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 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 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 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 339 – Sky 60 Orlando

Sky 60 Orlando FL

This weekend we went out to celebrate a friend’s b-day in Downtown Orlando. Our first stop was Sky 60, one of my favorite bars/clubs in Orlando. It is a rooftop bar with great music and “South Beach flair”. Nice outdoor couches and white cabana booths create a summer like trendy atmosphere. You will also have great views of the Orlando skyline (looking up) or Orange Avenue. Sky 60’s Saturday drink special is 2 for 1 drinks until 10pm so it is always a great spot to start the night in Orlando (of course only if it doesn’t rain)…

Here is their complete information:

Sky 60
54 N Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 246-1599

Opening Hours:
Monday – Friday: 5pm-2am
Saturday: 8pm-2am

Looking up from Sky 60 Orlando

Looking down from Sky 60

Jose and Claudia at Sky 60

Our next stop led us to Bar-BQ Bar and then over to Wall Street Plaza.

That night the weekly street party at Wall Street Plaza was featuring mechanic bull riding so Jose jumped on and tried his luck. He didn’t last very long, I think the bull threw him off after only 10 seconds. Not that I would have lasted any longer, but it was still very fun to look at ;o)

It was a fun summer night in O-town and I look forward to the next time. Hopefully it will still be warm because I enjoy going out so much more with tropical night time temperatures…

Mechanical bull riding at Wall Street Plaza

Day 336 – The Barn Sanford FL

The Barn Sanford FL

One of the most unique buildings on 17/92 in Sanford is without a doubt “The Barn” building (love the red color against the blue sky!). And if you like country music, this is the place to be in Sanford. Admittedly I have only been here once and since just never made the time to come back. Looking at their weekly schedule though it seems quite tempting to go and maybe take a little dance lesson. If you’d like to learn country line dancing etc. you should check out FREE FRIDAYS when The Barn offers all kinds of activities for free, including free Karaoke, free mechanical bull riding, free pool and darts, free admission and more!

The Barn in 2007

This picture was taken in July 2007. I thought it might add something to the post giving you a better idea of the inside look ;o)

Here is their info:

The Barn
1200 S French Ave
Sanford, FL 32771
(407) 302-4259

Day 297 – Sanford Wine Company and New Trivia Night

Sanford Wine Company

The Sanford Wine Company is one of the most popular bars in Sanford. It is located on Palmetto Avenue in the Historic downtown district of Sanford. This unique little bar is a great spot for a fun evening with friends. The list of available wines is long and special, the atmosphere casual yet trendy: industrial style with brick and strong accent colors, bar chairs and a very comfortable black leather couch inside and a romantic courtyard deck in the back.

At the Sanford Wine Company you can not only enjoy an exquisite selection of wine and beer from around the world (love their Belgian Raspberry beer!) but also buy wine (perfect gift) and get professional advice and answers about your wine related questions. On top of that the bar has a great weekly entertainment program, including live music on the weekends, open mic and various other events during the week. Their newest event is Wednesday’s Sanford Idol, a singing competition open to everyone. There is still another 4 more weeks left (grand finale is July 29th) to hurry out to enjoy some of Sanford’s finest singers!

The Sanford Wine Company is also available for private parties and can host events up to 2,500 people! Check out their web site for even more programs and services offered by this unique little wine bar.

Inside Sanford Wine Company

Then, starting on Thursday, August 20 at 8pm, the Trivia Tart will hold her popular Trivia Night at the Sanford Wine Company. Many of you have been to her Trivia Nights at the Black Swan (I had previously blogged about those fun events on Day 28) so please note the change of date and location! The Black Swan will still hold Trivia Nights however without the Trivia Tart! For more info about the Trivia Tart and her event schedule check out her web site here.

Here is their complete info:

Sanford Wine Company
114 South Palmetto Avenue
Sanford, FL 32771
Phone: 407-302-8620

Inside Sanford Wine Company

Day 296 – Little Fish Huge Pond Sanford FL

Little Fish Huge Pond

One of the most unique bars and nightlife spots in downtown Sanford is Little Fish Huge Pond, located on First Street in the Bishop Block building. The inside decoration and atmosphere is cozy (couches and sofas) and I felt like walking into one of my cool friends’ living room hangout (which I loved!). Obviously, the atmosphere is friendly and very laid back, another plus. I think this little bar is a great spot to meet up with friends for drinks, listen to some non-mainstream music and just be different. Little Fish Huge Pond also pays homage to the classics – they have a Classic Album Night (Tuesdays) and a Cult Movie Night (Wednesdays) where you can watch a free movie while enjoying the unique atmosphere (again, like a movie night at a friend’s house). On weekends Little Fish Huge Pond features different events (including House, Techno and Hip Hop music events with DJ), sometimes with cover charge.

The bar strikes me as creative and youthful and I will definitely be back for more (still can’t believe it took me so long to write about it here…). Be sure to check out their web site for more info about events.

Here is their info:

Little Fish Huge Pond
309 E. First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
Phone: (407) 321-2264

Closed on Mondays.

Inside Little Fish Huge Pond

Day 275 – Carlos’n Charlies Lake Mary Opening Party

Carlos'n Charlies Lake Mary

Yay! Carlos’n Charlies in Lake Mary (at Colonial Town Park) is finally open! Since Jose and I were assigned to help the manager find a home in Lake Mary/Sanford we met him early on and were invited to the grand opening VIP party (Friday June 19th)! The party was a great success – it started at 6pm for invited guests with free drinks (love their margaritas!) and opened for the public at 9pm. At that time people literally stormed the place – I think I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t wait for Carlos’n Charlies to open

We got to try some of their appetizers, lots of their drinks and experienced a great party night – this atmosphere is supposedly normal for any Carlos’n Charlies location but I heard their restaurants/bars in Cancun and Acapulco are the really wild ones – even though, there were several guests dancing on tables and chairs. The music was perfect: a mix of pretty much everything, all very up beat. Sing along classics, pop, Latin music and rock. So I am glad to announce: with Carlos’n Charlies, Lake Mary has a new party location – and pretty decent Mexican restaurant

Some quick facts:

• Carlos’n Charlies is not only open for dinner but also lunch with specials starting at $7.99.
• Happy Hour is every day from 3pm-7pm with $2 Margaritas and 50% off their wine.
• Thursday nights is FIESTA LATINA starting at 9pm with $2 Margaritas and $5 Mexican Appetizers.
• Vamonos Taqueria (also opening in Colonial Town Park soon) belongs to Carlos’n Charlies as well.

Here’s their complete information:

Carlos’n Charlies
951 MARKET PROMENADE AV
LAKE MARY, FL 32746
(407) 333 3482

Below is a little gallery of pictures taken during the opening party and a “snapshot” video.

Carlos’n Charlies Lake Mary

Day 255 – Fundraiser and Downtown Orlando after Magic Game

Jose and Pili at the Fundraiser

Today we attended a fundraiser organized for the brother of a friend who had been in a bad car accident last year. The event was held in downtown Orlando and a huge success. Over 100 people showed up and supported the cause. The theme was a spaghetti cook off which I thought was a very fun idea. Every guest got to vote for their favorite sauce and in the end the winning chef got awared a price.

After the event we went downtown to meet up with friends. It happened to be the night the Magic won their final game against the Cleveland Cavaliers so the atmosphere in downtown was phenomenal and the city as crowded as I have never seen it – even past 2am. Everyone was in such a good mood and there was lots of positive energy – the perfect night to go out and celebrate! So we did

We met at Casey’s on Central and then went to a place I hadn’t heard of before. It’s called the Back Booth and is located on Pine Street. This club uses an old photo booth as its theme. It has something very enticing to it and so, of course we took some fun pictures in the photo booth. I wonder how many pictures are taken in this booth every night… it must be many!

Back Booth is apparently also known to be a great venue for live music and has been in downtown Orlando for 6 years now. Well, I guess it was about time I got to know it too! The music played was very comparable to what you would hear at Independent Bar on Orange Ave (so I liked it!). Best of all – no cover charge!

Here is more info about Back Booth Orlando

37 W Pine St
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 999-2570

Below are some pictures of this fun night…

Jose and Pili at the Fundraiser