The Cracked Pot Coffee Shop

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: The Cracked Pot Coffee Shop
Location visited: Mechanicsburg, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

A giant stand-alone coffee shop with plenty of parking is not a common sight, but occasionally one appears on the horizon. The latest one I found in my travels was a shop called The Crack Pot, a cafe in an entire house focusing on providing work for kids who age out of the foster system. 

Stay Golden

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Stay Golden Restaurant and Roastery
Location visited: Nashville, TN
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

A solid breakfast with a good cup of coffee is one of the greatest joys of life, and yet so often hard to find. Good breakfast joints still rarely do a great job with their coffee, and coffee shops usually can't/don't offer solid breakfast options like eggs benedict and huevos rancheros. But every now and then such a rare delight emerges, such as Stay Golden.

Sleeping Bird Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Sleeping Bird Coffee
Location visited: Wilmington, DE
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I remember the first time I saw a coffee truck back some ten or so years ago. It was like a fresh, new horizon rising before me, and I thought it would never get old.

Cocoa Cinnamon / Little Waves Coffee Roasters

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Cocoa Cinnamon / Little Waves Coffee Roastery
Location visited: Chapel Hill Rd (Lakewood), Durham, NC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The worst time to get to a coffee shop is the last 15 minutes. The baristas are starting the closing process, most baked goods are gone and the general atmosphere can be sometimes hostile. But one near-closing experience proved to be the perfect stop for a long day in Durham.

K Brew

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: K Brew
Location visited: Ebenezer Rd, Knoxville, TN
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I have been to Tennessee a dozen times in my younger days, but in that count, for some reason I never stopped in Knoxville. This mostly resulted from a ridiculous time table and compatriots that did not enjoy multiple stops, but fortunately those days sit largely in the past. Thus on my most recent trek from east to west through the Volunteer State, I made a point to hit Knoxville.