Day 359 – My Favorite Mexican bar, can you guess?

The Monkey at Carlos and Charlies Lake Mary

Ok, so before it looks like I am secretly paid by Carlos & Charlies I will keep it short… It just happens that we hang out a lot here and it happens to be my daily pic (again, I know!), not sure if it’s the music or atmosphere but it’s just what I need sometimes after a long work week. So tonight we met up with friends and just had a great time. I even learned how to shoot a Tequila “the smooth way”.

Friday Night at Carlos and Charlies Lake Mary

Friday Night at Carlos and Charlies Lake Mary

Day 358 – Applebees Lake Mary FL

Applebees Lake Mary FL

Since I grab lunch here every once in a while I didn’t want to leave an old classic unmentioned: Applebee’s. This location is right on the Park Place at Heathrow Plaza in Lake Mary. What I like about Applebee’s is that I always get what I expect. It’s also a great spot for casual meetings and of course to quickly pick up food and bring it back to the office ;o)

Here is their information:

Applebee’s
7055 County Road
46-A Lake Mary, FL 32746
(407) 444-9930

Day 357 – Caddies Pub Open

Caddies Pub Heathrow FL

Caddies Pub is open! I am definitely planning on stopping by soon (especially since I walk by several times every day) so I can write a bit more about what this new pub offers.

To be continued ;o) …

Day 347 – Memories of India Lake Mary FL – Indian Brunch

Memories of India - Indian Restaurant in Lake Mary

When Jose invited me to an Indian Brunch I first wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Indian cuisine is not exactly what I connect with anything breakfast related. Since I am a fan of Indian food though I was defintiely willing to try it. Well, it turns out, Memories of India is not actually offering an Indian brunch, their lunch buffet on Sundays just opens early enough to technically make it a “brunch”. On top of that they offer a free glass of champagne.

We got here quite early, even before 12pm (which really never qualifies as lunch for us since we rarely have lunch before 2:30pm). I liked their selection and was hungry enough to try a little bit of it all ;o) The place was quite busy so more people must have found out about this “Indian Brunch”.

Here is their information:

Memories of India
Shoppes Of Lake Emma
3895 Lake Emma Road
Lake Mary, FL 32746
Phone: (407) 804-0920

Day 344 – A farewell at Carlos and Charlies

Lupe and I

Wow, 2 days in a row at Carlos and Charlies? Yes, it’s been a crazy week. Tonight we all got together to say good-bye to Lupe and ended up at Carlos and Charlies in Lake Mary.

Since it was a Thursday night, Carlos and Charlies had $2 Margaritas all night. The music was great (good mix of everything including Latin Salsa and Merengue) and there was quite some traffic on the dance floor ;o) We all had a blast!

Day 343 – Sanford Chamber of Commerce Event at Carlos and Charlies

At Carlos & Charlies Lake Mary

This evening we were invited to an event at Carlos and Charlies for all members of the Sanford Chamber of Commerce. It was a great success and Carlos & Charlies generously provided free drinks and food for all guests.

Here is the info of the Sanford Chamber of Commerce in case you are interested in becoming a member:

SANFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
400 East First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
(407) 322-2212

Day 341 – Colonial Town Center Lake Mary – List of Restaurants

Column at Colonial Town Park

Today I just couldn’t resist to take some pictures of one of our favorite nightlife spots in the Sanford/Lake Mary area: Colonial Town Center, consisting of Colonial Town Park on the South side of H.E. Thomas Boulevard (46A) and Park Place at Heathrow on the North side. I have written about it several times on this blog, including the many restaurants, bars and stores, so this time just a quick picture tour of the “facility” in general.

Colonial Town Park

Since the list of restaurants has recently changed (sadly, the Coffee Cafe is gone, luckily there is now a Carlos & Charlies and Vamonos Taqueria), here again a list of bars, restaurants and entertainment at Colonial Town Park Lake Mary:

• AmStar Stadium Cinema
• Amura Japanese Steakhouse
• Liam Fitzpatricks
• Dexter’s of Lake Mary
• Crispers
• Papa Joe’s Pizza and Pasta
• Cold Stone Creamery
• Vamonos Taqueria
• Subway
• Corona Cigar Company
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House
• Lake Mary Vineyard Wine Company
• Carlos & Charlies

And here a list of the restaurants across the street (at Park Place at Heathrow, also part of Colonial Town Center):

• Fishbones (Seafood Restaurant)
• Caddies Pub (Opening September 2009)
• Silvestro’s (Now open) (Italian Restaurant)
• Terra Mia (Italian Restaurant)
• Cigar Bar
• Moe’s Southwest Grille
• Applebee’s
• Patisserie
• Shan (Asian Cuisine)

Restaurants at Colonial Town Park Lake Mary

Colonial Town Park Lake Mary

Day 327 – Silvestros Italian Restaurant Opening at Park Place at Heathrow in Lake Mary

Silvestros Opening in Heathrow FL

The location that was formerly the restaurant/bar Wine Down (before that Urban Flats) at Park Place at Heathrow will soon be home to a new Italian restaurant, Silvestros. Silvestros actually has its original location in Cocoa Beach, FL and they are now opening their new location here in the Sanford/Lake Mary area. I am excited to see yet another restaurant open so close to my office – also gives us some more lunch options )

The official opening date of Silvestro’s has still not been released but for the curious ones, here is a link to their web site so you can find out what they’re all about.

It seems like this will be an elegant and quite upscale Italian restaurant. Clearly, the place will be some good competition for Terra Mia (also located at Park Place at Heathrow) and I can’t wait to try their food.

Will keep you posted!

Day 320 – Caddies Pub Heathrow Lake Mary FL Opening August 2009

Caddy's Pub Heathrow Lake Mary FL

On Day 239 I had already reported about the upcoming opening of Caddy’s Pub at Park Place at Heathrow in Lake Mary. Now, there is finally a sign on the building and I sneaked in today to ask the manager about the final opening date. He said it was still not a sure date but it was going to be either on August 17th or August 24th. When I looked it up on my agenda afterwards I realized that these days are both Mondays and was wondering if that could be right. Monday doesn’t seem to be the most appealing day to open a bar/restaurant but on the other hand, it makes you unique

So I can’t wait for it to open, there will finally be life in front of my office window again – and I can go for a refreshing drink after work and won’t even have to drive (it is literally 3 steps from my office…)

More about the concept and some inside pictures can be found on Day 239.

08/25/09 Update: Guess I was right about the opening dates. Monday, August 24th passed and Caddies Pub is not open yet… Could it be that they meant September 24th? Well, who knows. Whenever they are open I will be sure to post it here. Feel free to share info about the “mysterious” opening below ;o)

08/31/09 Update: A friend of mine stopped by to apply for a job at Caddies Pub and told me that it will open on September 8. Let’s see

Day 312 – Lake Mary versus Sanford FL

Lake Mary City of Lakes Sign

I’m often asked why I write so much about Lake Mary when this blog has its main theme established as a blog about Sanford. The answer is simple: Sanford and Lake Mary are basically “siblings”. They are so close that it is sometimes even hard to determine where one ends and the other starts. Especially in the area in Sanford where I live we are very close to Lake Mary. Just take a look at the map on the bottom to see where the official Zip Code lines divide Sanford and Lake Mary.

Zip Code Map of Sanford and Lake Mary

I personally give Sanford more importance, not only because I live here but also because it is the county’s seat and because it does have a lot more to offer than Lake Mary. However, Lake Mary has gotten a lot more media attention, especially when it was named the 4th best place to live in the US (by CNN Money Magazine in 2007). I think Sanford would have deserved a ranking here too, but oh well, those are all statistics and when it comes to life and lifestyle, everyone is different. Now I don’t want to offend Lake Mary fans in any way (after all, I work in Lake Mary and enjoy some of its nightlife on a regular basis), I am just trying to point out some of the points that make me choose Lake Mary’s older brother, Sanford, as the place to live in Central Florida:

Sanford FL has

• a beautiful historic district (yes, lake Mary has a little downtown area as well but compare those two and you’ll see what I mean)
• a beautiful lake and idyllic river that connects to the Atlantic ocean
• its own mall
• its own college (Seminole Community College)
• its own international airport
• its own hospital
• its own zoo
• the largest flea market in America
• newer homes for lower prices

When it comes to lifestyle, the proximity of these two cities makes life quite comparable: you’d visit the same stores, the same restaurants, bars and local attractions. With few exceptions, even many of the schools that kids visit are the same (whether they live in Sanford or Lake Mary). Real estate prices in Sanford are lower than in Lake Mary, and again, here you often only pay for the address. Of course, Sanford has also a lot of upscale areas. In fact, comparing average home prices of the West side of Sanford (West of I-4) with Lake Mary, West Sanford has a much higher average.

Despite all these arguments though, keep in mind that Sanford and Lake Mary are sometimes almost interchangeable. When I talk to customers I always refer to the Sanford/Lake Mary area. Maybe we should just hyphenate or merge the names? Any suggestions?