8/12

Overdid it with the caffeine.

Spent the day exploring, once again, the Shoreditch neighborhood of East London; ultra-hipster, quaint, just far enough away from the core of the city center…

My first stop this morning (afternoon?) was at a coffeeshop just across from the Tower of London. Stomach rumbling, head aching from a night of ball-pit frolicking, gin-drinking blasphemy, I bopped into the cafe of a four-star hotel out of necessity. Once inside, I was greeted by a perky guy who spent an exorbitant amount time explaining the various pastries underneath the thick glass dome. I obliged him and purchased an dark-chocolate, orange lump of loaf along with my Flat White. The space was sterile yet charming. The ultra-clean marble-lined tables alongside the saturated colorful artwork left me wondering if the place had ever seen any real sit-down customers.

After clicking away for awhile on my laptop, I overheard the barista talking to another cafe customer about the City of London during this time of year. He explained to her that the city center around the area where I am staying is generally vacant as a result of some political, financial reasons. I decided to take him up in conversation about the city, its culture, and where to go next.

Thirty minutes later, I have learned about probably a dozen nuggets of dining, drinking, and exploring in London. A paper receipt scribbled with 7 different specialty coffeeshops along with the names of the best baristas at each place has me now tackling a new goal: drink the best coffees by the best baristas in London.

Fast forward to three train rides, four miles of walking and a smoked-salmon and cream-cheese lunch and I’m now half way through an espresso sourced from Kenya that is highly citric, immensely powerful and actually keeping me from doing my real work..

8/14

Two days, four coffeeshops later.

Kafein, PrufRock, Climpsons & Sons, Mare St. Market

Each shop in a different area of London; my way of travel. Never would I have had the same opportunity to “come across” these specialty coffee shops without the help of a local, deeply embedded into the scene.

Business ventures on the horizon.