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It’s really not that hard.

Some of my favorite things to do while living in Lakeland:

1. Well, I like to shop, and I really like to shop for food. Try Strawberry Palace produce stand off South Florida Ave., Gourmet Country in Merchants Walk Plaza, the Lake Miriam Publix, or travel to Tampa for Wild Oats Markets.

2. Outdoors: The weather is FINALLY letting up, as our 8 month summer comes to an end. Step outside, you just might smell cinnamon in the air. Lake Hollingsworth- if you want to commit to the 3 miles. Stroll downtown- include Lake Mirror, Barnett Family Park, and Hollis Gardens in your walk. Lake Morton is looking a little better these days, and as a plus for parents, the children’s section of the Lakeland Public Library is slowly being put back together (yes, that’s indoors, but you can feed the birds at the lake when you get out!) Also, take a walk in your neighborhood- unless you live in the Combee area!- or try the boardwalk/nature trail at Peterson Park for some quiet time.

3. Great days in Lakeland wouldn’t be complete without goooood coffee. Starbucks coffee far outweighs the local coffee scene, sorry. It’s brewed darker, fresher, and just plain better. For specialty espresso drinks (for the java illiterate, that means lattes, caps, misto/ a lait’s, mochas, machiatto’s, etc.) stick with the wonderful siren logo as well; Starbucks just does a better job with consistency of recipes, temperatures, and quality of the espresso shot itself (blame that on the equipment). However, skip the frapps if you want a blender drink: Mitchell’s Coffee House has got some Frozen Mochas that really hit the spot. Made with powder mix of espresso and chocolate, the outcome is generally smoother, less syrupy sweet.

4. Pizza and other “joints”: Pizza Palace (downtown and off S. Fl) is great, and so is the pizza place in the new Lakeside Plaza next to the movies. YUM! Sandwhiches: try Purple Onion’s french dip or cuban, or Mitchell’s Coffee House lunches M-F from 11-2. Panera Bread is a decent choice for baked goods, sandwiches, etc - esp. the broccoli chedder soup. On weekend, enjoy 2 for $2 all beef Nathan’s hot dogs at the twisty treat/ Nathan’s place off S. Florida in downtown area. I wish I could refer you to nicer dinner choices but we are too poor for that. I recall Gosh (sushi bar), Cafe Panino, and Carabba’s being my favorite before my son came along!

5. After all your shopping for food, eating, drinking coffee, and then working it all off at the parks, remember to find a place to cuddle up with a good book. While Barnes n Nobles and Books A Million offer a large variety of books that you can take with you to your seat and never put back on the shelf, I like to find little nooks of reading space. Munn Park’s benches are nice, or the large steps surrounding Lake Mirror. Starbucks’ make good reading spots, so long as it isn’t their rush hour. I used to read on SEU’s campus but I don’t think alumni’s should sit around at their old schools.

6. Wines- I was told today by an unnamed employee at an unnamed chain wine store that their prices are too high and the quality ain’t that fabulous. He or she suggested I just go to Tim’s. Tim’s Wine Market is my favorite, and I don’t think its JUST because my brother-in-law works there, but more that he hasn’t brought me a wine I didn’t like. In comparison, the other unnamed place has given me four tastings and four purchases, and only once did I get a taste of something I liked, (and even then, the sales associate convinced me to buy something else, which I hated when I tried it at home and dumped it out.)

7. Art: I don’t get around to this much, and I really should. But a great day needs some art so here goes: Lakeland has a unique mix of artists, we are really quite rich in creativity. Just look at the pieces hanging on the walls of the downtown coffee shops. For some creative inspiration, Polk Art Museum is an obvious choice. Or make your own at one of the many pottery places, (my favorites are Pottery on the Park or Picasso’s Cup). The local colleges, even PCC, offers art events through out the year, and the annual Platform Florida is a fun event too.

8. Churches: A great day in Lakeland might, for me, include church in some factor, especially because faith plays a major role in my having a great day. Church and I have a love-hate relationship. I’ve tried many protestant churches in Lakeland and I’m just going to lay it out there: The bigger ones like Victory, Family Worship, and Without Walls turned me off by the hyper emotional mix of spiritual gifts and flaunting materialism. Some smaller baptist churches were just way too, how should I say it, ostrich with its head stuck in the sand? Bigger baptist church was great structurally, had much too offer (FBC at the Mall), but the quirky pastor with his wanna-be-mullet, constant smirk, and sermon’s made of nothing but acronym’s were too much. Others were extremely closed off, fake, or greedy, the unfortunate imperfection of churches and my own judgemental sin made it impossible for me to deal with. My family and I have been going to and getting involved in Trinity Presbyterian, because despite the whole predestination thing, the community is one of the most real, gutsy, loving, selfless, Jesus-focused I’ve ever been around. Also worth noting is Oasis Community Church- visited a few times and here of great things happening there.

9. Music: A great day needs great music. Whether you own an iPod or you can just listen in the car with the windows down, (or maybe you are one of the few people who keep the tv OFF and listen to music still- like, “what’s that in the corner over there, honey, a stereo? Gosh, I forgot all about THAT!”) My favorites go all over the spectrum, so I’ll limit to my recent music binges; Ella Fitzgerald- the swing stuff, not the ballads, John Williams and the Boston Pop Orchestra with their CD Joy to the World -hey, its as close as I got to the entire Home Alone soundtrack, Jimmy Needham- oh, so good, and as always, Nicole Nordeman. Diana Krall makes for some good times too.

10. Friends and family in Lakeland- though we fight all the time, and you all get super annoyed with me constantly (trust me, it works both ways!), a good day usually gets boring if I am going it alone! Hubby- in your good moods, you are truly the best friend a wife could have!; baby E-man- I’d take you any where and I never leave you with a sitter because YOU ARE SO MUCH FUN!; Nanny/canine woman- damn, why do we keep hanging out and leaving all other responsibilities behind- probably because we LIKE each other!; neighbors/relatives R and R; you guys are the best, you make me laugh, how R-female goes on and on, especially if she drank too much, and R-male loves to talk about anything and everything he thinks he is an expert on!; Kitchen Designer- when you are happy, every one knows it! You laugh loud and strong- its so good to hear. Keep ya head up!, and Mec- who probably never ever reads this because she is busy chasin around two little ones all day, you are the kind soul that I aspire to be!

That’s the ten ways I have a great day in Lakeland. How do you?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 at 12:52 am and is filed under Amigos, Coffee, Current Events, Lakeland-centric, Motherhood