Stacey's Drugstore

Located just adjacent from the train station in downtown Foley, Alabama is a tiny drugstore called Stacey's. The entire downtown Foley is a throwback to a time when main-street existed in America. When small downtowns were clustered around train stations. This was an age when everyone knew their neighbors an age before Walgreens, Wal-mart and big parking lots. Stacey's is an actual drug store that fills prescriptions and has a professional pharmacist on hand but it also has chewing gum, cologne and delicious ice cream sundaes. The sign above the ice cream counter at Stacey's reads Fizzsician indicating that an ice cream soda expert is ready to make a delicious creation. They also serve fresh squeezed lemonade and lime sours, this is a real soda fountain like something out of the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". They also have self-serve coffee for just 10¢ per cup.



Before Interstate Highways, Urban Sprawl and McDonalds I imagine that America had many great and good places like Stacey's.

Fairhope Public Library

I have discussed the small town of Fairhope on this blog before in a post on The Page and Palette and Latté Da. It is a beautiful, quaint little town that lies on the eastern side of Mobile Bay. Historically the town was a Single Tax Colony and to this day one cannot actually own land in Fairhope. The Fairhope Public Library is a gem. It has lots of comfortable places to sit, fast efficient wi-fi that is open to the public, great resources and nice reading tables that remind me of The Boston Public Library. The current facility was built opened in 2007 but the Library itself has a rich history that dates back to the turn of the century and it is intertwined with Fairhope's unique ideals. You can read about the history of the library here.



As you can see above the Fairhope Library is also a great place to find out about concerts, reading programs, film nights, and general community events. Also on the web, the library's home page is not the catalog but rather an informative page of local events. Currently they sponsor a story time at The Fairhope Farmer's Market. This Library seems to do a great job of being at the heart of public life in Fairhope and in the digital age Libraries will secure strong positions as hubs for life in many of their communities.

Austin's Coffee

I rarely come to Austin's because during my graduate school days I had several very unproductive experiences here trying to get things done. One night I was working on a paper and I decided to come to Austin's thinking that I might be productive. The space is quite small and I sat down where I could at a table with my lap top and a sandwich. There was ridiculously loud horror movie playing that everyone was laughing and talking over. The commotion is a good sign as the teenage hipster all have a welcoming and fun community hang out at Austin's but for a "serious graduate student" like myself this was the worst environment possible. Finally I went outside on the porch that overlooks Fairbanks avenue as cars whiz by. Just when I got myself situated outside, the movie inside had ended and everyone came outdoors for a smoke break. So now these teenage hipsters were laughing, talking loudly and unintentionally blowing smoke in my direction. Well, at least the movie was over so I went back inside to try and get something done until I found out that another movies was starting in just 5 minutes. I gave up and went home.

The last time I was at Austin's Josh Bales, a friend of mine, was here playing his brand of poppy chic pleasing country for all of the girls that go to my church. The place was crowded, my friend Karie Brown was here selling her plumery (artsy trinkets and hair pieces made from feathers) and the atmosphere wasn't half bad. Still I wasn't convinced to become an Austin's fan.

All that being said, today is much better. I walked here and realized just how close it is to home. Although I did pass Cup O Soul and probably would have gone there had it not been one of my purposes to write about Austin's for this blog. After a pleasant walk here I was greeted by a friendly young woman who recommended a passion fruit green tea on ice (pictured above) that is really hitting the spot on a hot day. One of the trademarks here is that with each order you get a Hershey's Kiss on your plate and I have always thought that to be a nice touch. In addition I found a nice spot on a comfy retro couch with an electrical outlet located conveniently next to me. In addition I have a table to sit my things on and the wi-fi is working well. Life is good!

I used to meet with friends from church to hang out, talk and play board games here at Austin's. Named after the trendy city that is home to The University of Texas this is great place to study or to meet friends. Just avoid movie nights.

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".