Canyon Coffee Co.

 Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Canyon Coffee Co.
Location visited: New Bethlehem, PA 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

At the risk of sounding obvious, I greatly delight in visiting new places. In my younger days I yearned for distant lands that required air travel, but now that I'm a little older with numerous kids (plus the yoke of COVID), I have managed to keep my explorative spirits high with some local road trips. 

Clyde Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Clyde Coffee
Location visited: Missoula, MT 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Navigating a frozen pass is one of the few things I dislike about the northwest mountains. Living on the east coast, we have our share of icy slopes but not many of them exist on an interstate. Just recently, I had to get from Spokane to Missoula around the beginning of March, and since every realistic route involved a major mountain crossing, I just went with the obvious road and took Lookout Pass. Thank the Lord it was mostly thawed by the time I got to it, but the experience still proved slightly harrowing.

Cogito Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Cogito Coffee

Location visited: Philadelphia, PA 

WiFi?: yes

Rating: 6+ [see key]

State lines are funny things. Depending on the two states, sometimes a coffee shop has half a dozen locations within feet of a border yet not a single shop on the other side. Sure there's a lot of bureaucratic red tape to blame, but when push comes to shove, no one likes paying to cross a bridge for a cup of coffee.

Copper Cup

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Copper Cup
Locations visited: Lancaster, PA and Lititz, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I have come to relish the gradual discovery of the Lancaster area. Every time I visit I find something I've managed to overlook before, such as James Buchanan's Wheatland, a historical landmark to a dismal president. While I didn't really stop at the old mansion, it did afford me the opportunity to grab some great coffee at Copper Cup.

Indaba Coffee

                                                                   

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Indaba Coffee
Location visited: 518 W Riverside Ave, Spokane, WA 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The last time I went through Spokane, I didn't even get a chance to leave the car. Sadly, I was fused to a schedule, the victim of my own poor planning, with only enough time for a late-night airport stop to collect my friend on our way west to Ellensburg. As I looked at the city lights in my rearview mirror, I vowed that next time I would make more time for Spokane. 

Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co
Location: Newark, DE
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

A college town without great coffee nearby is a sad educational prospect. Personally, my alma mater still lacks a great coffee option abutting campus (though there's one a short drive away), so when I visit towns harboring an institution of higher education without a good local coffee shop, I definitely feel a pang of shared sorrow for its students. 

Cafe Red

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Cafe Red
Location: Seattle, WA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I had never before visited Seattle in the winter, but for a trip in February it was quite beautiful, especially compared to a NJ winter. Aside from the general warmer weather, the green evergreens of the area wonderfully offset the dreary skies, but the likely silver lining to Seattle that had the most effect is the plethora of coffee options.

Doubles Cafe and Bar

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Doubles Cafe and Bar (formerly Colony Club)
Location: Washington DC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I can usually count on at least one trip to DC a year, and each year I try to give a new coffee shop a chance. This past visit I went out of my way to sample a place called the Colony Club. Named for the owners grandparents' flower shop called Colony Flowers, it was a popular and beautiful cafe that had both spacious back patio seating and a cozy interior.

Amity Coffee Co.

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Amity Coffee Co.
Location: Penn Yan, NY
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

For the three long years my wife and I spent in Syracuse, we tried to make the most of our geography and visit all of the nifty towns in the area. Looking back, we failed quite deplorably, as we only went for the crowd favorites like Ithaca and Watkins Glen. Now I look at the map of New York and see so many intriguing spots we've had to make up since we moved south.