A Walk Around Artlando 2015 in Orlando

While on Facebook the other day I noticed an event for something called "Artlando" down at Loch Haven Park here in Orlando. I am a sucker for an art festival, or really any outdoor festival, so I had to go. I sent a message to my friend, who I actually met while living in Japan. She's the reason I moved to Hokkaido, convincing me to take her spot in Atsuma when my company wanted to move me there. I guess you could call her my "senpai".

Anyway, she agreed to go and I was very excited as it has been maybe three and a half years since I last saw her! We had a great time and it was fun to walk around and look at a bunch of local artists. There seemed to be a lot going on and I think in the years to come it will grow to be a wonderful art festival.

I ended up buying myself two piece of art. The above and below images are of the two pieces. The top is a fairy house that Fairy Found had made! It was apparently their first time out at an art festival and their booth was packed of people! Their pieces were also really well priced, the largest being about $45. I'll add a few more pieces of her work further on. 

The second piece I bought is this sketch of a badger. I thought the colors were great and well, I am a Hufflepuff so my nerdy Harry Potter lover has to have this $5 print. It was made by Chelsea Smith!

My favorite art that was there was by NIX Abstract. The pieces were just so vibrant and the texture was great. Definitely going to look into buying one of his pieces when I have my own place.

Probably the most adorable art was by RobotsAreAwesome! The handmade and hand painted sculptures are just too adorable. That cake topper is fantastic and I think that the paint it yourself robot is super reasonably priced!

Another one of my favorites were these chickens by Tropical Zombies! I just love their colors and all of his work was vey "Florida" to me. Island inspired and witty. The artist himself was also really friendly and happy to talk to you.

There was quite a bit of jewelry on display, but the pieces by Jortra Boutique were easily my favorites. All made from organic pieces. The bracelets there have pieces of orange peel that were dyed! For $25 they are some of the more affordable handmade jewelry pieces you can find. They also have necklaces made of cantaloupe seeds and coffee beans!

Here's some other pieces by Fairy Found. They are all hand made using stones and various items. The seasonal pumpkin pieces were adorable and perfect for halloween and the larger pieces would be great for a patio stuck between potted plants! I have my little fairy house sitting on my nightstand.

There were also artists that you could see painting actual pieces, like this one by Peterson J Guerrier! Completely love his style and brushwork. Also in the corner you can see an "Artlando" board with stickers on it. You could vote for your favorite artists and at the end, they awarded a winner!

It was a great day out and I think that if I am around next year I will join up as well! They also had a huge grouping of food trucks and it was right by the Science Center so you could pop into some air conditioning to escape the hot heat of Florida in September!

My First Two Weeks of Food in America

Tomorrow marks two weeks since I got back in America after living overseas for four years. It has definitely been an adjustment being back in America, especially since I now have access to all of the foods that I longed for on a regular basis back in Japan. In my first week in Japan I ate a piece of pizza all but one of the days. Though already there are foods I miss from my second-home-Country and I've made a trip down to one of the Asian markets in town to get some goodies.

Before I left Japan I told my parents that I wanted a Papa John's pizza waiting for me. Papa Johns isn't even my favorite delivery pizza I just hadn't had it in years and had a craving. The sausage is unbeatable in my opinion and I ate on that large pizza (and some of the meat lovers my parents got for themselves) nearly every day for the next week. Also their cheesy bread was fantastic.

For my second night back we headed out to a newly opened local sports restaurant called Friendly Confines. It was a sort of overwhelming experience for me (and prompted this entry) , and the wait staff was less than stellar. The restaurant seems to be going for a young college vibe, but has really just ended up hiring a bunch of cute young girls who appear to lack the proper training. The burger was very "meh" as well. Nothing special. Unlikely to go back.

After a few days of home cooked meals we had plans to meet up with family friends at this Italian restaurant over near Disney and Universal Studios, Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. The pizza claims to be "well-done" but it is really about 30 seconds from being burned beyond eatability. 

The toppings themselves were great, and if you got a less blackened slice it tasted great! We also ordered some side dishes and they were completely phenomenal! The meatballs were some of the best I have ever had and the marinara sauce was fantastic. The big dollop of ricotta was a perfect compliment. Not to mention it just looked beautiful.

We also ordered their chicken wings, which were a great light herby taste and perfect after being cooked in the coal oven. Their beer list is also great, featuring a nice variety of craft brews that I am still trying to wrap my head around after years of the one-note Japanese lagers.

The following day I made my way out to Chipotle for the first time. With my new eating habits I was able to enjoy something other than their tacos, and I can now say that I really do understand the love the place gets. I always enjoyed my barebones chicken tacos back in college, but getting a bowl loaded down with everything is even better.

Orlando has a few Asian markets. There is a rather large Vietnamese population due to the Air Force base that was here prior to Disney World. I drove way out down Colonial Dr. to visit the Eastside Asian Market. It had a nice selection of snacks and even a few surprising finds. Now I have what I need to make a few of my favorite Japanese dishes. They were also cheaper than I expected them to be!

Yesterday I met Suzy of The Kawaii Planet for brunch over at Dexter's. I actually met her years ago when she was dating a good friend of mine who lives in Sapporo! It's such a small world that she is now living in Orlando, my hometown, when she herself is from the Czech Republic! My uncle actually had his art on display at Dexter's years back so it was nice to return to the small, busy restaurant. Even though it was busy we didn't have to wait long for a table, and the food was amazing. My eggs Benedict were to die for, and Suzy's salad was beautiful.

That about sums up my first couple of weeks of American food! There are still so many things I want to eat and I am discovering things I didn't even know I missed on an almost daily basis! Hope you all have a wonderful day and I'll catch you next time!