What I Miss About Tallahassee

My trip up to Tallahassee this past weekend reminded me what I miss about it as a city. I'm refer not to the people, relationships, or student life, but the city itself, things that are unique to our state's capital. Tallahassee has an abundance of really good homegrown restaurants, Tallahassee originals, small shops that have grown enough to have one or two locations in the city, but nowhere else. Hopkins Eatery, Cool Grindz (I ignore the tacky Z at the end for the sake of their White Chocolate Mochas, Cafe Con Leche and Chai Lattes), The Coffee Pub, The Pitaria, and One Fresh Stir-Fry are some of my favorites. Even better, I have memories tied to each and every one of these.

I used to go the the Pitaria during a break after some of my theatre classes because it was right down the street. It was also the last place I ate in Tallahassee before moving back to Orlando. I used to have D-Group at the Cool Grindz downtown when we got tired of the ever busy Starbucks. C. and I used to chat with the baristas while they made our drinks at the one on Monroe and Tharpe. One Fresh was an after-church favorite. They also have amusing signs in the dining area.I took a picture of this one for Dad. If you can't read it through the glare, it says "Did You Close Your Garage Door?" Sound Familiar?

The Coffee Pub was probably my favorite study spot, especially in the mid-afternoon before all of the college kids got there. They had these really comfortable chairs in the corner by the window which allowed for copious amounts of people watching and a good deal of studying as well. That's where I studied for my Modern British Lit exam, and where I wrote the first few pages of a Senior Seminar paper. On one occasion, I was surprised to find non-college students in a very college-type coffee shop. I had grown accustomed to the evening hours when every seat was occupied by laptop laden students. So, one Wednesday morning I was surprised to see a few older ladies walk in with their knitting to sit, drink coffee and chat.