Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Starbucks

This weekend I went for a walk around my neighborhood with a good friend who lives in a slightly more “suburbany” area. We talked about the differences between city living and sort-of suburban living, and I noticed how often I raised the “I can walk to three coffee shops” flag as a source of pride. It seems silly, but yes, I am choosing to live in the city and give up the huge house and even huger yard for the sake of my daily walks to Java Train and Como Park. There is just something about the fact that every house on our streets looks so completely different from its neighbor, or that people live so close to each other they can share gardens, that really appeals to us. I understand, sort of, the allure of Woodbury or Plymouth or even St. Michael, where a friend of mine recently built a mega McMansion. I get that small children can ride their bikes in relative safety of the cul-de-sac and that the chances of three St. Thomas students renting the house directly across the street is smaller than in my neighborhood of West Como. I also get that you can probably build a 4000 sq. ft. house in St. Michael for a fraction of the cost it would be here. And maybe, some day, I may (hand to heart, deep breath…) choose to move out a bit further from the center of it all. But for now, as I approach 40 and am considering giving this whole parenting thing a try, I could not be happier in my tiny house and my tiny yard and my tiny porch on a street that end-caps in two privately owned coffee shops. Which brings me to my next subject.

It seems that mom-and-pop coffee shops are the last of the privately held small businesses to continue to flourish. Java Train down the bend is never empty, and they have just added a beautiful patio. On the other side of us, the Coffee Grounds showcases local music. They don't do that at Starbucks.

The whole Caribou/Islam thing confuses and saddens me, because I do like their coffee but as a Jewish girl born and raised in Israel, I feel guilty every time I go there. I tried to read about the subject a bit, but I still don’t really get it and being torn just makes me anxious so I stick with what I know: shop local. Support your local (and privately owned) coffee shops, ice cream shops, and bookstores. Put your money where your heart and home is, people, and we will all be better off for it.

It is a beautiful day outside, isn’t it? I just got back from the dentist (which I hate, but not as much as Voix does) and it wasn’t so bad. I got to drive down Summit Avenue, which is just so darn lovely. I am just in love with my life. Or maybe it’s the tall Cold Press…either way. Happy day everyone.