephew.

There is also a large Hyatt Regency Hotel right on property, it is part of the terminal complex. Orlando International Airport is convenient to tourism destinations and it’s highly regarded. There are rental car agencies both on and off site. If you are coming to Orlando to look at property, the Orlando Avenue Top Team can take care of all your real estate needs. It will be our pleasure to drive you around.