Coffee shops are rather romanticized these days but it’s probably because they are so conducive to productivity and imagination. Grab a seat in the corner of the shop, in front of the window. Watch people and pretend you know their stories. Listen to the hiss of steaming milk, and the sound of patrons’ conversations climbing over each other. In a coffee shop, my mind is both cluttered and uncluttered; it is focused, and my heart is calm. The fragrance of caffeine might be sharp and bitter but to me, it’s sweeter than candy. Coffee shops are about atmosphere, almost as much as they are about coffee.
Higher Ground Coffee – Belfountain, Caledon, ON
This is a bookstore in Kensington Market. The shop was small and cramped and the air was dusty and the books were bursting unevenly off the shelves, and it was beautiful. I’m sure this tiny place had a lot of old, hidden gems. I love bookstores so much. They’re quiet adventures, time machines, secret corners of the world hiding in plain sight. Nothing breathes magic like that.
Kensington Market, Toronto, ON
I think it’s funny how you can drive less than an hour from home and end up somewhere that feels so far away. I used to think small towns and endless rolling fields were too quiet and boring for me, but I think — like a lot of things in life — it’s all about perspective. At the end of the day, I’m still more cut out for the city. But there is charm in simplicity, if you allow yourself to embrace it.
Spirit Tree Estate Cidery – Terra Cotta,
Caledon, ON
