Good Coffee is Good

I don’t know if you all know this, but good coffee shops and public restrooms (both converging into this thing called Starbucks) are mission-critical for us, the Nomadic American Workforce (NAW) (not to be confused with the shittier imposter organization with far fewer members – whom, while they have a better acronym than us, will never be as productive as our fine membership – Nomadic North American Worldwide Workforce [NNAWWW], screw those guys).

(P.S. if either of those organizations exist, any coincidence is purely coincidental, and if they don’t exist then why is naw.co selling for $10,500?)

To that end, I have been keeping a short list of really good coffeeshops across the West, in case it helps anyone else. And if you do end up going to one of the following places, tell them that guy who talks about Macs and iPhones on his AirPods for two+ shift changes sent you.

Note that the following list may change without notice.

You’ve been warmed.

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Good Coffee Shops in Washington:

Better Living Through Coffee
Port Townsend—Awesome and interesting breakfast and lunch food options like salmon quiche; "birds nest" with fried thin potatoes, onions, spinach, eggs; good scones and other baked goods like rugula. Excellent coffee options, including drip coffee brewed individually, order by order; efficient, friendly, and knowledgeable staff; ample assortment of seating options both inside and outside with views of Port Townsend Bay. On top of everything, some of the best coffeehouse music we’ve heard. This place inspired the whole post!

Cutters Point
Gig Harbor—Extremely friendly staff. Excellent breakfast burrito including vegetarian. Plenty of seating including outdoors with an indoor/outdoor fireplace, which is most welcome on cold drizzly days. Plus they serve booze, so don't just spend the whole day working there, hang around for happy hour!

Good Coffee Shops in Oregon:

Seastar Bakery
Portland—Amazingly delicious and robust “Advanced Toasts” make great breakfasts. Snack on and on and on on interesting muffins and pastries, cookies… lunch… and then the whole place converts to a pizza joint at night, using the same wood-fired oven. Yum. Coffee is pretty standard for Portland – in that every place in Portland has the very best coffee anywhere.

Good Coffee Shops in California:

Taylor Lane Organic Coffee
Sebastopol—Part of what makes Sebastopol so great for nomadic living (besides everything) is this coffee place, which we almost didn’t find, having changed their name from Taylor Maid to Taylor Lane on the day we arrived. Plenty of room to sit and work for awhile, lots of electrical outlets, good coffee and baked goods… what more would you need?

Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet
Tahoe City—Acclaimed the “Best Coffee on the Lake” and we agree. Plus deliciousness in the form of food made to order or bought to make later, and extremely fast WiFi.

Good Coffee Shops in Nevada:

Coffeebar
Reno— The local place “to be seen.” Always buzzing with a cool ambiance and LOTS of people, featuring pages from Italian to English dictionaries viewable under the glass table tops - simpatico! Seating for miles, both inside and out. This place could use a few more electrical outlets and faster WiFi, but the coffee was consistently good, and the food options were excellent (V, GF). The vegetarian breakfast burrito served with chipotle aioli was a perfect start to more than one day. Bonus tip: Wild Garlic Pizza and Pub next door has delicious food and awesome service, plus a high likelihood of great conversation - two new friends from Reno bought our meal!

Two States Ago

“Are you ready to leave California?”

Joe asked.

“Nooo!!! … – I mean, sure...”

Ashleigh answered.

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“Pick a box. Its contents will help you on your way.”

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Two of the options on the Pick a box screen – green leaf and mushroom – clear tributes to two tools oft used by game designers, certainly creative types – and obvious inspirations for the Super Mario Bros. 3 game at this bar in Oregon (“Ashland’s Most Ashlandiest”).

Day three in Ashland, we got to thinking about a seldom considered aspect of this trip: “Where would we live?” The honor and the irony inherent in the asking, is the fact that we have a support system and a strong family structure – most of which happens to be centered in the Northeast.

But c’mon, the whole coast of California, of Oregon, of Washington State. The San Francisco Bay Area, Portland, Seattle; the Olympic Peninsula, the entire Pacific Northwest... just to start. Sebastopol. Ashland. And on and on...

But, our families...

Such a high bar is set for us to even consider moving out West.

But—the West!

“Anywhere that’s wild.”

Arriving in San Francisco in 1868, John Muir asked a carpenter for “the nearest way out of town to the wild part of the State.”

the carpenter responded “where do you wish to go?”

John Muir’s response:

“Anywhere that's wild.”

On the way to Yosemite Valley for the first time, Muir shunned the "orthodox route," for "we had plenty of time," he said, and proposed “drifting leisurely mountain ward by the Santa Clara Valley, Pacheco Pass, and the San Joaquin Valley, and thence to Yosemite by any road that we chanced to find; enjoying the flowers and light; camping out in our blankets wherever overtaken by night and paying very little compliance to roads or times."

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We are on the threshold of Tioga Pass, the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park, having dry camped last night at a free site with views of Mono Lake on the driver’s side and the Sierras on the starboard.

I’m cherishing my insulated mug, iced with dark cold brew.

John Muir drank purple tea he made by soaking sequoia cones in water, “hoping thereby to improve my color and render myself more tree-wise and sequoical.”

I just love that.