I have a fairly decent commute on my drive to work. Maybe 30 minutes, on a good day? It gives me plenty of time to think. Listen to music. Ponder life. And realize how completely terrible the drivers in Central Florida are! Do you agree?

Seriously, most people are speeding, not paying attention, switching lanes without signaling to other drivers, and all the while these people are talking on their cell phones. Now, I’m not saying I haven’t been guilty of a quick chat or a super-fast text to say “I’m on my way!” (sorry, Oprah – it happens), but noticing just how many folks are on their phones and barely paying attention to the road, led me to ask the fine people of Central Florida:

We’re HUGE fans of Yelp over here at Pulse and I thought it’d be fun to share why.   Here are our Top 10 Reasons:

1. Their spectacular app is the perfect way to discover new places when you’re out and about exploring a new part of Central Florida.
2. Yelp is community.  Instead of just marketing their brand, Yelp gets involved in the community it serves.
3. Coopetition.  OK, so it’s kind of a made up word, but it’s what happens when competitors cooperate instead of compete.   Yelp is amazing at this.  Case in point:  they support us.
4. Yelp Elite Squad.   Yelp rewards their most passionate members by regularly hosting some killer events.
5. They’re everywhere online and off.  Yelp.com?  Check.   Facebook?  Check.  Twitter?  Check.
6. Swag!  No question, Yelp has some fabulous swag!
7. Yelp Events!   Events aren’t just for the elite—Yelp Orlando has hosted some spectacular events for all to enjoy.
8. Yelp Orlando loves … Orlando.  Maybe this is a no-brainer, but they don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk.
9. Yelp is good for small business.
10. Yelp Orlando = Colleen Burns.  Duh.   This role was custom-made for her and she kills it.  Orlando is lucky to have such a visible supporter.  Thanks for all you do to make Orlando great, Colleen!

A few months ago we talked about the new Dave & Buster’s coming to Central Florida, in the heart of crazy-tourist-town I-Drive. I’d personally never been to one, I love games (that’s the kid-at-heart busting through), and despite making an ill-decided attempt to go on a weekend night (I would not recommend, by the way, but I’m happy the place is so dang popular and feeding our local economy) I finally made it over this past weekend. Was it worth it? Hmmm…yeah, I’d say so. But my expectations were a tad underwhelmed.

FOOD!

Of course I’m there, so might as well eat, right? There are a ton of options on the menu, but if you’re planning on sticking around for the games you’re best bet is to take advantage of one of the combo deals. These are a select menu of dishes coupled with a game card.

I ordered chicken tacos, which was part of the deal that came with a $10 game card. I believe that equates to something like 40+ in tokens. A pretty good deal for the combo considering it was around $16.

Now, I won’t necessarily title the food I had as bad, but it was definitely mediocre at best, and certainly not anything I’d be running back to experience anytime soon. Not the dish I ordered, anyway. My dining partner’s fried shrimp looked pretty good, but the sentiment on that side pretty much mirrored mine. Oh well…onto the games!

GAMES!

Now this is the part I was really looking forward to. The games–maybe the arcade?–is huge, and there are alot of really fun ones. Nothing really innovative or groundbreaking. Skee ball. Racing games. Anything, really, where guests can accumulate tickets to exchange for prizes. I can’t even remember how many tickets I ended-up wracking-up – I gave mine to a coupla kids who looked like they’d enjoy the prizes much more than I.

So, have you been to Dave & Buster’s on International Drive yet? Or have you been to any Dave & Buster’s ever? What are your thoughts?

You can keep up with all things Dave & Buster’s on @daveandbusters and on Facebook.

Ahem….

Are you the ultimate shopper?
Do you obsess over bargains?
Are you hiding your purchases from friends and family?
Is your shopping ruining relationships?

We may actually know a few folks who can say yes to these questions. Well…except for the last one, maybe. And if you do, too, you should tell them about a new reality show that’s looking for contestants:

If you apply–or know someone who does–we’d love to hear about it!

I don’t know where I’ve been on this one, because I only just happened to stumble upon The Abbey yesterday while grabbing some lunch in Thornton Park. The Abbey is located on the bottom of The Sanctuary just south of Central Boulevard, and in addition to offering beer, wine and liquor, the venue holds a stage for live entertainment and performances.

Now, let me be clear in saying that I haven’t actually been inside The Abbey yet, but now that I’m aware it exists I’m looking forward to checking it out (good thing I was looking out because the front is so “barely there” I nearly overlooked it).

Here’s the exterior:

Location deets:

The Abbey
100 S. Eola Drive
Orlando, FL 32801
407.704.6261
AbbeyOrlando.com

More info–including live events and happy hour deals–can be found on their website. You can also find out first-hand from folks who’ve been there by reading reviews on Yelp.

Have you got what it takes? Do you know someone who knocks your socks off when they open their mouth (hello…we’re one of the entertainment capitals of the world!)? Well, now’s the chance for the world to hear it.

Television competition show “The Voice” is gearing-up for auditions for their second season, and one of the stops is right here in Central Florida.

Auditions are next Thursday and Friday, 8/11 & 8/12. In order to audition, you must register first. Registrations for auditions are here. If you end-up auditioning or know someone who does, we’d love to hear about it!

We love us some food and sweets, and we love us some Blue Bird Bake Shop! Hard to believe their store in Audubon Park has already been open one year!

All this coming weekend Blue Bird Bake Shop will be celebrating with $2 cupcakes. And according to their Facebook Wall, if you wear a Blue Bird Bake Shop T-Shirt or a Top Hat this weekend, you get a free cupcake! Sweet (literally)….

If you’ve never been and want to get a taste, check out the Blue Bird menu.

For all Blue Bird Bake Shop updates, Follow them on Twitter and “Like” them on Facebook. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Blue Bird!

Here’s one way to beat the Central Florida heat:

We were recently invited and attended Nickelodeon Suites Resorts ‘Summer of SLIME’ kick-off event at their property in South Orlando. The video above pretty much sums-it-up, but ‘Summer of SLIME’ is:

During the summer-long celebration, running from June 10 to September 5, the guests can be SLIMED at anytime, anywhere on property. SLIME encounters and surprise experiences include:

• Gooey, messy games like SLIME tug of war
• SLIME physical challenges
• Confetti SLIME
• SLIME tastings
• Bigger, better-than-ever Mass SLIMING poolside
• And many other “Random Acts of SLIMING””

Here are some photos we snapped:

Who says slime can't be tasty?

Slime, slime everywhere!

You're not gonna slime me!

And...here comes the slime!

Slimed!

So…are you up for the slime of your life?! More info on this Summer-long event can be found here.

Ever been to a Kobe Japanese Steakhouse? There are several spread throughout the Central Florida area. I remember one of my favorites used to be located just adjacent to Colonial Town, until it burned down over a decade ago. So needless to say I was super-excited when I recently drove by the old Barney’s Steak & Seafood property and saw this:

If you’re not familiar with Kobe or it’s been awhile since you’ve paid a visit to one, you can check-out their menu here. For the latest-and-greatest info on their restaurants you can Follow them on Twitter and “Like” them on Facebook. We’ll, of course, keep you posted on any updates pertaining to this specific location.

New Central Florida location deets:

1615 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32803

If you follow our blog regularly (if you don’t…shame on you!) or keep up with us on Twitter you’ve probably noticed a few different things in the past week. We’ve got a new look!

While we’re still trying to work out some of the kinks in the blog design–which may not be noticeable to you–we’re thrilled to announce we not only have a new site layout, but we’ve also got some new branding. Our good pal Elizabeth was kind enough to lend her skills by designing a new logo for us. What do you think?

It’s great to now have something immediately identifiable to the “Pulse of Central Florida” voice, and we’re hoping to be able to use this logo at some of the offline functions we attend in the future.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this site, our content, our voices…over the last three-and-a-half years. We truly appreciate it, and are looking forward to growing this brand even more in the coming years!