As many of you already know, Mount Dora is haunted. But not just by the ghostly spirits that suck your blood or scare you with terrorizing sounds in the middle of the night, but also by the bottled “spirits” that tune your very own soul into a different kind of out of tempo melody, if you know what I mean...

As the Ghost Walk goes around town narrating the legends about our founding fathers, I usually like to quietly fallow them and hide somewhere while waiting with patience. I wait until I see the tour passing at the least expected place precisely at the wrong moment, so I can jump from the ethereal elements and materialize into the most hideous and maleficent forms imaginable, right in front of their horrified eyes as they scream themselves into a sudden fainting spell. It is really funny!

But lately I have noticed that there is some kind of an unwanted being trying to contend stealing my source for entertainment. How could I compete against this intrusion? I am depending more and more on the element of surprise these days, you know. My victims, or to be more politically correct, my audience have been getting tougher with the completion of each decade, and a good haunt no longer leaves the desired results expected by any highly regarded undead creature.  They all are desensitized from fear and no longer show any form of panic resulting from apparitions such as howling banshees or decapitated walking corpses. Instead, they just laugh silly and even dare to get into superfluous arguments judging the quality of the manifestation, and this unscrupulous challenger I am referring to is not helping my cause either; it is ridiculous! As far as Mount Dora is concerned, all this I can simply attribute to the presence and attractiveness of a dispensary known as One Flight Up.

So what is the deal here, you may wonder? As I said, my reputation as an evil intentioned vagrant sprit is being tarnished by what appears to be a low value impersonator, a crawling rotting sewer worm who positions himself on an advantageous point from where he can easily spot the approaching group attending the ghost tour as it moves into the heart of town from Donnelly House, and squeaks out the most infamous and atrocious cheap imitation of a girly scream. This putrefactive scoundrel, although already identified by my minions but not confirmed by my own observation, shall remain anonymous to you for now; I have a series of good plans for him ready to be implemented soon, but it suffices to say that his favorite place for performing this acts of mockery against the spectral world, is none other than the balcony of this One Flight Up. As many other low life forms are starting to get the trend of his nefarious interventions joining into this atrocious circus act, I decided to go to check this place by myself, perhaps leaving an enduring mark on its for eternity.

So this One Flight Up is not only a name, it is also a very clever form of directions to let others know where to look for this establishment. It is located precisely one flight up, above the stores in the main section of downtown where the heat of the action goes on. In my opinion it happens to be the best place to sit down and see everything there is to see about the urban hype in Old Mount Dora.  There is no chance to overlook this one.

 

Once you identify the hard to miss balcony, it is all the way up, and really up for you to venture the steep stairway. When you arrive to the landing it will be inevitable to feel some confusion and disorientation. You may think that you either walked into someone’s living room or into some sort of artist’s guild, because the feeling all around is just the atmosphere you gather at home or in a gallery. There are two main rooms with comfortable nd fashionable sitting space where people of all backgrounds gather to enjoy a good conversation or to quietly immerse themselves in a good book while having a gigantic cup of fresh brewed trendy coffee, cold beer or wine. More often you may see groups of people sharing dynamic discussions, as One Flight Up has gained the reputation of being the hub for intellectuals of all kinds. I saw it all there from writers and musicians, to actors and preservationists.  For some mysterious reasons they all gravitate to the atmosphere there; perhaps because of the view over all downtown, or the “spirits.”

 

Not only One Flight Up is known for its rooms and patrons, but also for the gallery space just behind its walls. Two prominent artist’s studious and galleries are easily accessible from the foyer. I thought the whole place was indeed an all too happy artistic cooperative. People do not just go there because they will find a scholarly conversation or a bird’s eye view of Mount Dora. They also go as this nice café can also be considered as the town’s bulletin board. Every notable event is sure to have its mark there for all to see. Even if there is no poster or business card available, all you need to do is to sit for a short while until someone comes to start a conversation with you. Many times is just another patron, but it can also surely be a server or one of the friendly owners just having a good time until they remember to take the order. Really, this is a people’s people place. But if you do not get the servers coming to you, I recommend going first and placing your order at the counter as there you will have the first glimpse of an always changing and diverse menu listing all their drinks. They will definitively bring to you your order no matter where you decide to sit. Do not expect to leave this place feeling hungry; here you can indulge yourself with a ridiculously huge piece of dessert that you can actually see displayed right there in front of you. Just amazing!

As soon as I was done seeing all the novelty around me, I decided to settle in the quietest of all the rooms. Several people were deeply into reading while holding freshly refilled glasses of red wine. The redness of the liquid stimulated my “thirst” so, trying to avoid unnecessary acts of macabre nature, I moved into the next room. Nobody saw my entrance as probably they thought it was just the breeze of the night. They kept going with their readings of prose and poetry through their open microphone also while sipping their drinks, again bright red, so I was forced once more to move into the balcony from where I could easily spread my wings and quietly flight into the night. But there was more activity than in the other two rooms put together. All the tables were packed and everyone sitting there seemed to be having a good time listening to the live music and drinking their beers. I was able to tell they have been there for a while from the way their jugulars pulsated from the effect of their entire fluid overload that night…

Suddenly my refined auditory system identified a familiar pitch of voice. A man leaning against the balustrade laughed and joked with the passers by down by the sidewalk. He was among the company of some others equally joyful and driven to make happy sounds. I paid close attention as they enjoyed themselves. One was a local banker, the other a realtor, and my target identified himself as a preservationist. How interesting! Their humor abruptly escalated as they saw a black Cadillac hearse with purple lights passing down Donnelly Street, and started howling and screaming their lungs out. I recognized immediately my competitor and placed a little mental note to remember paying my respects later as he slept. His jugular was about to pop from his neck and his was drinking dark red wine; my favorite.

 

Overall Experience:

 

EXCELLENT (*****) Perhaps the best Coffees house in town. We have to visit the others and confirm the stories I receive.

The spirits they serve are indicative of a refined and well thought off selection. These, combined with the UNIQUE atmosphere, so far has no rival and makes this cafe a necessary stop when around this part of the town. This is a very nice eclectic cafe if you want the environment and the company while reading a book or planning to write one. Again, the location is second to none. Be sure not to sit and expect a quick server. Just go to the counter and order as you may be greeted personally by one of the creative owners.

 

If you go during the nights they have readings, open mics, and music, it may be a little hard to find space to sit just yourself, and more so for a group.But even if you end up occupying standing space only, the whole experience makes it worthy. Fantastic place just to hang out and spy on the  town. Sometimes referenced as the inverse of the City under the Street, you are in one of the highest publicly accessed dinning locations in downtown Mount Dora.

 

Visited 5/1/2010