Downtown Sarasota

Sorry for the lack of update last week.

Last week I went into Downtown Sarasota with a friend to walk around and really explore the area. We stopped off at a few antique shops along Fruitville, and ended off walking through the main areas of downtown. It just so happened that there was a local art fair that day. We stopped through for a minute, but eventually ended up inside the Selby Library.

This was actually my first time in the Selby Library, and I was amazed by some of the architecture in there. It was a very nicely designed interior, which was complimented by it's beautiful exterior. I was surprised that I had never really gone to the library since starting up at Ringling.

I hope to make a return trip sometime soon, as it very well could become a new staple in my trips to downtown in the future.

--David

Parkway 8

This week we went to the Parkway 8 Cinema, one of Sarasota's dollar theaters. It was a great display of the city's diverse range of businesses. The theater is located right along University Parkway. One thing unique to this theater is that it is a cash only theater. I was greatly surprised in a time and area where cash is used less and less.

However, to it's credit, it's very rare to find any surviving dollar theaters. It's nice to see that at least one of these can survive in today's economy. The movie I saw wasn't the best, but I was happy supporting another Sarasota local business. I hope to make a return at some point in the future.

--David

Architectural Salvage

This past Monday I went to the Sarasota Architectural Salvage. It was a required trip of my Location Lighting class, but it will not be the last time I stop by.

First off, the concept of collecting these antiques among other things is good for the community. Many of the items are from Sarasota, if not from Florida in general. Although the weather on Monday wasn't great for being outdoors, walking through the sideyards was still a highlight of the day. There were some very unique sculptural items in the sideyards, and even a couple Sarasota street signs.

I will definitely be returning to the Sarasota Architectural Salvage sometime in the near future.

--David