Palmano's

On Thursday morning I had breakfast with one of my favorite librarians at Palmano's on Park Ave. Like many other great and good places Palmano's business is rooted in coffee and from what many connoisseurs have told me Palmano's has the best coffee in Winter Park and maybe in Orlando. They roast their own coffee beans and I can say that the Soy latté was very good although some would say that soy milk obscures the real taste of the coffee. Palmano's does offer free wireless internet but it has never been a good study venue as their is very little seating inside and it is not conducive to lingering for long periods of time. The outside seating is located in a little alcove off Park Ave. and many people go there for breakfast or to meat a friend from coffee. They also serve dinner and have live music and from what I understand the place is hopping on a Friday night. Recently they have renovated and there is now seating on the sidewalk outside besides in the alcove. This gives the place a sort of Parisian sidewalk café feel but yet the menu and decor are really not that Parisian. White and red checkered table clothes and breakfast paninis give the place sort of an Americano/Italian feel. But it's good and I would have to say that it is probably the place to spend time and meet friends in or around downtown Winter Park.

infusion tea

infusion tea in College Park on Edgewater Drive is a minimalist tea shop with an Ikea-like feel. I couldn't leave Orlando without writing about this place because it is associated with some very good friends and mostly good memories. Usually "great good places" are rooted in the coffee industry and so infusion is nice alternative to the coffee shop. It's clean, fresh decor makes it a refreshing place to spend time.

Aside from tea, infusion serves an excellent gazpacho that is great on a hot Orlando day. The food here is fresh, tasty and vegan friendly. Pizzas, Panini's and Whole wheat wraps always go well with a cup of Moroccan Mint Tea.

There is also a small local artist's co-op where a few of my friends sale their artwork. The community at infusion is definitely not as hip as other places in town but I'm not really very hip anymore either so that works well for me. The service has not always been great as some of the help seems young and at time distracted but they are always friendly. At times there have been large meetings and I have not been able to focus on academic work here at infusion but today has been great and I found a quiet table near a power outlet.

Located in this trendy section of Orlando, infustion tea is a great place to meet a friend although the friends that I would always meet here now live in places like Philadelphia and Paris. It is always a great place to come write a blog entry or use the free wi-fi.

Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux

Bikes is because the owner seems to be a Cycling enthusiast. Notice the bicycles tied up outside where mine is now also tied. Beans is because, like every "great, good place" they serve great coffee and Bordeaux is the region in France where the fruit of the vine is produced. 3B has only been in Winter Park for a few years and is located right across the street from Stardust on Corrine. The husband and wife team, Darryl and Jennifer, have done a great job to create a unique, friendly and clean atmosphere. Sometimes B3 can feel too sterile and not homey enough but it is always a nice change.

As you can see in the picture cycling is always playing on the flat screen above a comfortable seating area. The art on the walls is interesting, the menu includes healthy sandwiches, that always come with jelly beans and carrot sticks. Right now they have fun things on the seasonal menu like waffles topped with mango, coconut and almonds or vegan black bean soup topped with cheddar, red onions and sour cream. I am having a classic Italian Panini with mozzarella, fresh basil and big slabs of tomato on doughy foccacia bread.

Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux is always a great place to meet a friend, study or work on a blog post.

Whole Foods

These are some friends of mine from Seminary days and The Geneva School. We recently gathered at Whole Foods to discuss languages, books, travels, graduate school, ideas and theology to name a few. One might ask why we would gather at a grocery store but Whole Foods has made an attempt at creating "place". Even now I am enjoying a fresh squeezed juice and a sandwich while writing in this blog, using the free internet and sitting in a comfortable chair. At Whole Foods you can buy your oatmeal, enjoy food from the hot bar, get a massage and use the wi-fi or just have lunch with a friend. These new seating arrangements on the patio are an addition since I went to London but because of the space, the food and access to the internet Whole Foods has caught on to the idea of being a "Great Good Place".

Winter Park Public

For all of the acclaim that Winter Park Public gets for being one of the best public libraries in the state and maybe in the country I don't think that the space is all that attractive. It is a three floor facility with worn out burber carpet and low ceilings. Fluorescent lights everywhere give the building more of a hospital feel than that of a "great good place". When I walk in the door I don't see old friends laughing and calling each other names. Even so, this library has a wealth of resources including books and films. This is the first time in a long time that I don't actually work in a library and I now realize how I took for granted having all of the services a library has to offer at my finger tips. So I keep coming back to Winter Park Public to print things, get music, movies and reading material. I just checked out the sound track to the new movie, Crazy Heart. Sometimes I have one of Beverly's wonderful lemon bars and just the other day I ran into an old friend. Besides as you can see from the picture they are making an effort to create friendly space.

Cup O Soul

Cup O Soul used to be on Fairbanks Avenue just across from Austin Coffee, that I will soon write about on this blog. Cup O Soul is now in a great location on Orange and Holt avenue just behind where I live in Winter Park. This place is literally just down the block and for that reason I should come here more often. The furniture is comfortable as they have plush couches, leather chairs and coffee tables all crammed into a samll attractive space on the corner. Glass windows surround the entire lounge area which most likely makes it difficult to cool during the hot summer months. Outside there is café like seating on the sidewalk that would make for great outdoor dining or conversation. The Wi-Fi is fast and reliable and although there is a dull murmer of chit chat in the background, the music is soft and I am not finding it hard to focus. Cup O Soul offers fresh baked goods and great coffee. I think Cup O Soul is going to become one of my top choices when looking for a place to study, write cover letters (I'm stilling looking for a job) and/or meet friends.

The Drunken Monkey

If it weren’t for writing this blog I would probably have gone to Stardust this morning. I was hungry and cold and just wanted a familiar place. After all, Oldenburg argues that part of the need for third place is simply a need for familiarity. Today, however, I came to Drunken Monkey so that I could write about it but I am also having a really good time. Drunken Monkey is located on Bumby just on the other side of Colonial and across from the Plaza Theatre. ( A concert venue where I saw Bon Iver and Iron & Wine). The Drunken Monkey as you can see is very busy on this unusually cold morning in Central Florida. The service is friendly and they have a number of vegan, vegetarian friendly pre-made things like the vegetable breakfast burrito that just hit the spot after a hard morning run. I am also enjoying my coffee with Hemp milk. The gentleman sitting just behind me is wearing a Boston Red Sox cap and was friendly enough to loan me his extension cord to plug in my laptop. A key to a good third place is plenty of plugs and good wi-fi. The Drunken Monkey has both and although I am not really being very community oriented with my headphones in while staring at my computer screen there are still quite a few people socializing here. Stardust for me has set the standard and feels most like home but Drunken Monkey is doing a great job and if it were closer to my house I would spend more time here.