Hidden Gems (Part 1)

Pat had the great idea of showcasing tiny local businesses that are either off the beaten path or hiding in plain sight. I love it! This little cafe, Kawa Coffee, can be found in the Audubon Shopping Center at Union and Van Buren, toward the back of the breezeway between the two buildings. It's definitely not visible from the street, but it looks inviting and I can't wait for a chance to check it out.

Sunday Style!

Every now and then I feature a car for Sunday Style. I think this one definitely deserves the honor! I spied it on Union Boulevard a few nights ago. At first I thought it was a custom paint job, but Pat pointed it out that it's probably just a skin. Either way, I think it's lovely and happy and uplifting, just what we all need right now!

Coronavirus Testing in Colorado Springs

This Covid-19 testing site is located on Parkside Drive, a block or so south of Union Boulevard at Memorial Park. You will need a doctor's order in order to get tested.

Be Safe and Wash Your Hands!

This nutritional supplements vendor on Cache and Union has a very topical mural!

A Bad Accident

I was on a coffee run the other day (Starbucks stores are still open, for limited drive-through hours), and happened to catch this accident at Union and Boulder right after it happened. As you can see, the black SUV is on its side. That must have been scary! I hope no one was injured. I saw on the news the other night that people have been driving faster and more recklessly lately because there are fewer cars on the road. Be careful out there, people!

Another one that you can see from outer space

This house on Union Boulevard just north of Constitution is a perennial hit locally. Every year they manage to cram more Christmas stuff in their yard. At this point you can barely even see the house anymore. It's hilarious! Great Christmas spirit!

I found a Filipino food truck in Colorado Springs!

Pat and I were driving on Union the other day when this caught my eye. I couldn't believe it! A Filipino food truck! I commanded Pat to follow it until I could get a picture. As you may already know, I'm half Filipino and spent most of my childhood there (though I was born in the U.S.). I love Filipino food, and my mom is the best cook in the universe. There's at least one Filipino food truck in Denver, called A Taste of the Philippines, and I always wished we had one here in Colorado Springs. It looks like my wish has come true! FYI we do have at least one Filipino restaurant -- they come and go, but the You-Ka Café has been around for a while now and I love it. But a food truck! That's awesome news! Now I just need to figure out how to find it on a regular basis. I will update this post if I can find a website or Facebook page.

Edit: I did find a Facebook page for it, sort of: "Taste of Filipino Food". It looks more like a Facebook group than a "fan page" (you know, a page that you can "like" or follow). It turns out my cousin is already in the group. I added my name too. Hooray for homemade Filipino cooking!

1973 called and they want their van back...

We saw this groooooovy van the other day on Union Boulevard. I love it! Straight out of 1973! The Partridge Family would surely be jealous.

And now, for your listening entertainment...

Sunday Style!

A ha! This is the photo I was searching for last weekend, that sent me down the rabbit hole of my archives file! I hope you've enjoyed all the "salon des refusés" images I've been posting over the past seven days, and it was all because I couldn't find this photo, which I took on May 19th of last year. (As it turns out, it wasn't in my archives file at all, which explains why I was having such a tough time locating it.) I snapped this guy on the UCCS campus, and while he certainly looks cool (those shoes!), what I like best about him is that his jeans fit. I don't mean that they're fitted, I mean they fit. Yes they're obviously designed to be narrow, and he's tall and slim so they look good on him, but my point is this: look how exactly perfect the length is. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people wear trousers or jeans that sag over their shoes. All that extra fabric looks sloppy and makes your legs look short, and I especially hate when hems drag on the ground and get torn and dirty. Getting your jeans adjusted to the right length is a minor expense and it makes you look considerably better!

If you're one of my local readers and you need to get some alterations done, I highly recommend Alterations by Sylvia, on the southwest corner of Academy and Union next to the aquarium store. She does a professional job, she's fast, and her prices are very reasonable.

The Little Market is back!

Shooks Run residents and downtowners have something to celebrate: the Little Market is back! I blogged about the Little Market two years ago, because it had closed its doors forever and a couple of my friends were trying to open a restaurant/bar in the vacant building. That idea never came to fruition, but I'm happy to report that a handful of local investors have stepped up and reopened the place! It's now called the Willamette Market and Deli, and it's described as an "organic, regional, sustainable, community focused market and hotdog deli." I love it.

This is great news for that neighborhood. The Little Market first opened its doors in 1902, and it had always been there, through multiple changes of ownership over the years, until 2013, when the last proprietors finally gave up in the face of WalMart's new "market" on Union just north of Palmer Park Blvd. This is a sad but familiar story of large corporations putting mom and pop shops out of business. I'm confident that the new incarnation of this place will hold its own quite well against the behemoth though, with its focus on organic, healthy and locally sourced food and products. Not just a convenience store, but a food boutique. Fantastic! The Willamette Market and Deli is already open, so I will go and check it out as soon as possible (possibly today!), but the official Grand Opening is on Saturday, October 29th. You should go!

The Union Printers Home

If you live here, you've probably driven past this enormous, castle-like building and its gracious grounds more than once and wondered what it was all about. Situated on the southeast corner of Union Boulevard and Pikes Peak Avenue, the Union Printers Home is, as you've probably assumed, historically significant. Built in 1891 at a cost of around $71,000 (!!!) and opened in 1892, it served for generations as the convalescent/retirement home for members of the International Typographical Union -- that is, the guys who printed newspapers, magazines, periodicals and books. It must have been a dangerous job. Just think about all the heavy machinery and toxic chemicals they were exposed to constantly, as well as the noise! The union was officially formed in 1852, and in the ensuing years made great progress in securing better working conditions for its members, including an eight hour work day, something we all take for granted now. Even so, workers in the printing trade were prone to tuberculosis (and who knows how many other ailments and injuries), which is why the Union Printers Home was built here. Colorado Springs and tuberculosis go hand in hand! [Read THIS post if you're curious to know about our city's tuberculosis-treating history.]

Just to the south of the original 1891 edifice you'll find a couple of cool Mid-Century Modern office buildings. They were built to house the union's headquarters, which relocated from Indianapolis to Colorado Springs in 1961. At the end of 1986 the ITU merged with the Communication Workers of America, and since then the 1960s-era buildings have been home to various medical offices, county services and other uses.

The beautiful old Printers Home is still an assisted living healthcare facility to this day, and it's open to the public. In fact, one of my friends works there. I called their offices yesterday in researching this blog post, and though no one there was able to help me, I did learn that they have a museum! I live only a couple of blocks away and I cannot resist a museum, so of course I will be checking that out as soon as I am able. I took these photos on August 5th. As you can see, the Union Printers Home is just as beautiful as it has always been. If you're interested in knowing more, visit their website HERE.

This cupola may look a little familiar to you because it's very similar to the El Paso Club's cupola, downtown. The ornate weather vane reads "1891," the year the Union Printers Home was built.

"We brake for nobody!"

Forgive the bad photo, it was one of those quickie through-a-dirty-windshield shots! When I saw this school bus yesterday on Union Boulevard, I was puzzled. What kind of school bus doesn't brake for at least children? Then I noticed the SPACEBALLS, THE BUS near the roof, and as I drove past I saw a logo on the driver's door for Tuffley and Sons. I had to commit that to memory until I had time to sit down and do this blog post. I found them HERE. It turns out that Tuffley and Sons is a mobile mechanic service. Mobile mechanic with a sense of humor!

The inevitable

Yesterday I left the house around 4:15 to run to the garden center. This photo was taken as I waited at a red light, facing directly north. As you can see, it was nice and sunny where I happened to be, but a huge storm front was bearing down! By the time I got to my destination, about a 10 or 15 minute drive, it was raining. By the time I paid for my purchase and got back into my car to drive home, it was POURING. The rain was so heavy, my windshield wipers couldn't keep up! Thirty minutes later the sun was shining, as if nothing had happened. Typical!

Mmmmm, doughnuts

You just can't have too many drive-thru doughnut shops in a city. For the last many years we've only had one measly Dunkin' Donuts in town. We had a Krispy Kreme for a while, a few years ago, but for some reason it abruptly closed its doors after just a few months in business (which I thought was odd, because they always had a queue, day or night). It was a very sad state of affairs indeed, until I discovered this brand new Dunkin' Donuts last week on Austin Bluffs Parkway, east of Union and west of Academy. Huzzah! I know it's silly to get excited about a doughnut shop, but I looooooooooove doughnuts! Don't you? What's your favorite flavor?

I've heard tales of a locally owned doughnut shop called Amy's -- in fact, my brother has been nagging me to check it out for some time now. He says it's positively legendary. Sigh. I guess I'll have to FORCE myself to go and sample their wares sometime soon. The things I do for my blog! ;^) 

Let the madness begin

Well, we survived Black Friday. Actually I stayed home that day, since the thought of battling it out with thousands of other shoppers does not appeal to me in the least! I do have friends who go crazy for Black Friday and spend weeks planning their assault. Yikes!

The problem with a national shopping day, I think, is that it never occurs to people to go anywhere but the big box stores. Did you know that yesterday was Small Business Saturday? I own a small business, and I strongly believe in spending your money locally. Pat and I decided this year to buy as many gifts as we can from local businesses rather than huge corporations. So on my blog for the next few weeks, periodically I'll be sharing local shopping ideas with you. Think outside the big box store! I'll start with one of my favorite antique stores, Repeat Performance (829 N. Union Blvd., 719-633-1325). I have been shopping there since about 1983 or '84. Seriously, my addiction to vintage clothes, jewelry and accessories was born at Repeat Performance, way back in college. They don't just have the best vintage clothes in town, they have tons of amazing vintage kitchenware, furniture and tchotchkes. It'll make your head spin. The above photo only shows about a zillionth of what is actually packed into that small pink building. I love it. No matter what you end up buying there, it'll be 100% unique!

Not for the faint of heart!

How would you like to have this man's job? Park your cherry picker in the middle of a very busy intersection (Union and Platte), in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, and install a new traffic signal? As for me, I'm glad my job involves none of the above!