Our food adventures are less adventurous these days. So a bag of churro smarshmallows is pretty exciting. We took a walk to the Starbucks and picked up a bag at a new market on the same block. I have my doubts whether it will survive, but at least we caught it before it closes!
And it was warm enough for iced coffee.
I’m not sure she was a huge fan of the marshmallows, though she did love the bottle of water with the straw. It can be easy to please a 2 year old.
S really wanted to ride the train. So we took a little trip via Bart 4 stops up the line to Rockridge. Coffee at Highwire, thumbprint cookie for me, palm tree sugar cookie for her. We’re always up for trying new coffee. She was quite entertained with the lobsters at the fish place, and she mentions them daily. Sadly, she’s already got the look of a zoned out commuter on the train.
Last weekend we walked around 4th Street in Berkeley. Of course, with a stop for coffee at Artis. There are a few locations: Hayes Valley and the Castro (SF), Berkeley..and Bangkok?
You might think they are changing the world by their mission statement:
To inspire a new generation of coffee lovers. We believe that coffee is a fascinating product that weaves together geography, culture and flavor into a single cup. We are about exploration, engagement and enjoyment of all things coffee.
Then over to the bay side where we checked out the water. It was windy. Very windy. There was some swing action, and the only way to extract S from that activity was the promise of water. Didn’t tell her she wouldn’t be able to touch it.
She’s saying: “don’t you dare take my fancy waffle away from me”. That’s a liege waffle. Lightly sprinkled with sugar in the waffle iron to form a nice crisp. I thought it was bad, $16 for 2 coffees, one waffle, one chocolate cookie. But then that family behind us had that, a lb of coffee, a beverage for the kid and they all had waffles, or maybe the egg toast. Whatever it was, they looked like they spent $50.
That’s when I thought this wasn’t so bad.
Philz Coffee. When I got here people raved about it. I’ve always been a Blue Bottle person. I didn’t understand. Now I do. I get it. Every single morning during the week. They grind the beans, make your cup to order, and use whipping cream. I prefer the Philtered Soul, but will do a Tesora every now and then. And when it’s warm? Then it’s time for the Iced Mint Mojito, of course.
Process: order coffee, go pay, come back to get your coffee. The New Yorker in me thinks this is ripe for someone to not pay. These folks out here must be trustworthy.
I don’t love the logo, but I’m willing to take it. Other locations have more of a community/hippy feel, but the Embarcadero location is a little different.
It’s a SF based chain, but there are LA locations, and one in Adams Morgan.
A new coffee place for me. People out here love it. I don’t love the logo or the ordering process but it was a great cup of coffee. They make each cup individually and you choose 1 of about 15 beans. They do dress it for you, which always throws me off.
I got in a bad habit of grabbing coffee on the way to work in NY. Everyday. I’m only allowed to go on Fridays! At least to start. 
We decided to explore and found a Blue Bottle in Oakland. Of course, Mark knew one of the baristas from New York. Cool space.
Only 2 weeks left in New York City. I still can’t believe we are moving. Not trying to fit in everything under the sun before we leave. Just some favorites.
We did take a day to roam the city during the week last Thursday: Blue Bottle coffee, attempt at our own photo shoot in the Meatpacking, coffee and pastry from Maison Kayser, chicken parm for lunch, afternoon drinks at Jams…
A Think Coffee opened up on our street, at the entrance of the High Line. Of course we had to give it a try. It was fine, not my favorite. But nice to hang out. I still can’t believe what the north end of the HL looks like these days. The Hudson Yards project must be over 40 stories at this point, with more of the smaller buildings going up around it now. Crazy.
Have I created a coffee snob? It’s really just an empty cup for her to chew on. But I’m afraid she’s going to want Blue Bottle exclusively. I had to take a picture with Candace, who is moving back to California this week. She’s been one of our favorite baristas at the Chelsea location. 
Jillie of All Trades 