it's one of my favorite places

It's a quaint street with a lot of character and I adore it. Years ago I came here with my family while I was in college and made up my mind to find work in one of the boutiques along the street. The very next day I was hired and one could find me enjoying my lunches on a park bench just across the street from the shop I worked in shortly after that.

I come back here every chance I can get to do so. I love hanging out in the park, lingering in the rose garden, walking along the street, going into the shops, and eating at the restaurants. It's a place where I can go and instantly feel content and happy. I like that. 

There's a train station on the other side of the park and it stood directly in front of the shop across the avenue and the park. The trains that pass through are both freight and passenger trains. When I worked here there would be some slow days. I'd end up standing outside the doors of the shop and when I heard the train whistle blow I'd wait in anticipation of the thundering locomotive to round the bend and I'd begin counting cars. I counted 88 cars on a freight train one day. 88! But my favorite would be when the passenger trains came through and stopped at the station. You'd see families and friends saying goodbye or greeting one another and it always made me happy to see people embrace one another for both reasons.

This is a favorite breakfast spot for friends and I. It's become a tradition and now I cannot go to Orlando without stopping in! The Briarpatch is a must on Park Ave!

Yesterday I got to sit here while my Mister was in a meeting nearby. It was the perfect afternoon. Perfect.

 

And this little lady came over for a visit.

If you ever find yourself in Winter Park, a treausre of a suburb in Orlando, you really ought to take the time to enjoy Park Avenue. You'll thank me for it. I promise.