Notes from 100 Coffee Shops in 7 Months

Notes from 100 Coffee Shops in 7 Months

When I embarked on a road trip across the US, I wanted to see new cities and states, national and state parks, old friends, and new views. As the wheels kept turning, it became obvious that my real purpose was to take a coffee tour across the country. Of course, I knew I was addicted (ahem, passionate) about lattes, pastries, and coffee shop life before embarking on my travels, but the way I enjoyed coffee shops at home had almost become second nature – they had become my “third place” each weekend and even many mornings and evenings.

On the road, my enthusiasm for coffee (and coffee shops) became vital once I could no longer rely on the routines of home. Soon I found myself visiting one or two, sometimes three, new coffee shops in a day. Coffee shops became the places I had breakfast, picked up local newspapers, overheard local chatter and accents, got my caffeine fix, and continued to work for my marketing clients.

On August 30th, I rolled into Eugene, Oregon and visited my 100th coffee shop on this, so far, seven month road trip across the United States. Tailored Coffee Roasters was a great landing spot for my 100th and I enjoyed a small iced caramel latte, a slice of really great avocado toast, and good conversation with the barista.

Here’s a best-of recap of the 100 coffee shops I’ve visited in the previous seven months.

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Austin, Texas: So Much of Everything Good

Austin, Texas: So Much of Everything Good

I knew I would like Austin, Texas, but I had no idea how much I enjoy the city nor for what reasons. Everyone knows Austin as the live music capital of the world, but I soon discovered a mind-blowing food and coffee scene in the Texas capital as well. Apparently, I’m not alone in appreciating the city. Austin Demographer Ryan Robinson has document 150 people moving to Austin each day and 40 leaving each day, for a net gain of 110. Can you imagine the U-Haul business?

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