When you eat or drink, there is either the kind where you are simply getting sustenance to live and there is the kind where you are eating as you enjoy an experience. It could be the sights and sounds, the atmosphere, or the people. This was the latter of the two.
This is the type of place you only find by accident if you are not an active student on campus. It had been years since I attended the campus so parcels of land had certainly changed. Retailers had come and gone. Some of the landscaping had been removed and there were certainly new additions. The same could be said about buildings in the area. In spite of this, there were areas that looked unchanged.
After grabbing some pizza and salad at one of the popular hangouts from my time as a full time student, I noticed in the shade across the side road that there was a coffee shop. I laughed a little inside because I could picture hipsters lounging outside sipping their favorite flavored beverage while either doing school work or debating the meaning of the universe in their pajamas no less. Of course there was free wifi available. Having been on my best behavior at dinner and eating in moderation, I decided to check it out.
Inside there were organic and natural products for sale, homemade baked goods, and school supplies for those actually studying while patrons here. The building looked like it had been repurposed and had a rustic, nostalgic feel considering I had never known the place in the time that I worked and attended class in the area.
The menu resembled some chain shops but with some local original entrees that stood out. You could sit inside at tables, sit at a counter, or lounge on comfortable lounge chairs or benches outside. I decided to get an herbal tea and a crumbled apple turnover like pastry. It was not the most beautiful thing I had ever seen but it certainly was great in its own special way. Yes, it was kind of artsy fartsy but it was one of those experiences that you do not usually get from a chain of establishments.
Enjoy and explore well!
