Ace Outpost

Subject: Ace Outpost

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The city of Philadelphia boasts magnificent architecture, history and lovely parks. But when you're walking through the streets of the city, there's a particular look for the storefronts below that screams Philadelphia which is increasingly had to find as landlords trade out that 80s grit for fancy facades. One trip south of South Street brought me to a rare, gorgeous example of this fading Philly look at a coffee shop/vintage clothing store called Ace Outpost.

Union Coffee

Subject: Union Coffee

Location: Lambertville, NJ
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The two towns of Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA are inexorably tied and yet have two very different dynamics. New Hope is far more the tourist-centered borough, with its cute main street and attractions, but a few visits expose its congested footprint and surprising lack of public (or private) bathrooms. Whereas Lambertville first appears far more of a sleepy village, but repeat exposure shows this is the town with far more quality, hidden gems.

De Fer Coffee & Tea

Subject: De Fer Coffee & Tea
Location visited: Strip District, Pittsburgh, PA
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Pittsburgh in summer remains a favorite destination, especially if I have business/destinations to visit in the city that give the necessary motivation to seek out good coffee. 

Pleasant Valley Dairy

Subject: Pleasant Valley Dairy

Location: Middletown, DE
Rating: 5+ [see key]

I love Amish markets, especially in (seemingly) random spots scattered across the land. In traveling south for a little recent Christmas cheer in Delaware, I happened upon such a market in Middletown, poised for a morning cup of coffee in the early afternoon. Usually I would have stopped at a shop in the Wilmington area prior to heading down, but I found myself outside the (archaic) early afternoon cutoff for many shops and my last hope for a possible cup of something other than convenience coffee stood this market before they closed their doors at 4 PM that Saturday.

Faire Cafe

Subject: Faire Cafe
Location: Wilmington, DE
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Wilmington is an odd area. For a city that seems to have a lot of different types of neighborhoods, the land has a quite a decent amount of good coffee relative to its size.