Triple Layered Threat

Last weekend Justin and I met up with some friends at Three Layers A Coffeehouse, the new hotspot coffee shop/wine bar/delicious eatery in the heart of Springfield.

I was skeptical of the location after having looked it up on Google Maps. It was located on Walnut Street, nestled back into the neighborhoods of former glory and current "renovation". Springfield is an amazing neighborhood. I remember spending many days and nights there at the ripe age of 19 when my friend Rachel lived at the corner of 9th and Main. I frequented Henrietta's and TSI [now the Pearl]. And probably even ate some of the Kentucky Fried Chicken within walking distance of my friend's front door.

But Three Layers seems straight out of San Francisco's Mission, or a bustling neighborhood of Brooklyn, or the culture of Seattle, as the coffeehouse proclaims. It's smart. It's unique. It's artistic. It's inviting. It's warm. It's eclectic. It's the kind of hip, authentic place, with real attitude and real wherewithal that you expect to find in a city. And not that Jacksonville isn't a real city, but it's a little bit of a sleeper town. And it's places like Three Layers that are shaking it awake.

Zen Garden at Three Layers.

The wine selection was expansive and surprising. The beer selection was rustic and bold, and even had a number of our very own Bold City brews on tap. Justin and I sampled the hummus platter and the chicken salad platter. Both were delicious, yet delicate in their approach. The kind of thing you come to expect from a coffeehouse. And I hear they offer some delectable sweets.

All around, the entire experience was delicious, yet delicate. The decor was comfortable with an old world touch, but surrounded by contemporary modern art, many from Jacksonville's local artists [like Overstreet Ducasse, whose vibrant, urban, thought provoking pieces have been showcased all across the city and turning him into a local staple].  The music of Billy Buchanan and his guitar filled the main room with talented tunes [and many covers], but was not overpowering. He created a kind of elite background noise. Listen if you want [and you probably would want to], or don't. And the food and beverages, again, were great.

Billy Buchanan.

 

Three Layers is the kind of place I would love to make my regular place. Cozying into one of the overstuffed leather chairs with my book of the month, or enjoying dusk in the zen garden with a couple friends, or having an engaging conversation in the dimly lit bar.

Three times the reward for coming to Three Layers. You won't be disappointed.

Lazerlicious

Lazerstar performing at Conmoto.  You're the best around. Nothings ever gunna bring you down.

Usciamo a Conmoto!

This is where I will be TONIGHT. It's going on all weekend!



Conmoto Art & Music Festival - Jacksonville Florida - Complete Film from JonBosworth on Vimeo.

When Driving Doesn't Suck

I do not profess to be a lover of driving. After a few minor car accidents, one very bad accident, one day where Justin and I were both in fairly bad accidents within 30 minutes of each other, and a handful of occasions where mechanical failures have left me in embarrassing and binding situations... I just do not love cars.

I think they are dangerous. I think people are careless in them. I think I am careless in them [clearly displayed in the images below], even when I try not to be and make an effort to be exceptionally careful. And, it's boring. Traffic sucks. It takes a long time and I am not an incredibly patient person. I would so much rather the morph and teleporting method to driving any day, granted we re-molecularize properly and in one cohesive piece.

There are, though, a few wonderful things about driving that do not seem able to occur in any other setting. Like today for example. Once I broke through the disgusting maze of metal on wheels that is Beach Blvd. [coming home from a radio interview with Angela Robinson of The Color Purple on v101.5], I broke into one of those almost spiritual moments I sometimes have in cars.

The traffic faded. The sun was setting, nearly blinding me, but creating an opalescent sky that could take my breath away. And "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum was wafting out of speakers and into my mind.

 Florida and its sunsets. 

Blinded. [Safe? I think not.] And taking photos. [Doubly unsafe.]

Oh set me up with the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
When I die and they lay me to rest
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best

- "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum

**Loving all the Jesus imagery in the video.

Photographic Memory: How to Hail a Shopping Cart

The year was 2006. It was the night of Aliea's art show in the city. Aliea, Justin, Mike, Cynthia and I all put on our fanciest duds, piled onto the BART, and headed into San Francisco one chilly November night to witness one of the most fascinating displays of contemporary art I've ever witnessed first hand.

The art was bold. It was colorful and shocking and extremely tangible. It left you feeling slightly unhinged, savoring the lasting remnants of the free cheap booze, holding onto your comprehensible brain cells with earnestness while you gazed into the destroyed concepts of the modern world, all the while maintaining a sense of cooky absurdism.

Aliea's art of distant photographic memories, that savored the nostalgic and hinged on the spiritual, fit right in.

At the end of the night I could barely feel my toes. Typically the end result of a night in the uncomfortable, yet fashion forward stilettos. Something made especially impractical when living in the city, but simultaneously especially more necessary.

So we hailed us a shopping cart. And they pushed me all the way home.

Been to Bento?

Lately I have been hitting the jackpot of new delicious restaurants and bars. All hits, no misses. No exception was the delectable Pan Asian and Sushi lunch I recently enjoyed with my mother and sister and sister friend at Bento Cafe.

Bento Cafe - Pan Asian and Sushi Cuisine has recently opened in the St. John's Town Center. Actually, just off the Town Center in one of the expanded centers that is, as far as I can tell, only distinguished by the name of it's "street" - Big Island Drive.

I ordered the High Tide Sushi Roll special of the day. It was a tasty mix of avocado, scallop, crab, maybe some cream cheese, and probably some other things [so shoot me, I forgot the ingredients] topped with eel sauce and some spicy mayo. It was delicious and fresh.

Mom got the Garlic and Broccoli Chicken Noodle Bowl [not to be confused with the Noodle Soup Bowl - finally some Noodle Soup!]. Chelsea got the Korean Beef Bento Box that was piled high with spicy strips of beef and vegetables, most notably the onion that even Chelsea enjoyed, a classic non-onion eater. And Katie got the Sweet and Sour Chicken Bento Box. The Bento Boxes were a nice platter of your chosen dish, flash fried green beans, salad, rice, and chow mein noodles.

I think I've said delicious too many times in this blog [some other adjectives were changed to attempt to avoid this situation - tasty, delectable... delicious always came first], but that was the sensation Bento left us with. None of us could decide which meal we liked most, each naming off every item on the table when trying to determine the culinary winner.

Some serious side eye.

I did run into a friend there at the same time who ordered the Pad Thai and was left disappointed. Her Pad Thai was "orange" and not "peanuty enough". So, maybe don't get the Pad Thai. Or try it for yourself.

One more thing - they don't serve alcohol. Yet.

Royal Fingernail Treatment

I almost never get a manicure when I visit the nail salon. They undoubtedly will chip immediately upon exiting the building, sometimes before. And while I do think the occasional upkeep of the cuticals is a good idea, mine are not especially troublesome, as far as cuticals go. A manicure just doesn't really seem worth the time or the money.

However, this past Veteran's Day, my mom took my sister and I to get our nails done at Royal Essence Spa and Nails. They boast:

At Royal Essence Spa & Nails, we have %100 satisfaction guaranteed. We have a full complimentary bar with choices of wine, soda, water, and smoothies. At our spa, on weekend we have your favorite sports channel on so you can enjoy your service with full entertainment and relaxation.

Royal Essence Spa and Nails.

Vino.

Bathrooms. [Didn't actually see these, but they were

proud enough to put this photo on their website.]

The wine was nice. I had two glasses. I chose to get their Royal Super Deluxe Stone Pedicure, providing my lower extremities with 21 various treatments to make them fresh and girly again. The paraffin wax treatment and lengthy stone massage did wonders to my limbs and toes, but I am not sure it was entirely worth the $55 price tag.

However, what WAS amazing, royal, super, and deluxe was the $8 paint change on my fingernails I opted in for. My mom had explained that my chipping black nail polish looked a little like bats on my fingertips and encouraged me to free them from their caged lifestyle with a grin that only a mother can give. So I swapped it out for a vibrant red ["a dramatic color for a dramatic person" according to my mother, to which I explained that I was not "dramatic" but rather "bold"].

Solid like a rock. And yes, shameless self promotion of

The Color Purple going on in the background.

An entire 48 hours later and the paint is still on my fingers, chip free! I keep staring down at them every few minutes in amazement. I am not exactly the daintiest of ladies, and this is a feat I have never accomplished in probably my entire life. Well done Royal Essence. Well done.

Thus inspired to listen to Bob Seger's all time southern, Chevy truck-driving, mud-slinging classic, "Like A Rock". Although not quite the mental image of fingernail maintenance.