I have missed doing my Five Favorites Friday for a couple weeks now....
I have been wondering what I'd do...
I have had tons of ideas...
What should I focus on...
Then it came to me yesterday....
Cate was having a bad day yesterday...
She misses Maine, misses her grandparents, and was more then a little hormonal, so while Sparky was at P.E. I surprised her with a trip to our favorite coffee shop...
We drink a lot of coffee around the house, but to our family a true treat is to head out to a little coffee shop and order those often expensive coffee drinks...
It got me to thinking about our favorite coffee spots... I am a bit ashamed to admit I do love a certain national chain with a round green logo... and we do buy their drinks through their handy drive up windows, but everywhere we have lived we eventually find a little locally owned coffee house that roasts their own beans and provides just that right feeling of community...
So here it is... our nation wide tour of our favorite coffee spots...
Our current favorite here in Clarksville, TN is...
They are locally owned and you always feel welcome.... They now have four locations here, so we are never far from a coffee drink...
(Also... they are now selling franchises, so if you are looking for a Christian owned business opportunity... look them up!)
When we lived in Mid-Coast Maine we always went to...
In Rockland, Maine...
Their coffee shop there is also a new and second hand bookstore...
It is truly a little piece of heaven...
If you are visiting Rockland, Maine and want to meet a few locals head down Main Street and before your coffee head across the street to the my cousin Carol's bakery... The Pastry Garden... grab a treat and head over for an amazing cup of coffee...
(Ok... I know that was a shameless plug... but what can I say... she may be family, but she is an amazing baker too... worth the stop!!)
When we lived in Bozeman, Montana our favorite was...
There coffee shop is attached to a bread shop... I would stop in daily for a cup of coffee and fresh bread for our family... It was a tiny bit of bliss in our crazy early years...
I haven't been there in years but I am willing to put my reputation on the line that they are still worth the stop...
That being said... (shameless plug time) since we left Montana some dear friends of ours have opened a coffee shop and deli... Opus Deli and Coffee on Oak St. in Bozeman... I may be biased, but I'd stop there first, but since the theme of this post is places I've been and with all honesty I couldn't give them one of my Five Favorites spots...
When we lived in Vermont our favorite was...
We were in Vermont for my husband's job and his company was putting us up in a hotel suite... it was kinda cool, living in such a lovely hotel, but there were times that the walls would start to close in on us and the girlies and I needed to escape...
We would catch a bus into Burlington and head to Church Street...
Church street is in the middle of downtown and is closed to traffic...
It is lined with fun shops and restaurants almost all of them with outdoor bistro tables...
Street performers wander up and down and it is a wonderful place to spend a lazy afternoon...
Right across from the bus station is Uncommon Grounds... a very busy... very good coffee shop...
We were only in Vermont for about seven months, so it never really felt like home, but the friendly people who work in this shop always made us feel welcome...
Everywhere we have lived is one constant...
A coffee shop that doesn't need my humble plug...
5. Starbucks
No, they are not locally owned... Yes, they are a huge coffee chain... the "big box" store of coffee houses if you will, but there is something to be said for being able to get the exact same "Peppermint Mocha... skim with whip cream..." (one cancels out the other...) any place I am... and their current "Dark Cherry Mocha" helped me survive my recent airport experiences... Plus, even though they are a national chain, each shop has it's own personality... When we were living in Waterville, ME there was no local shop, but soon after we moved there they opened a Starbucks... It felt like a little local shop... they knew me by name, knew what I ordered, and were always happy to see me... I still frequent this chain, so I had to add them to the list...
I know you understand...
Well, there it is... my opus to my drug of choice...
I know I got wordy today... It must be all those weeks of not posting.... I seem to be bursting with words I am longing to spill all over you, my dear Bloggy friends...
Oh, girl, I love coffee shops! I adore the locally owned coffee businesses. Their service seems to be more friendly and serviceable--I love it!
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong...I do love Starbucks, but I don't always care for their service...
xoxo
I don't know who said it first, but I agree that Starbuck's beans taste like they are roasted under a space shuttle launch.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty happy about having a Lasater's close to home now. A friend of mine orders coffee from a place called "Peets." She used to live in San Francisco and got hooked on it. She brews it at home and it is honestly the best cup of Joe in town!
While visiting my sister in northern MD.... we went to Carrabou Coffee.... It was like I would imagine a Colorado ranch to look.... cozy, big wood beams on the ceiling a real fireplace, and DELICIOUS coffee.... with a big Moose as their logo... or perhaps it was a Carrabou... The coffee was scrumptious. I can't remember their logo saying, but it was pretty cool too. Love and Hugs
ReplyDeleteOoooh, there's just nothing like a good, relaxing coffee shop, is there? I do some of my best writing sitting at a little corner table, sipping a latte and listening to soft guitar music over the speakers!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great tour, thanks! Have a great weekend. As for me, I'm craving some java for some reason...
Oh, how I heart coffee! We have a local shop that is within walking distance to my house and I frequent it often. :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE coffee!! I used to be addicted to Starbucks, but nowadays I prefer good old Dunkin Donuts. There's also a place called Lavazza by where I work, and I'll get some of their coffee too. I think it's really good coffee and wanted to take my husband once (he's a starbucks addict) but for some reason, they only have the shops in our downtown area.
ReplyDelete