Highwheeler Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Highwheeler Coffee
Location: Fort Plain, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Back when I lived in Upstate New York, trips on I-90 were all too frequent. Usually I had places to go and there were few good coffee stops in the passing towns, so I would often bypass the many historical villages for the sake of expediency. But as of late, the coffee scene of New York has been improving and thankfully given me more reason to stop and explore the hidden gems off the NY State Thruway.

The Elysian Bar

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: The Elysian Bar, at Hotel Peter & Paul
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

When I was looking for a good hotel in New Orleans for my wife and I to celebrate our ten year anniversary, it definitely proved difficult to narrow down my options. Half of my associates warned me to avoid the French Quarter, while the other half advised that the best spots aren't far from Bourbon Street. In the end, I went with a gut instinct as well as a great deal on one spot that seemed to attract a lot of interesting attention: the Hotel Peter and Paul.

Tipico Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Tipico Coffee
Location: Buffalo, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Twelve years ago, my first impression of Buffalo was a resounding "bleh." Maybe it was because I visited in late winter and the chilly winds coming off Lake Erie made the trip less enjoyable, or maybe it was because my first taste of authentic buffalo wings was not nearly as euphoric as I had hoped (to this day, I have still not had amazing wings within Buffalo). But whatever it was, it was compounded by the fact that my first trip to Buffalo definitely lacked amazing coffee finds, and overall proved a sorry prospect for good brews.

Storied Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Storied Coffee
Location: Scotia, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The region around Albany is full of hidden gems. Whether you seek outdoor adventure, city amenities or stuff to do with the family, places in the Capital Region like Schenectady have a plethora of options.

Mammoth Espresso

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Mammoth Espresso
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

In my humble opinion, the best-case office location is next to a great lunch counter and abutting a coffee shop of quality. Throughout my entire life, this has never been my lot but everytime I stumble upon a good downtown cafe, I often think of how lucky surrounding workers are to be so close.

Village Coffee and Goods

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Village Coffee and Goods
Location: Kingston, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While everyone dreams of vacations being in far-off and exotic places, sometimes the most relaxing ones exist in your backyard. Recently I had a few days to spend with the family and we decided to keep it local and head north to the Adirondacks.

Broadsheet Coffee Roasters

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Broadsheet Coffee Roasters
Location: Cambridge, MA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

No visit to Boston is complete without a stop in Cambridge. While the parking can be difficult and the sidewalks overflowing with a mix of tourists and students, it's definitely a section of the country that offers much in so compact an area.

Congregation Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Congregation Coffee
Location visited: Algiers Point, New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While the French Quarter is great, exploring the greater NOLA area really rounded out and more fully illustrated the majesty of the crescent city. One such stop off the beaten path involved heading acrosst river to Algiers Point, a charming neighborhood full of colorful homes and a coffeehouse that has long been on my list to visit.

Gracenote Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Gracenote Coffee
Location: Boston, MA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

While large, spacious coffeehouses occupy a hallowed place in my heart, I do also greatly enjoy the more cozy cafes of the urban landscape. Carved into city corners and architectural oddities, such a shop doesn't necessarily need to command a certain square footage to be excellent, but more so, it pulls in customers due only to coffee excellence and miscellaneous splendor.

Tucker

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Tucker
Location visited: Easton, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I greatly cherish periodically visiting the towns and cities situated on the Delaware River north of Trenton. With lovely whistle-stops like Frenchtown and Stockton as well as fun activities like tubing downriver, it's a scenic region with plenty of attractions.

Spitfire Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Spitfire Coffee
Location visited: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The French Quarter remains one of the most unique and iconic urban neighborhoods on the North American continent. For hundreds of years it has thrived, known for its jazz, flooding issues and its unique cuisine. Yet for all of its gastro-attractions, until recently the area stood fairly bereft of quality coffee. One place that helped change that is Spitfire.

Kohi Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Kohi Coffee
Location visited: Boston, MA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Sometimes fortune comes easy. Albeit such occurrences are rare, but when they do happen, even small things like finding a free onion ring in your sundae feel just like randomly bumping into Elijah Wood for a rare selfie with the wife (mine, not his).

Giant Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Giant Coffee
Location: Phoenix, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Some people dabble in coffee, but for most people, coffee is a huge part of their routine. So when I stumbled across a place called Giant Coffee in Phoenix, it resonated with me deeply.

Canvas Coffee House

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Canvas Coffee House
Location: Newport News, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

For many years I visited the Williamsburg area and never had much luck finding good coffee outside of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. But finally after years of dearth, a quality establishment called Canvas Coffee House opened its doors in Newport News.

Bolt Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Bolt Coffee
Location Visited: Dean Hotel, Providence, RI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Waking up before the sun comes easy to few people. There's something about starting your day in the dark that makes getting out of bed that much harder. Fortunately, not all early risings are laborious, and sometimes getting up at 3 a.m. means the start of a multi-state road trip, full of good coffee stops.

Berdena's

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Berdena's

Location: Scottsdale, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Of all the Arizona towns I have visited, Scottsdale struck me as one of the prettiest and walkable. I was only there for a day here and there, but each time it seemed like a great place to reside. Then on top of those selling points, add great coffee into the equation and now I'm looking at real estate.

King Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: King Coffee
Location: Tempe, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

A lot of Arizona days require an indoor sanctuary, cool and shaded from the desert sun. Such was my dilemma one scorching morning in Tempe when I found myself outside the doors of a local coffeehouse near my hotel, a cozy strip mall shop called King Coffee.

Rare Bird Coffee Roasters

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Rare Bird Coffee Roasters
Location: Falls Church, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

As I recall it, the DC metro area was one of the few places on the east coast to first spawn (or at least feature) good coffee over a decade ago. Since then, excellent roasters and quality espresso havens have continued to thrive despite the horrid traffic and rising rents.

Solo Espresso

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Solo Espresso
Location: New Orleans, LA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

When I first planned out a recent trip to New Orleans, one of the first Airbnb spots my wife spied sat adjacent to a coffeehouse. Never being too hopeful that such convenience can result in great coffee, I got my hopes appropriately low and googled the shop. Little did I know that said cafe would soon become one of my favorite coffee shops in the city.

Oak Creek Espresso

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Oak Creek Espresso
Location: Sedona, AZ
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Sedona continues to be one of my favorite spots in Arizona. My first visit south into the canyon from Flagstaff still gives me chills when I recall the majestic red rocks and towering pine trees.

King Street Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: King Street Coffee
Location: Leesburg, VA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Growing up, I did not truly appreciate Virginia. To my teenage logic, it was the large state next to DC, home of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and numerous battlefields. But as I grew and the more often I visited, I discovered that Virginia holds a plethora of great stuff to offer.