Last Monday summer officially started and so yesterday it seemed only natural to go take the annual summer pictures of Plaza Tire’s Vanna Whitewall who recently put on her bikini for the summer season. Then I thought we’d go get a summertime treat at Theo’s Ice Cream stand off of Sterling Avenue, an ice cream retreat I’ve been meaning to try out for a while now and since it’s summer, what better time than right now? So let’s make like Cheech and Chong in the ‘70’s and roll!
Here we go down Washington Street in downtown Peoria on a sunny (ugh!), Tuesday afternoon. As I drove in the parking lot I saw this sign that says you risk getting hit if you park there, so I moved to the other side of the lot. Vanna’s a lot bigger than me and I don’t want her beating the crap out of me! I've already got one person monitoring my parking, I don't need two! #AmberAlert
So I parked over near the giant Uniroyal Plaza Tire sign that looms high in the downtown Peoria skyline. As I got out I shot this photo of the front window with an oblgatory mirror shot of Vanna Whitewall in it!
Here’s a faraway shot of Vanna with the Plaza Tire Company to the side of her.
Getting closer...
Baboom! There’s Vanna Whitewall in all of her summer bikini glory!
Always love to see her decked out in her red bikini for the summer months!
Here’s a shot from behind that’s got some silhouette action going on! And the close up reveals Vanna’s tramp stamp! I love it!
One thing I noticed this year was that Vanna doesn’t have a belly button! This kind of disturbed me and maybe this can be fixed next season...let’s just keep moving along here...
Bellybutton or no bellybutton, all hail Vanna Whitewall, the Bikini Amazon Goddess of downtown Peoria!
Alright, I’ve worked up a bit of an appetite and I thought we’d get a summer treat at a place I’ve heard a lot about since I moved back to Peoria, but so far have yet to make a stop at. Well all that changes today as we pull into...
Theo’s Ice Cream stand that’s located on Gale Avenue, right off of Sterling. I love the penguin on the roof eating ice cream!
The menu for Theo’s is on the wall but as you can see from the front window, there’s a lot of choices to be had here! I think I’ll go up to the front window and get some advice on what to order today!
I approached the window and that’s Sally behind the screen. Sally owns Theo’s and she told me that they’ve been in business here since 1994 and before that, this building was a Zephyr gas station owned by her father! I had no idea there was a such a rich Peoria history here at Theo’s, but there is and you can read about it in detail in this wonderful article from iBi magazine that’s written by Peoria Historian and Author, Norm Kelly: “Meet Me At Theo’s.” After discussing the history of Theo’s with Sally, I placed my lunch order and while that’s being prepared...
I went down to say to Kerra who was behind the other window here at Theo’s! It’s worth the trip here just to hang out with the pretty women of Theo’s!
That was quick! Here’s Sally with our luncheon order!
There’s tables with umbrellas for shade located in the parking lot, so I thought we’d eat lunch over there. I started off with a soft baked pretzel served with hot, melted cheese for dipping. This was so good! It was soft and fluffy and the cheese sauce was rich with a hint of nacho spiciness to it. So delicious!
And now on to the main course, I got a chili-cheese dog and I have to tell you, this ranks right up there with some of the best chili-cheese dogs in town and if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I’ve had my share of chili-cheese dogs! The chili was chunky with beef and had a nice savory flavor with a hint of tangy spice that played off well with the mustard and onions I got to top it off. The bun was steamed and bakery fresh, really a great chili-cheese dog! But you can’t go to Theo’s Ice Cream without sampling...
The ice cream! Here’s Sally giving me a cone with a large scoop of the vanilla and chocolate soft-serve ice cream and it was the perfect sweet ending to a fun summer day in Peoria, Illinois! I’m looking forward to the next three months and hope they don’t go by too fast! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Plaza Tire
1800 SW Washington Street
Peoria
309-673-8261
Theo’s Ice Cream
3633 N Gale Avenue
Peoria
309-688-5854
Related Posts: Vanna Whitewall In Her Bikini!, Day-Drinking @ Eastport Grill And Two Other East Peoria Locations and Summer Blast From The Past: A Taste Of Hunts At The Proctor Snack Shop!