Adventuring Week 5: Coffee Shop Exploring

We are officially almost three months into 2015 and I'm already having a hard time staying committed to my "resolution" of finding new adventures. This expirement didn't really start off as a resolution because I'm not a big fan of that word, but it quickly became something I wanted to follow through for the rest of the year.

I'll be honest though, it hasn't always been easy. Even though I've decided to only post one "Adventuring" post every two weeks, even that isn't always simple. The truth is that the busyness of life often gets in the way and I find myself pushing my quest for new experiences to the end of the week and to the back of my priorities.

But I've been learning that adventure doesn't have to look the same every week. It's all about intentionality. And sometimes that's going to mean I don't have time for anything more adventurous than finding a new place to study- a different little coffee shop to spend time after classes. So that's exactly what I've been doing these past few weeks. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Tout Suite

This is a new modern coffee shop in the downtown area of my city. I love it most for its atmosphere. It's a cozy place to not be bothered for several hours (especially if you sit in my favorite spot, which I'll keep a secret ;). Honestly, the food is a little pricey, but the pastries are absolutely delicious.

The real reason I've been spending so much time here is because it's only a few minutes away from my university. It's close enough to avoid traffic, but still nice to get away from the usual environment of classes.

2. Inversion

I've only been to this shop a couple times, but I really love its location and the fact that it's attached to a little art gallery named The Art League of Houston. You can go in to the gallery and spend some time exploring when you need a study break.

And if you're a fan of sitting outside in the fresh air as I am, it's got a pretty nice outside seating area as well (the weather was so perfect when I took this picture)!

3. The Nook

This coffee shop is actually located on my college campus, which is why I've frequented it so often. They have got delicious hot chocolate, and I hear the coffee (which I don't drink) is also amazing.

The Nook is a little oasis away from the busyness of campus. It's also very close to our school's business college (where I practically live) and its owners are alumni, so I love that by going there I'm supporting entrepeneurs that graduated from my school.

The Nook also has some nice tables outside which I try to take advantage of everytime the weather is nice. It's really perfect for journaling and quiet times. :)

4. And finally... Starbucks

This might take away some of this posts hipster-cred (cause that's a thing, I hear), but the truth is that I end up at Starbucks often since there always happens to be one within a mile-radius away from me. (Isn't it like that everywhere?)

When it comes down to it, I love coffee shops because of their environment. They help me get away from my normal routine and get some real work done in the comfortable presence of strangers who are also busy working. That tends to always be true about Starbucks, no matter how familiar or "common" it is.

Coffee shop hopping is pretty popular these days, and I'll admit that after doing it so much for the past few weeks, I'm starting to see why. Don't let it be about the "cool" factor or the instagram posts, but it's worth it to explore your city and find new places to deal with the necessary busyness of life.

#adventuring #2015