My love affair with coffee started back when I was a kid. In the kitchen of my grandmother's house, with her percolator pot always standing watch, I'd go to her living room, climb on the arm of my grandfather's chair and carefully bring down a special cup and saucer from the bookshelf that I would drink my coffee from. I'm not entirely sure why I would pick this particular cup - I probably saw it in a movie once and thought "YES, I shall do that too!" (Wild Imagination, NOT GEORGE!). From there I would fill the cup with a spoon full of sugar (cue music), and another and another, a little milk, and if there was room left, some coffee. I'm surprised I still have teeth in my head.
A few years later, it was thought that anyone with asthma, children especially, could prevent attacks simply by drinking coffee. Sign-me-up! From there, it was coffee with friends when we all got our licenses, gallons of it to keep me awake during college and grad school, and then it was for the safety and protection of those around me to hand me coffee and no one would get hurt! When I started to watch Gilmore Girls I quickly felt the connection Lorelai and Rory had for it. If you know the Broadway Show How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, you know the song "Coffee Break" holds a spot near and dear to my heart. It is with this need for this wonder liquid (and the safety of all those around me) that I look for a great cup no matter where I venture, which brings me to today's adventure out.
The weather in my current area has turned very cold, but I'm not surprised. What do you expect from "Canada-South"? With a high of 19 degrees, Ruby the Suby and I ventured off into the tundra to find coffee for me, and an oil change for her. If I can I try to shop local, especially when it comes to local dining establishments. Enter from boulevard-right (stage-right) Lakeside Coffee in Rouses Point, New York.
If you're in the area, or are planning a trip to the North Country of New York, or even Vermont, you do not want to miss this amazing little shop that sits on the shores of Lake Champlain. From the moment you enter its welcome doors you're greeted with a very cheery hello, a friendly smile, and delightful conversation. It's as if I knew those who worked behind the counter for years the way in which we carried on about nothing at all. The smell of fresh coffee roasting, to the sounds of the espresso machine gurgling and steaming, you can't wait to taste what they're brewing. Light fare in dining make it the perfect place to grab coffee, a muffin, and (when the weather is nice) grab a seat out back at the lake. If outside isn't your idea of a dining location, you can sit inside at one of the tables and watch the sleepy town of Rouses Point pass you by. The selection of food, beverages, an gifts to buy make this a destination worth stopping in to see. From local residents, to the truckers that pass through from Vermont to destinations unknown, the greeting and the smiles (you can tell under their masks) are the same. They are just so grateful stopped in and it makes you want to come back again and again. Ruby and I will definitely be returning, and helping to support the local community. After all, what's a quaint little town without a neighborhood coffee shop?
What's Your Next Adventure?
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