Coffee Shop Exploration
You know what I miss most since we’ve locked down? Coffee shops. Specifically, sitting in coffee shops, sipping my drink, drawing or writing or reading, people watching, and generally absorbing the atmosphere. Before, I used to go at least once a week, and sometimes I would see a coffee shop I’d never been to before and make it a priority to hit it up when I had the chance, or I’d specifically look for one in a town or part of the city I didn’t usually frequent, so I could absorb a new and different atmosphere. One of my favorite things, when I go some place new, is scoping out the coffee shops. Coffee shops are almost liminal places, you know? They’re not quite local to their environment, since they tend to host a mix of locals and people just passing through, and there’s something universal about them, whether you’re at your shop around the corner, three states over, across the country, or even in some foreign locales. Vacations with the whole family can get a little overwhelming over time, so what I used to do, when we went road tripping or whatever, was get up early, before I’d be needed for anything or by anybody, and walk to a nearby coffee shop. What I did there varied—normally I would write, since I logically understand that vacations and writing don’t always mix but that doesn’t seem to always fix the need to write, but sometimes I would draw, or read,…