CLICK HERE for more pictures from the road
Hello family and friends. We're alive, happy and well.Leaving Los Angeles—and mainland USA—was a very hard thing to do because we have so much love for everyone in our lives. In so many ways, L.A. will always be home.
It's been 8 days on the road as we drive on the 10 Fwy to Orlando to ship our beloved Scion, which—by the way, has not let us down. Thank you, Toyota! We've stayed at some pretty moldy and stinky hotels that cost less than $50, but also some nicer ones with big pools and workout rooms. After all, you've got to have balance in life—even on a budget.
We wanted to "recon" as many coffeehouses as possible and stopped at various cafes along our route—averaging 300 miles (approx 5 hours) daily. Unfortunately, we don't have an MP3 player so our only entertainment was bad radio reception!There were some highlights, including:
San Dimas, CA—Coffee Klatch is the home of Heather Perry, 2007 U.S. Barista Champion (she also won in 2003) and placed 2nd in the 2007 World Barista Championship. Unfortunately, she wasn't there but her trophies were as well as banners and pictures of her winnings. The cafe was comfortable, homey and quiet. Cappuccino was 16oz and tasted more like a latte but was decent. We'd come back just for you, Heather!
Tucson, AZ—Cafe Passé is a cute little coffeehouse located on a very hip street (with a natural food market, bookstore and fashion boutiques). Sabine runs the joint and she did a great job given the moderate store traffic and large space. The menu had "The Bruce Lee"—2 shots of espresso with condensed milk...my kind of coffee.
Junction, TX—Sunshine Cafe + Bakery has the BEST BANANA CREAM PIE we've ever tasted. "I cook food," says the chef, "the way food is supposed to taste." The salad was HUGE and so were the drinks. The "regular" lemonade clocked in at 42oz. Everything is BIG in TEXAS. C'est vrai.Beaumont, TX—Frank's restaurant has been in business for over 40 years. Need we say more?
Gulfport, MS—No coffeehouse here but we just had to mention that two years after Hurricane Katrina this city is still in the dumps! Shattered and moldy buildings with roof tops blown off everywhere. It looked like a war-torn Third World country. We were SHOCKED. Is this America????
Tallahassee, FL—Bad Ass Coffee was one of the best-branded coffee chains we've ever been too. Their logo was EVERYWHERE in the store—from the ass himself (donkey mascot) to cups, stickers, T-shirts that read, "I love my Bad Ass attitude," and so forth.Tomorrow we head to Orlando and fly one-way to Rincon, PR. We're anxious, excited and nervous, but most of all—motivated!
Adios muchachos,
T2 + Mario
