College Park adventure

My website, ILUVWinterPark.com, has always been about the community in which we live . . . Winter Park AND surrounding areas. With this blog I’m going to starting getting out and about a bit more and celebrating all of it!

This afternoon I made the short drive over to College Park. We’d been over that way the other night and it reminded me just how long it had been! LOTS of new stuff and changes over that way.

FIRST . . . some changes along the way. LUV the new Pookie’s Bow Wow Bakery location. BETTER parking is just one benefit! The inside lights up and glows even in the day time. Congrats Melissa and Marsha on the new digs! (Yeah, I went there!)

Congrats also to local restaurant / barbeque sensation John Rivers and crew. HOLY COW (yep, went there again!), that new place is going to be ginormous compared to the original space on Fairbanks. AND, wow, REAL parking! I think John and crew may now go through less ibuprofen with this setup. Even with this much LARGER space . . . . why do I think they’re still going to have LINES out the door! Blogger intuition. Congrats on the new space, LUV Peace 4Rivers crew!

Now . . . my foray down Edgewater. I checked out two new businesses I’d never been in before and one in an entirely new location.

First I popped into Modern Grace Boutique. Lots of places get called “boutiques”, but this one really fit the bill. CUTE as can be and the owner, Grace (no surprise), all smiles and super friendly. The clothes all looked adorable, but a few things really jumped out at me . . . the wonderful Bungalow 360 bags at the front and items of jewelry. The Bungalow 360 bags are in a word: Adorable. Fun graphics in more fun colors, from hearts (which always get me) to monkeys to dragonflies, turtles, alligators and more. What initially caught my eye in the jewelry cabinet was a steampunk ring design with hearts, but soon an Apple (as in iPhone, iPad, i everything else) ring and octopus ring jumped out as well. Wonderful and unique items in a true and CHARMING boutique!

Next I found Vintage Décor. This may be the kind of shop which makes some people a bit Claustrophobic. Not me! Lots and lots of cool, fun and very vintage items. Whether you like Mad Men or American Pickers, or maybe even Pawn Stars, you’ll like Vintage Décor. I took special liking to a wonderful vintage wrought iron chandelier in white with yellow lemons, a huge wrought iron bird cage holder now used to hold a vintage light fixture and a number of quite artful obelisks. There’s also a florist which operates out of the back and some great vintage patio pieces outside. The owner, John, specializes in finding what you want, so if they don’t have it now, you’ve still come to the right place!

And, lastly on my stroll, I stumbled upon the new location for Artistry Co-op, which used to be housed in with Fusion Tea. Their new space obviously gives them a good bit more space, and the lightings great. I saw several pieces I knew about firsthand from The Attic, including pieces from Kimberly Turner’s Soggy Dog Studios. Lots of fun owl pieces in here, which are fun, and some great jewelry pieces from a local artist who does tributes to peacocks by paying tribute to well, I guess their narcissism, as pieces are engraved: Peacocking. They’re LUVly, too, so I’m sure she’d (any female peacock) would be happy to wear on as her hubby struts his stuff.

After that I was ready for a late lunch and made my way down to Wildside Barbecue. I’ve always LUVed the Wildside in Thornton Park and found just the other evening that there was a new one in College Park! Turns out they’ve been there since last July. Yeah, as I said, I needed to get over that way! I asked the waitress, Tara, to suggest something good and filling, but also on the lighter side. What she came up with was – I found – absolutely delicious: salad with two fried green tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken and veggies. It was perfect for what I wanted and an awesome suggestion. THANKS, Tara! Also met the General Manger, James, and LUVed listening to the 80s music! They were hitting all chords with me for sure.

On the way home I decided tomorrow I’m definitely heading down to Lake Ivanhoe, so let me know if there’s any place in particular I should check out. I want feedback and suggestions!

Also, of course, the absolute staple of each and every day’s blog: Give a Dog a Home!

Today let’s meet . . .

Casper. I have a weak spot for dogs, no question. At the weakest part of the weak spot is where Boxers have wrapped their paws around it so tightly I think they’ll control it for life. We have three and it always amazes me how each one is as individual as any person I’ve ever known. Casper is a white Boxer, as was my Maddie’s mother. Casper is around six years old and is an energetic boy who loves to run and play with his foster brothers. He likes playing ball with his paws and letting it bounce through the yard. He is working on walking on a leash and seems to be getting it pretty good so far. He is available for adoption through Florida Boxer Rescue. You can find out more about him via their website: http://www.flbr.org/availableboxers.html .

The Give A Dog A Home! portion of this blog comes from dogs available locally, around Central Florida. If you have specific suggestions for this or ANY part of the blog, suggestions for what I need to check out, where I need to go, contact me!

Closing this blog with three things . . . . one, excited about the new concept, The Cask & Larder, from the couple who brought us The Ravenous Pig. It will be opening in the previous Boathouse / Drakes / Harper’s spot on Fairbanks. Something tells me this one will be highly anticipated. No question. Follow their progress here: http://www.caskandlarder.com.php53-26.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/.

Additionally, if you haven't heard, The Bistro is bringing AUTHENTIC German cuisine to Park Avenue two days a week! Tuesdays and Wednesdays you can get such German delights as today's wienerschnitzel, jaegerschnitzel, goulash with spaetzle and homemade applecake. Ja!

Tomorrow . . . . Lake Ivanhoe!