The Coffee Crawl Sipping my way through New York City…one coffee shop at a time.

You read that correctly my fellow caffeine lovers, The Coffee Crawl is taking a week out of New York City and venturing across the states over to sunny Los Angeles. I’m here for work (well, my day job) this week and thought it would be pretty nifty to feature a completely new spot in a completely new city for me. I’m staying at the Marriott Marina del Rey in Venice Beach and let me tell you, it’s gorgeous. The views. The rooms. The food. It’s all simply phenomenal. When you do something in LA, you do it right, and this hotel certainly did. Well because I landed this afternoon at 12PM west coast time, I’ve been 3 hours behind my normal schedule. What that meant was this: “I’m dragging and I need coffee or I’m going to flat-out pass out.” I mean, it’s a simple enough fact to understand, and the best way for a coffee blogger to cure an afternoon slump is to…yes, you guessed it…get coffee.

So I did.

Luckily I’m traveling with a coworker who is originally from LA and more specifically this exact area. When she found out about The Coffee Crawl and that we would be in LA together this week, she insisted that I crawl to The Cow’s End Cafe. Taken right from their website, this spot is known for “where the locals hang” – and it was just that. By now you all should understand what I look for in a coffee shop and what really gets me going…or doesn’t for that matter. Well The Cow’s End Cafe hit me in all the right spots. From the local LAers hanging outside with their pooches to the easy-going laid back customers waiting for their drinks on the line inside, the vibe was that of perfection. There’s nothing I hate more than a stressful coffee experience and this cafe was anything but that. There was very low music, if any, and all the sounds that could be heard were that of the espresso machine pumping out its java goodness. The baristas were also incredibly chill and relaxed and even gave off a bit of a “hippy vibe.” And by that I mean the way they spoke, acted and assisted the customers in making their drink selections was just chill (with a few “yeah mans” thrown in for good measure).  The photos, as you can hopefully see, also tell the story of the personality of The Cow’s End. It’s quirky. It’s fun. It’s meant to bring a smile to your day, and it did just that for me successfully. I always appreciate a good grin and chuckle when enjoying my coffee.

And honestly, with cow’s being literally all over the entire shop, how could you not enjoy yourself here?! I mean, just look at the pictures. Amazing.

What really drew me here however, was their selection of fall drink flavors that are currently featured on their website: Pumpkin Pie Chai, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Frosted Cinnamon Bun, Red Apple Orchard. I basically salivate just writing those flavors. Obviously the pumpkin is what immediately drew me in, but the fact that it was Pumpkin Cheesecake?? Come on. Indulgence necessary. I ordered that latte as well as a Blondie (for good measure…I have to try everything!). The abundance of spice, nutmeg and cinnamon in the latte was delicious. It was smooth, tasty and hit the spot. If you’ve ever tried Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, it’s nothing like that. The overly sweet feeling that the Starbucks version leaves in your mouth was not present here. What I was left with was spicy, pumpkin-y happiness…without the film of sugar.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a shot of the latte or brownie, but hopefully from how it sounds, you get the drift that it was great. So if I have any LA readers out there, or if you’re planning a trip out west soon, please try The Cow’s End Cafe. Tell them The Coffee Crawl sent you!

This week was a bit of a random week for the Crawl. Perusing SoHo and happening upon various cafes and shops are what make up the best random New York City, lazy weekends. Part of this random walking led me down the cobble-stoned section of Crosby Street near East Houston, to the Housing Works. For those of you who don’t know, and this is taken right from the Housing Works website, “Housing Works is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.” Powerful. Impressive. Amazing. I’ve actually purchased something through their services before, a used red couch. It was the very first piece of furniture that I bought myself upon moving into New York City from Virginia. I was so incredibly proud that I could afford such a thing as a couch PLUS queen-sized bed tucked away inside. Yep, my very own fold out couch. I was in love. And, red?? It matched my lime green walls (painted so because of my obsession with the musical Wicked). Sorry for the tangent there. Housing Works truly is an amazing member of the community here in the City in their pursuit of helping to find a cure for that terrible disease. That being said, I just want to say a big thank you to the Housing Works for all that they do on a daily, no hourly, basis.

I knew that once I selected to Crawl to the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe that it wouldn’t be an experience akin to that of Birch Coffee. It’s a completely different atmosphere and environment. The location of the bookstore appears to be that of a large, old, warehouse or other storage room. The ceilings were high. The floors were all original hardwood. The walls were stacked to the ceiling with used books upon used books. For the bibliophiles out there, this place should be on your bucketlist. Especially for myself, I love used books. Although we live in an age of iPads, Kindles and other various e-readers, I still gravitate to my trusty old book – an even better if it’s used. The texture, the smell, the history that comes along with a used book is priceless. The life that it’s led is simply astounding. Needless to say, I was in book and coffee heaven.

The patrons of the bookstore were also a perfect fit for my day. All relaxed, East Village-artsy, book lovers. The atmosphere wouldn’t have been complete without them. You could just sense the air of relaxation permeating throughout the space. That calmness, that relaxing-with-nowhere-to-go vibe is exactly what I look for in a coffee shop (and, well, bookstore). If you remember correctly, the reason why I first started on my coffee crawl was to seek out why New Yorkers loved coffee and coffee shops so much. It’s a place such as the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe that make me see why people love relaxing in coffee shops. All that it was missing was a giant comfy couch and fireplace to curl up into. And honestly, that’s my secret passion (well not so secret anymore) – starting my own coffee shop in the City. Staring the Coffee Crawl. Attending business school and receiving my MBA. All were done with the endgame being opening my dream. I’ve refused to give up on that dream and I hope that you follow me on this path to realizing it.

Towards the very back of the bookstore was a cute neon “bar” sign next to a Pabst Blue Ribbon antique sign denoting that this was the spot for coffee and treats. Yum. I ordered the usual latte and tried out their cinnamon roll and Pumpkin bread. Of course pumpkin. As I mentioned earlier, Housing Works Bookstore Cafe isn’t what you’d call a true cafe or coffee shop. You went there for the books, the mission of helping out those living with HIV / AIDS and donated / tipped them for added help. The cinnamon roll was good enough, the pumpkin bread was great and definitely baked fresh that day, the latte was a latte. I was able to check out various Halloween books while enjoying my treats so I had a great time.

I would love everyone to check out the Housing Works mission and give their website and cafe a look and visit (if you’re ever in the SoHo area). The good vibes, the positive atmosphere and the beautiful people will make it all worth it. And your heart will feel so good when you’re done.

Happy National Coffee Day everyone! Well, yesterday was National Coffee Day and I decided to Crawl that day and blog about the experience today. I love how NCD coincides so nicely with the start of fall, the beginning of pumpkin flavors infusing everything around me and the weather changing. It’s like heaven on earth this time of year. Well for this week’s edition of the Crawl, inspiration struck me not only from my handy-dandy guide but also from walking through Union Square and always seeing the fabulous little burnt orange Mud truck. For those of you not familiar with the City-wide famous Mud truck, it’s a…well…truck that sells Mud coffee. It was in existence well before the whole food truck craze and has lasted straight through it. It’s famous for its strong yet flavorful coffee, as well as their delicious baked goods. I remembered one day awhile back asking if they had a store location but that was before The Coffee Crawl was published. (Wow, those days seem so long ago. Walking around New York City for something to do, somewhere to go, some way to have fun. This was before I had a “normal” 9-5 job when I would work at Billy’s Bakery or wait tables. Long time ago. Sorry for the digress!) Anyway, looking through my guide, Mudspot popped up, and I knew I had to try it out this time.

Located at 307 East 9th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, I was making a venture out of my usual territory: East Village land. And to be quite honest, I loved it. The personalities. The people. The sights and sounds. The atmosphere. Everything was just so…different…from the West Village. You would think that 6 avenue blocks wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but boy did it. The most noticeable difference between the two neighborhoods were just the people’s attitudes. Inside and outside of Mudspot everyone was a little more relaxed and “cool.” It was nice not to feel so rushed by rude New Yorkers all the time. Yes I live in and love the West Village but we can have some attitudes over here. That was the first main difference. The second difference being the coffee shop atmosphere, which you can say goes hand in hand with my previous statement. The baristas, employees and customers made the coffee experience amazing to enjoy. The friendliness, helpfulness of what to try out (being new to this part of town) and all around cheery demeanor made my crawl with Mudspot a fantastic one.

I was able to score a seat in the window at Mudspot which was a “help yourself” place to sit. The majority of the coffee shop being table service, I simply wanted to enjoy my coffee and snack without annoying the waitstaff with taking up a table (although I don’t think they would have been annoyed – remember the cheery demeanor?) The front half of the shop was of course the barista station with a bar area to sit at which led down a narrow hallway, opening up in the restaurant portion. There were probably a total of 6 tables inside, which then opened up into a cute little garden outside with much more places to sit. It was covered and decorated in a bohemian-chic style making it very pleasant to sit and enjoy your selection of food and drink. The bathroom was every super cute (small, but cute) with a lovely little stained glass window leading outside (don’t worry, you can’t see in and you can’t see out – I was worried for a second but all ended up being fine).

Back to the food. Mudspot featured a full American style menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner fare as well as freshly baked (in-house!) muffins, cookies and brownies. Brownies! Huge brownies. I definitely snatched one of those up (chocolate brownie with chocolate chips) as well as a carrot, apple cinnamon, pecan muffin (now that’s a mouthful – of food…and words). The brownie was quite literally the most fresh, moist and delicious brownie that I’ve ever tried. Ever. It almost melted in my mouth it was so scrumptious. The muffin was good as well, definitely something I would order for breakfast though. Both treats, you could tell, were fresh from the oven baked on-site. I just love when coffee shops and bakeries take the care to make their food in-house. It adds that little touch of “home.” The coffee: divine and strong. Probably one of the best coffees I’ve yet to experience in New York City, only next time I need to do so in one of their cute burnt orange Mud Mugs. I want one!! That’s probably why so many bakeries and coffee shops in the city outsource their beans from Mud, because of the deliciousness and popularity: Smart choice New York City, smart choice.

The funny story about today’s crawl is that I’ve totally been to Birch Coffee before. About 8 years ago (wow, that’s dating me) I was the manager of a popular little cupcake bakery called Billy’s Bakery (yes I crawled here already). It was there that not only my obsession with cupcakes and sweets began, but obviously all things coffee and coffee shops. Sick, sick obsession. I also decided then and there that, one day, I would own a bakery / coffee shop and have it be the most glorious place in all of Manhattan…hey, I can dream can’t I?! Anyway, I digress. It was while I was at Billy’s Bakery that I heard about this place called Birch Coffee which was having a grand opening party. Being the curious little beaver that I was about the world of coffee shop entrepreneurship, I asked a friend to take me to the grand opening.

Then, as I was last weekend, I was in awe of the location. I mean, nestled inside of the Gershwin Hotel at 5 East 27th Street? Fabulous building to be a part of. The quirky design and aesthetic alone will draw you in. But the funny thing is that I didn’t really realize that Birch Coffee was the same place that I’d been to so many years prior that when I approached its doors I was instantly transported back to those memories. It was a fantastic feeling to remember the innocent days of wanting / dreaming / aspiring to own a coffee shop. Those wonderful little butterflies of excitement that danced inside me as I thought to myself, “wow, this could be me one day if I just put my mind to it.” I still have those hopes and wishes, they’re just on hold as continue to share with all of you my coffee crawling experiences.

I was already pleased with my experience this time with my crawl. Birch Coffee hadn’t changed much from the time that I was there other than the fact that it was bustling with customers. I was so pleased to see that the business is still thriving, with what appeared to be locals and tourists alike. Always a good sign of a great coffee shop when locals feel comfortable enough to plant themselves with their laptop, iPad, a good book or even better company. I found myself a seat by the window before I went up to place my order with the baristas – hey, it was a window seat, I wasn’t about to give that up! The food counter itself, along with the baristas, had great personality. Aside from being stacked to the brim with food and decorations (like the Birch Iced Coffee bottles featured), there was a fun chalkboard with daily “brain” written on it. The previous day’s answers could be found on the wall beside the food-ordering station. What a nifty idea! I would definitely come here every day with the little anticipation of seeing not only what the daily question was, but also to make sure that I was correct on yesterday’s! And actually, I have no idea what the answer to the question was for this weekend when I was. Do you think you know? If Birch reads this, maybe they can comment with the correct answer – inquiring minds want to know. After I placed my food and beverage order (which I’ll get to), I remembered there being an upstairs section to the coffee shop. Then, I saw a sign printed by the register that said, “for the library head into the hotel lobby and make a right.” So, like any good lover of scavenger hunts, I went for it. The path led me into the hotel’s interior staircase with their luggage carts and a sign that directed Birch patrons up the stone staircase to the library. The secluded little library was just perfect. Tucked away upstairs away from the bustle of the coffee shop proper, it is probably one of the best and most relaxing places in that neighborhood to catch a good read when you want to escape from the real world. Even though Birch is a good 20 minute walk from my apartment, I’ll probably venture over here to do a little of that myself. Love it.

Back to the food and drinks. I mean, what was I not going to order. You know me, I love my sweets, and with a scrumptious assortment of locally sourced and homemade muffins, cookies, brownies and more, I had to have some. I started with the chocolate chip cookie, which was gorgeous. Yes, it was so good that it was gorgeous. Try it, you’ll see. Then I moved on to the pumpkin cranberry bran muffin. I am also obsessed with all things pumpkin in the fall. That’s why every year, the first day that Starbucks brings back their phenomenal Pumpkin Spice Latte, I’m the first in line to place my order. Anyway, the muffin at Birch was good. A perfect breakfast option, especially for those of you wanting to be on the healthier side, this muffin definitely hit the spot. I finished my food frolic off with their chocolate-dipped macaroon. Now, I’m not normally a coconut eater, but this looked to good to pass up…and boy was a right. I think there must have been a whole can of condensed milk in just my macaroon because it was the most moist and yummy macaroon that has ever passed my lips. I also ordered myself a coffee (because I was craving it) and a mocha. The coffee that Birch used, the Birch Blend, was the perfect blend of sweet and strong espresso without being burnt or overpowering. It honestly just hit the spot to top off all of my sweet treats.

So, I hope all of you find your way over to Birch Coffee on 5 East 27th Street. Order yourself a large cup of coffee to stay, a chocolate chip cookie (or muffin for breakfast) and take yourself up to the library. You definitely won’t be disappointed and I’m positive you’ll be coming back for more memories the way I have. Enjoy!