So I think this year I'll actually be able to do the Fourth Annual Chasing Mailboxes Coffeeneuring Challenge for the first time! This is exciting because bikes + caffeine, but also because I have a few goals for myself in the process:
- Finding Good Coffee Shops - I'll actually be doing my riding in two (possibly three) different cities, and I'm always on the lookout for more coffee shops.
- Replacing My Mugs - I've cracked a couple of mugs in the past few months, and I'm not very happy about it.
- Playing with My Camera - While I have no eye for composition, I finally figured out what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are. Now I have to use this knowledge.
 |
| Picture from last year's furloughneuring |
Finding Good Coffee Shops
I live and work in DC mostly, but I also spend a considerable amount of time in Pittsburgh, and I have to say that I haven't really found a favorite coffee shop in either, to say nothing of a Top 3. This makes me very sad.
Washington, DC
I've been here about a year-and-a-half now, and I've been complaining about the lack of good coffee shops. I know my perception is partly because I live in the outer rim of DC which feels more suburban than urban. Also, this is the first time in my caffeine consuming life in which I haven't lived in either 1. Seattle, and/or 2. An area of the city that is dominated by students (especially prof/grad students). Which is to say that I have been spoiled in by previously living in coffee-shop-rich environments.
I think it's also relevant that I am now working far from an academic setting--the coffee vibe just feels different, like drinking coffee is a purely instrumental act and not so much an enjoyable experience. I don't really hang out at coffee shops anymore, and none of my current colleagues do so either.
So this is really the perfect time for me to start coffeeneuring because at this point in my life, going to a coffee shop is more of an excursion than a regular habit. May as well get a ride out of it too, check out city routes. I've gotten some recommendations from colleagues, but there's also a couple of lists I can draw from:
- DCist The 13 Best Coffee Shops In The D.C. Area
- Washington City Paper Young&Hungry: The Coffee Quarter
Pittsburgh, PA
I "live" one weekend out of the month and most holidays in Pittsburgh, but I still don't know it well so I depend on native Pittsburgher D to tell me about the coffee places, and he doesn't actually drink coffee (he makes excellent iced tea though). Lucky for me, in D's neighborhood as well as in the other neighborhoods we frequent (Pittsburgh is a city of neighborhoods), there are plenty of coffee shops. Still, I'd like to venture out and try a few new places, so here's hoping these lists are helpful:
- Pop City Great places to drink coffee in Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh Magazine The 7 Best Cups of Coffee in Pittsburgh
Replacing My Mugs
Here's my dirty secret: I haven't actually been drinking coffee regularly the past year. I still enjoy it, but most mornings I've been drinking tea because it's been more convenient. Unfortunately, the requirement that you use boiling hot water means that I've cracked a couple of my mugs. It's a shame, because both the mugs broke were gifts, and I really loved them. The one pictured below I had for years--it's from Yellowstone, and has a little moose on it.
 |
| The first time it happened I blamed the mug. The second time it happened I blamed myself. I am not a statistician. |
Playing with My Camera
D got me a fancy camera last Christmas, but I didn't really know how to use it properly (as my pictures from the Brompton U.S. Championship can attest). I told D I really wanted to learn more about photography and actually make good use of my gift, so D and I searched for a decent book, finally settling on Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll. As a novice, I really appreciated the basic explanation of what a camera is, how its components function, and the principle of light as your subject. I feel like I can actually attempt to read my camera's manual now, and dissect what it's saying.
 |
| In addition to the helpful tips, the book itself well-designed |
Anyway, it's probably a cliche or stereotype or something to do the bike and camera thing, but I'd like to try out the different aspects of using my camera I learned in that book. Getting out and about in a relaxed ride seems like a good way to do that.
No comments:
Post a Comment