Return to the Scene of the Crime: The Lurkyloos’ First Anniversary at WDW! New VIDEO!

[lurkyloo]

Whenever we go to a new place, we always want to see the old/historic/original part of town. Apparently, this doesn’t really exist in Orlando – I guess the entire city was delivered in a giant ACME Co. box in 1971...? So we asked to see Winter Park, the hip, college-town part of town.

Along the way, Nathan & Jensey showed us some of their favorite places for photo shoots, along with a few of the 17,348 wedding sites they considered before deciding to elope (about the only place they didn’t consider was the alley behind Gooding’s, and that’s only cuz it was already booked).


First Stop: Maitland Art Center

This place is very cool. It was the site of an art colony founded in 1938 and has a Frank Lloyd Wright kind of feel.

And here’s how Nathan & Jensey see the Maitland Art Center....

Our next stop was the Kraft Azalea Garden, a five-acre park on the shore of Lake Maitland that doubles as a rest stop for incontinent birds. The parking lot is under a row of trees filled with birds who use cars and people for target practice. Apparently it is nearly impossible to visit without getting pooped on.

Oh yes, they’re up there... just watching... and waiting...

Well that day, folks, we did the impossible. WE DIDN’T GET POOPED ON!!!

The car was not so lucky...

This place was gorgeous, and we were fortunate enough to be there when the azaleas were blooming. There’s even a, uh, colonnade where they hold small weddings.

DH seemed to discover his inner hobby photographer here – he was fascinated by the almost prehistoric-looking edge of the lake. Which is why you’re about to see 85 bazillion photos of it:

 

[lurkyloo]

Unfortunately, I completely forgot to holler “Hey, get a shot of those pretty flowers!” so we have no pictures of the azaleas at Kraft Azalea Gardens!

And, from the Nathan & Jensey Cam:

Some random bride and groom jumped out of the bushes and posed for this picture!

At this point, the birds were beginning to circle ominously, so we dashed to the car, dodging a hail of doots, and burned rubber outta there.

Next on our tour was Casa Feliz, a 1932 Spanish-style farmhouse that was saved from demolition in 2000, moved across the street to a lot overlooking a golf course, and completely restored. I love to hear stories like that – I wish they would happen more often where we live. Now Casa Feliz is a popular spot for weddings and private events (demolition-happy leaders of L.A., take note).

Unfortunately, there was a wedding going on when we got there, and I was the only one who wanted to crash it, so we didn’t get a look inside. Fortunately, Nathan & Jensey have already been inside:

On the way to Casa Feliz we spotted these old gates and, hoping that the overgrown driveway lead to a spooky old haunted mansion, we asked our hosts if we could run back and explore.

It turned out to be an empty lot, but it also turned out to be my favorite part of our day! Nathan and DH lagged behind, playing with the camera, while Jensey and I walked down the dirt path toward the lake talking about just stuff. DH and I are not used to getting the chance to really connect with other people on our Disney trips – usually we're all about go-go-going and do-do-doing (with an emphasis on the do-do... Ba-da-bump!), but on this trip we had a lot of great opportunities like this to meet friends new and not-so-new.

Nathan let DH use his camera scared and showed him some tricks. Here are some of the cool pictures DH took (which Jensey kindly prepared for us in Photoshop). Forgive me if I post multiple versions of the same shot – I’m just so proud of him!

The next place we saw was [snicker] Hooker Hall [giggle, titter] at Rollins College, home of the Chi Psi fraternity, which, according to the website, is a “distinguishable group of men that strive for a common goal of excellence.” I wonder what makes them “distinguishable”.... Maybe the guys all wear T-shirts that say “Hooker”?



Hooker Hall

When in Rome...

View from a parking lot near Hooker Hall

Some other place near Hooker Hall

Hooker hooker hooker HOOKER! ... Oh wait – I think this is a church...

Um, yeah. It’s a church.

We took a pass by Knowles Chapel, also on the Rollins College campus and site of numerous gorgeously shot Root weddings.

 

[lurkyloo]

There was actually a wedding party out front that day, but none of us were quick enough on the draw with our cameras to capture it. However, I think I can safely say that this photo captures how the bride and groom were feeling:

It was getting on to be dinner time, so Nathan & Jensey took us to Urban Flats for Orlando’s Official Civic Dish, flatbread.

This place had also been recommended to us by a Wilderness Lodge lifeguard on the College Program, so now you know it’s hip! At first we had trouble adjusting to eating in the real world: no free anniversary dessert, no Disney Dining Experience discount... but hey - no sticker shock when the bill comes either.

However, we couldn’t resist making fools of ourselves by taking pix of our food as hipster college kids, including, I am sure, every single resident of Hooker Hall, paused from texting each other to watch in disgust....

The Standby: Urban sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese

Prosciutto & Fig: Freshly made fig jam, prosciutto, and blue cheese topped with mozzarella and garnished with chives

Steak, Cheese & Bacon Flatbread

Um... Salad Flatbread...? I think it was the CHICKEN CAESAR: BBQ chicken, caesar dressed romaine lettuce, and parmesan cheese garnish

After dinner we went to the cute downtown area of Winter Park to get ice cream. DH had the camera again.

This photo isn’t blurry – it’s ARTY!

While we were strolling, I learned that Jensey’s wedding dress is the very first wedding dress I ever fell in love with – and that she hasn’t had a chance to wear it yet! I smell a vow renewal!

When we got to the ice cream place, it was closed – booohoohoohoooo!

Fortunately, somebody remembered that Nathan & Jensey live right around the corner from Kilwin’s Ice Cream & Fudge...ery in Celebration. Hooray!!!

On the way, I asked if we could stop at Publix and get some cake (NO, not because I couldn’t make it to Kilwin’s without a sugar fix!). I’d heard so much on the DIS Cake Porn thread about how great Publix cakes are, that I wanted to get some to try later. (The Verdict: Well, they’re better than Ralph’s/Kroger cakes and prolly more my speed than Disney’s cakes just because Publix puts actual frosting between the layers, not bland mousse. But it wasn’t, like, the BEST cake I’d ever had....).

They were inexplicably out of mini cakes, but it’s probably for the best (considering all the cake that was headed our way 3 days later). I decided to try a slice of vanilla with chocolate frosting and vanilla with vanilla frosting.

I hadda steal this pic from the Internets cuz I couldn’t juggle two boxes of cake and a camera simultaneously

Meanwhile, Nathan discovered an adorable pair of New Yorkers canoodling on Aisle 5...

Aw, man - you mean to tell me I could have bought my wedding jewelry at Publix instead of jury-rigging those chandelier crystals?

Cake in hand, we were off to ice cream! Even better, we decided to park at the Roots’ and take Huck out for a walk. I think that must be one of the nicest parts of living in downtown Celebration, being able to walk everywhere. Of course you have to watch your step cuz thar’s gators at every turn.

The town is also really pretty at night!

Kilwin’s featured prominently in our honeymoon, so it was fun to go back. They sell homemade ice cream and fudge – what could be bad? We walked in, and there were our pals Lacey & Eric sittin’ on the floor!

So.... what’re you guys doin’ down there...?

OK, not really – I just wanted to show you what Kilwin’s looks like! But we did end up running into them so many times on our trip that it’s highly probable they were there moments before us.

I’m sorry, I don’t remember what anybody had except me....

Chocolate Caramel Cashew with Cookies & Cream and DH's fruit-filled abomination.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

that is the marshes of Florida
next time, come to Palm Beach!! We have history out the ying-yang
(and cute, neurotic puppys too!)

 

[lurkyloo]

We took our treats back to the Roots’ house and ate them (the treats, not the Roots - although you know Damien/Azriel “Overlord of the Underworld”/Steve was thinking about it...) in front of the Pixar shorts DVD on their ginormous new TV, which beats ours by 2 inches, dagnabbit!!! And then we got to see their amazing photos of Disneyland Paris, and then DH got to participate in an exciting new photographic art form!

The photographer sets the camera to manual mode and sets the flash to high-speed sync, overexposed by a stop and bounced off the white ceiling (yes, I’m cribbing from Nathan, no I have no idea what I just typed). Then the subject moves REALLY fast and the resulting photos freeze tiny slices of the action into highly unflattering portraits, which is why I abstained from this exciting new photographic art form.

Of course, nothing can make Huck look bad!

...And then there’s Damien/Azriel “Overlord of the Underworld”/Steve ...

Behind the Scenes Footage:

Eventually, after wearing a hole in our welcome big enough to drive a Mack truck through, we piled into Clementine and puttered back to Walt Disney World and the Beach Club to fall asleep in a pile of pixie dust.

You’d be so nice to come home to...

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

BLASPHEMY!!!!! Publix cakes are the very best combination of suger, butter and milk

 

[lurkyloo]

that is the marshes of Florida
next time, come to Palm Beach!! We have history out the ying-yang

I hear that can be quite painful...

Thanks for the cute doggie pic!

 

[lurkyloo]

BLASPHEMY!!!!! Publix cakes are the very best combination of suger, butter and milk

GULP! I liked them! I liked them! But.... have you ever had a SusieCakes cake....?

http://www.susiecakesla.com/SpecialtyLayerCakes.html

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Awesome update! Loved the tour photos. Interesting to see that there is a world outside the golden gates of paradise.

 

[MomPlanner22]

Carrie, great report as always. I really enjoy reading your posts but mostly I'm a lurker!

You should ask Nathan & Jensey is they have ever taken pictures in Casadega. It is northeast of Orlando about 40 minutes away. I can't imagine the beautiful pictures they would have of it!

Thanks for sharing your vacation with us. I can't wait to read more!

 

[twiu]

Awesome job Carrie!!! Nice updates. I felt like I was back at work! I work about 5 minutes from Rollins and have frequent lunches at Urban Flats! You could have come to visit my office and taken gorgeous pics of my desk... glad you were able to get out from the "Disneyfied" Orlando and go into the heart of Otown, although they did show you the nicer places. Next time you're in town, you'll have to go downtown. And um.. there are some "older" parts of town. Okay, not really but kinda sorta. Okay, I'm going to shut up now.

Keep typing Carrie!!!

 

[LouDisney]

Great update, Carrie. Beautiful pics.
The Maitland Art Center, is absolutely gorgeous!!

 

[A-T-G]

Those pictures of Patrick are cra-mazing! (Crazy & Amazing). Loved 'em! And all the cheese goodness, followed by cake & icecream, made this update a BIG challenge for me!

 

[lazydoxy66]

Your BCV room is so nice. I didn't notice any dumpsters in the balcony shots.

6 shirts for $9.95. Wow Ma, we could get one fur everyone on the block.
The pictures of the museum and gardens are gorgeous. I'm glad to see that you can have fun outside of WDW.

Huck and your hubster are adorable!

 

[Beka]

Speaking of cake, for my baby shower, my BFF got me a peanut butter & chocolate cake. Oh. My. Gawd. I'm *still* craving that stupid thing.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I don't want to step all over Carrie's report (which I seem to be doing anyway) but I will say..chocolate cake with PB mousse..is great for breakfast...

but that is all I have to say about that for now!! hahaha

 

[Kimberly815]

GULP! I liked them! I liked them! But.... have you ever had a SusieCakes cake....?

http://www.susiecakesla.com/SpecialtyLayerCakes.html

Those look Heavenly! I wish I wasn't in MA! (Hmmm. . . darn it all. . . now I need cake. . . I wonder where can I stop on my way home from work to find some kind of decent cake!)

 

[tiggersam00]

Ok totally on baord for this one! It took me a while to read it this mornign but it rocks! Your sense of humor is fabulous Carrie! I saw a special on the travel channel with Samantha Brown where she went to Winter park. She visited a shoe store where they give you a pedicure with your purchase!!

You all look like yuo had so much fun on your trip! Did you steal Huck and bring him back to CA with you?? Too freaking cute!

 

[brookelizabeth]

OK!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you have a wedding pic WITH the Kodak Picture Spot. Your sense of humor is awesome!!

Your day with the Roots looks like a really wonderful day with some great friends. I enjoyed all the photography, Orlando has some really beautiful places, who knew?! The ones of your DH and trying the new art form are priceless. I might have to try that technique out...I'd make DH be my subject though!

 

[irisbud]

Huck is adorable. The menu for those cakes is making me super hungry for cake. My friend lives right outside of LA, I'll have to ask her if she has ever had one.

Have you thought about writing a novel (I know you did the passporter!)? You really are an awesome writer. I'm a voracious reader, and I truly enjoy your writing as much or more than most books I have read. It's really well done.

Can't wait to read more!