This used to be a Lime Fresh Mexican Grill here at Phillips Landing. My wife and I made it a regular eating out habit, especially on Taco Tuesdays. Lime Fresh had the best fish tacos in Orlando, if not the whole world. All the food was good as was the staff. We literally started eating there when that Lime Fresh first opened. We built up a lot of good memories around the excellent food and staff.

But nothing lasts forever, especially something good like Lime Fresh. For whatever reason the place closed down late last year. Then about a month ago construction began on the empty store, and today I discovered it’s going to become a Five Guys Burger joint.

I’ve been to Five Guys. There’s one over near UCF where I work. Five Guys makes a decent burger, better than McDonalds and Burger King to be sure. But as good asFive Guys is, it isn’t as good as Lime Fresh. Not by any stretch. Not only is Lime Fresh food outstanding, it’s a lot healthier than a burger and fries from anybody, including Five Guys.

Before they tore out the Lime Fresh interior I got a few photos to remember the place. The photos below were taken at the same approximate positions as the photos above. You can see how different the new restaurant is laid out. Lime Fresh was a lot more open.

I’m sure the Five Guys will be successful. But not because of me and my wife. We won’t eat there; the food isn’t to our liking and we’ll have too sad memories of the restaurant that was there before.

Six weeks. That’s how long it’s been since the Pulse shootings killed 49 (fifty if you include the shooter himself). A lot has been published and continues to be published, a lot of second guessing is now taking place. All the police and media have left. That means Orange Avenue passing by Pulse is open again. All the impromptu memorials around the area have been cleaned up. Good thing I photographed the important parts when I did.

Pulse is still closed, surrounded by a chain link fence. Memorial flowers and DIY signage are all over the fence facing Orange. There are still people coming by to stand and look, some paying their respects, some just silently standing there. It’s eerily quiet, devoid of conversation, just the sound of passing traffic.

I didn’t lose anything there, I didn’t know anyone who was killed in that place. But the event has left me unalterably changed. There was absolutely no reason for what happened in Orlando, just like there’s no reason for the continuing media and political circus. As bad as I might feel, it has to pale to insignificance what the survivors and those left behind have to be feeling right now.