April is a busy month for many people. Some have finals or end of-the-semester meetings, but I have my birthday. It’s always around the same time as finals because it falls on the last week in April. I still have many assignments to complete, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to celebrate my 21st birthday.
Orlando has so much to offer, especially if you’re 21+. I get to experience all the cool bars and restaurants that I’ve never been to. I plan to celebrate my birthday with a new restaurant and a show. I looked up a couple of places that were new in Orlando, and I found this restaurant named The Monroe. Located in the Creative Village in the heart of Downtown Orlando, the restaurant offers a diverse social gathering with many places to sit and eat.
I checked out their Instagram, and they have a beautiful dining space with jaw-dropping dishes. I am not a big drinker, but I do love that their happy hour menu has simple drinks that I would personally get. The food looks amazing and has a wide variety of dishes.
I plan to go to a show after dinner, and I decided to see something new. I’ve been to a handful of theater shows, but I noticed that Kinky Boots was coming to Orlando. I’ve never seen this play, and I was interested once I learned it was a Tony and Grammy Award winner for Best Musical. The play reminds everyone that we can change the world when we change our minds.
My actual birthday falls on a Wednesday, and I plan to celebrate the day of and the weekend that follows. For the weekend, I have my family driving up from Miami. We’ve been planning this for a while, as I wasn’t able to drive down to them to celebrate because of finals. We want to do a dinner at our house the day everyone comes up, but in the morning, we’re going to do brunch.
I’ve been dying to go to Hamburger Mary’s. Located in Downtown Orlando, this restaurant has a diner feel with an entertainment aspect. While the food is great at Hamburger Mary’s, the drag queens are better. All day, there will be drag performances. Only on the weekends do they host a brunch affair. I drove by this restaurant many times before I realized that it was also a drag show restaurant. Almost everyone in my family that lives in Orlando has already gone to experience Hamburger Mary’s, and I’ve never heard a bad review.
Birthdays are all about ways that you can give back to yourself. I made sure that this year I would be the one to make the choices to celebrate my birthday. Turning 21 in Orlando will be a birthday I will never forget. I am so thankful for these new experiences and the new growth that will come with turning 21.