Cabot Lodge Tallahassee

All sizes in this Bible Belt town

by pchamlis

Tallahassee and north Florida is situated right in what many would call "the bible belt". A great majority of the Tallahassee population would consider themselves to be members and regular church and worship attendees. This group does not include yours truly, but I have nothing against my church-attending brethren in town.

There are all types and sizes of churches available in town, and most are more than happy to welcome visitors. In my humble opinion, the smaller country churches have a lot more of what would bring one "peace", so to speak. But, don't let that stop you from going to one of our "mega Churches" in town.

Tallahassee has recently seen several of these "monster churches" sprouting, places where congregations and service attendances routinely top one thousand. Some of these churches are actually part of shopping malls, and quite honestly they seem to have the feel and ambience of a JC Penney's store. (Please see the attached photos to see what I mean)

If you're really into church and want to visit a service on Sunday when you're in Tallahassee, why not come out to either Indian Springs Baptist or Miccosukee Methodist church out near my house? Then, you could swing by for some "Miccosukee Iced Tea" during a Sunday afternoon VT meet?

Tallahassee City Parks, home to small wonders

by pchamlis

It's always relaxing to visit one of Tallahassee's many city parks. All have areas that can be considered heavily grown, and are home to numerous small animals, as well as lovely foliage and plants.

Springtime is an especially great time to stop and smell the roses.....not to mention a good opportunity to enjoy a few lovely butterflies!

Another good food + free WiFi place

by pchamlis about The Uptown Cafe (Midtown)

The Uptown Cafe (Midtown) is an offshoot of an establishment that sprang to life downtown many years ago. The midtown shop is right across from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, right at the intersection of Magnolia and Miccosukee Roads.

It's a sandwich. coffee and salad place with a pleasing array of shop specialities designed to keep their legion of regular customers happy. This IS truly a local place...very few visitors find their way to the Uptown Midtown...except for the unfortunate folks from out of town who have friends on relatives in the hospital.

For me, Uptown Midtown is another place in Tallahassee where I can get morning coffee, maybe a muffin or maybe even a breakfast sandwich...all while using my laptop and the Uptown Midtown's free WiFi service. Most of the time, I'll use Bagel Bagel (separate tip). However, Uptown Midtown's proximity to the hospital, where my wife still works, AND it's even closer proximity (same building!) as my regular barbershop (Magnolia Barbershop, ask for Brenda, the owner) makes Uptown Midtown an occasional "just what the doctor ordered" for me. :) Among their better items are...

"Fred's Chili"
"Fred's Tuna" served on a white roll, extra onions, feta cheese and banana peppers.
(in case you haven't guessed, Fred is the owner)

For my vegetarian pals, there's the Veggie Flash sandwich,
layers of shredded carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, black olives, onions,
cheddar cheese, tomatoes, provolone cheese, swiss cheese, lettuce, sprouts,
mayo, mustard and italian dressing. Mighty good even without meat. :)

They have a very nice homemade hummus as well.

One of my other favorite sandwiches (I used to eat lunch here sometimes during my hospital career) is "Sue's Tailgate". It features turkey on pumperknickle-rye swirl bread with garlic dill mayonnaise, spinach, tomatoes, provolone cheese and balsamic vinegar.

NOTE...always check to see what the daily special is... it's usually something creative and a rarity on the menu. The Uptown Midtown specials aren't just something they always have for a bargain price...it's usually something different.

Walk around historic downtown Tallahassee

by pchamlis

Over the last twenty years, the city of Tallahassee has slowly and magnificently restored many of her older buildings to their late 19th-early 20th century glory. The style of architecture most common is shared with many other cities of the old South, and in some places, it's a look that has long vanished. Atlanta actually used to look a lot like downtown Tallahassee, way before they dynamited everything and built gleaming steel and glass skyscrapers.

Tallahassee, being more gentle and laid-back, treasures her past. And, these are not JUST historic buildings. For the most part, they again serve the community, usually as office space for entities doing business with the City of Tallahassee and state of Florida... lots of lawyers and lobbyists.

NOTE... THE ACCOMPANYING PHOTO WAS TAKEN DURING THE 2004 SPRINGTIME FESTIVAL. IT'S NOT USUAL ::THIS:: CROWDED IN DOWNTOWN TALLAHASSEE. On that particular day, traffic had been closed off and the entire historic center of Tallahassee was a pedestrian zone.

Where SPRINGTIME begins...Tallahassee

by pchamlis

"The glory of a Tallahassee Spring"

Each year, usually in early April, the city of Tallahassee, Florida holds its annual "Springtime Tallahassee" festival. It's a time of arts, crafts, parades, great food, friendship, and hopefully great weather.

Although we need the cooperation of mother nature, Tallahassee is capable of putting on a lovely springtime the likes are which are seen in few other places.

"Live Oaks, not Palm Trees"

Although it is the capital of the sunshine state, Tallahassee couldn't be more different from your typical Florida city, such as Orlando, Tampa or Miami. Tallahassee has a few palm trees around, but it's really more about hills, grass and millions of live oaks and spanish moss.

The older neighborhoods of Tallahassee engender this great natural beauty, as well as the history of the "old south" in its architecture and laid-back spirit.

"Out in the boonies....not very far away"

Tallahassee is the only major city in the north central part of Florida. Jacksonville is 170 miles to the east, and Pensacola is 240 miles to the west.

Only a few miles outside town, you can find many types of true wildnerness, including some very beautiful forests and watery terrain.