buzzin'

is there a way i can, like...get paid to visit and critique coffee shops for the rest of my life? because that's just really what i'm all about. it's taken many, many cups and and many, many dollars and many, many packets of raw cane sugar to get to where i am today, so i thought i'd thank 10 of the most wonderful spots around the country (and world) for delighting me with their cuteness, caffeine, and croissants.

1. crucial coffee (st. augustine, FL)

it's been five years and i still dream about this quaint little shack. not only was it adorable, but i had a *snickers cappuccino* that blew my mind. there was also a very gilmore-girlsy busker singing outside while i enjoyed it, so bonus points for that.

2. union coffee company (milford, NH)

tbh, i'm a bit peeved that this place didn't exist when i was in high school, but at least i get to revel in its charms when i visit my folks. it's one of those oh-so-hip combinations of a coffee shop and bar, and hosts live music as well. it's rustic yet airy, and the coffee and lattes (with house-made syrups, obv) are top-notch.


3. FIDO (nashville, TN)

i spent like, 3 days in nashville, and went here twice because i was so obsessed. sure, a lot of that had to do with the paintings of cats in outer space that adorned the walls, but the whole scene was uber-90s and they did latte art and it made you feel like you were in a TV show hangout. to quote 2 chainz, "it's a viiiibe."

4. stardust video and coffee (orlando, FL)

nobody believes me when i tell them that orlando had the most intense, pretentious hipster community i've ever seen in my life, but it's true. it was super strange, especially coming from the intellectual-snob capital of the country, but the baristas (and some patrons) were such dicks, everywhere i went! i honestly wanted to be like, "dude...you live in FLORIDA. get a grip." but i resisted. the staff at this combination DVD rental/coffee shop/bar/cafe were no exception--very, very rude--but i let it slide because just LOOK at it. it's like anthropologie started serving food and drinks. sure, no one rents DVDs anymore, but the whole concept is just so manic pixie dream girl, i couldn't not love it. psst...the drunken monkey was my second favorite spot, in case you ever find yourself craving caffeine in the city beautiful.

5. kookoo cafe (brookline, MA)

speaking of beauty, i just want to pinch kookoo cafe's cheeks. it's the size of a closet, and chock-full of all of the quirky decor that you might find in one, too. the staff is friendly, the coffee is strong, and the food is yummy; lots of authentic middle-eastern treats.


6. tandem coffee roasters (portland, ME)

a converted '60s gas station, this is always a must-visit for me on my annual summer jaunt to portland. not only is it so incredibly aesthetically pleasing, but the malt iced coffee is to die for.

7. cafe on the common (waltham, MA)

so chill. so sunny. and in the middle of downtown waltham, which is low-key ghetto? surely, you jest. as a major bonus, it's massive and there's so many places to sit and read or work or chat.


8. hart and lova (london, england)

what a hidden gem. though gleni and i were staying in kind of a random area of london which didn't have a ton to offer, we came across this absolutely adorable cafe and bakery that was straight out of a fairytale. so proper. squee. 


9. the fresh pot (portland, OR)

i popped in here to charge my phone last year during my trip to seattle and portland, and what a wonderful decision that was. yeah, they were out of cold brew and only had nitro cold brew and i was bouncing off the walls for an hour, but the dark wood and rustic ambiance just counteracted that real quick. or maybe that was just a contact high, because portland.


10. java dog (wilmington, NC)

this coffee shop should have had a starring role on dawson's creek, man. it's two floors, and the upstairs felt like a loft in someone's apartment. it also seemed to be a hangout for local students, and i immediately felt pressured to give a really chill college kid name, like taylor or hannah, to the barista.

what are some of your favorite places to get your fix?

i want a place where i can smoke meats.

just got back from nashville with my college friend and partner in southern-traveling crime, gleni, who flew down from brooklyn to meet me in music city for a fun-filled weekend. we had a couple of fabulous tour guides- gleni's friend who is originally from the area, and her friend from knoxville. after some minor flight delays, here's what happened (with bonus pictures!):

SATURDAY:

• breakfast for lunch at the loveless cafe: 

we waited for over an hour, but it was so worth it! eggs and sausage and biscuits and something called "tennessee sipping cream" which was like a gross bailey's...but that was my fault for not ordering it with coffee. still dreaming about the homemade jams.

• first saturday art crawl:

this was really cool. on the first saturday of every month, the galleries of downtown nashville (there are a bunch, surprisingly) open their doors to the public, and visitors are welcome to stroll and admire the art while enjoying complimentary wine and drinks like warm root beer toddies (an exciting prospect for about like...4 sips). it was a great way to get a sense of the local people & culture.

 

• dinner at puckett's:

the stars aligned, man! i had read about this grocery & restaurant prior to the trip, but wasn't banking on getting a table without a reservation on a saturday night. we strolled in just before 8:30pm, and snagged the last table in the place just as the band, raven cliff, started to perform. i'm not a country fan, but they converted me--especially after they launched into "won't back down" by tom petty.

• whiskey kitchen:

we topped off the night at a trendy little bar/restaurant where apparently jack white and kings of leon hang out? all we saw were yuppies, but they had WHISKEY SOUR PITCHERS so i was really excited about it. i also dougied and gleni toasted to a photo of tom petty. at this point we decided he was watching over us during this entire trip.

SUNDAY:

• burger brunch:

we nursed our semi-hangovers with the best remedy EVER: huge-ass cheeseburgers & chocolate milkshakes at a so-called "burger parlor & beer garden" in the hipster-filled neighborhood of east nashville. delicious! 

• opryland hotel & convention center:

i was told by more than one person that i needed to visit the opryland hotel's indoor gardens and i'm so glad that we did. the place was like a friggin' rainforest inside! we kept getting lost but it was fine, and then we took an awesome boat ride around the little moat-thing. it had ducks and fish in it. ridiculous.

• hillsboro village:

loved this place! a little neighborhood near vanderbilt, hillsboro village has a bunch of shops and restaurants and just a really cool vibe. we grabbed artsy-looking lattes at the '90s-esque coffee shop of my dreams, fido, which was decorated with paintings of psychedelic space cats (below) and checked out a couple of the cute boutiques before heading over to grimey's, a cool record store.  

• honky tonks

I LOVE ROBERT'S WESTERN WORLD! if you go to nashville, you must go here. after getting our fortune told by elvis at the cheesy gift shop on broadway, we took some seats at the bar and began admiring all the weird decor which included silly bumper stickers and a wall of cowboy boots. as i sipped my jack and coke, we began discussing the longhair that was flipping burgers behind the bar. he was definitely my type, but we questioned the hygiene of his untamed locks during food preparation. all of a sudden, the band who had been playing is all "hide ya daughters, hide ya wives" and burger dude is onstage, wailing on the harmonica and covering muddy waters. he does a few more numbers, hops off of the stage, and greases some more rolls. at this point i was obviously grinning at him like a freak. best and most nashville moment of the trip, i'd say.

we moved on to tootsie's (the famous purple place) which was packed. there was some pretty boy country guy singing, and these spring break sorority chicks soon joined him onstage and embarrassing merriment ensued. we took a picture of us looking uncomfortable and awkward. ALSO I SWEAR ZAC BROWN (of the zac brown band) was there. the guy onstage even said it! but no one else thinks it was him. i really don't care. but...whatever.

then we ate more bbq at some place called "rippy's" where our 19 year-old waiter could not wait to finish his shift. we ended the evening at the "paradise park trailer resort," a total dive where we drank beers and another attractive man was singing. the ceilings had not been dusted since the place opened. and they had a food menu with fried spam sandwiches. we took terrible pictures in a teeny-tiny photobooth and devoured our free doubletree cookies when we got back to the hotel.

MONDAY:

• pancake pantry:

we went back to hillsboro village, because we had to visit this place. such good pancakes. we split the good ol' buttermilk and also got an order of pecan. the 'cakes came with cinnamon-creme syrup which was tasty, but the regular syrup was out of this world awesome. it had a vanilla flavor and was perfect. apparently p!nk showed up right after we left. bah!

• getting lost on the bus:

we thought we were going back towards downtown, but we ended up in the middle of nowhere in suburban nashville and decided we might as well just head to the airport. so just as i was about to call a cab, one pulls up beside us. THANK YOU TOM PETTY! i'm just going to pretend that it was also tom that creepily complimented me on my "beautiful smile."

in sum: i love biscuits, meat, whiskey, line cooks, space cats, and latte art. oh, and nashville was pretty sweet, too.