experiences – Art. Yoga. Adventure. Life on the Road.

Hipster coffee in Scottsdale

As a Seattle transplant to The Valley of Sun I have found nearly everything to be a welcomed change of pace. Less traffic, faster drivers, more sun, etc.

But one thing that Seattle wins at is (not surprisingly) coffee. Plop yourself on nearly any city street of Seattle and you will find yourself in the nearby radius of a turbo cool, small business coffee shop that takes their beans (and themselves) very, very seriously.

Now, I’m not against big box coffee shops per se. But I do love supporting small businesses and I do love a hipster coffee shop where the foam is light and the roast is dark.

So if you find yourself in the Scottsdale area and on the hunt for a good cup of joe, here are two places to try.

1) Mythical Coffee: 10269 N Scottsdale Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85253

Mythical coffee was the first hidden gem I discovered in Scottsdale. Started in Gilbert, this northern location uses their own roasted beans and even offers a monthly roasters box delivered right to your door.

For those looking for decaf, they offer an organic Honduran roast that is Swiss water processed. The coffee shop itself is HUGE, complete with plenty of work tables and couches to hang out on. Lovely.

2) Street Brew Coffee: 10634 N 71st Pl, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

I found this place killing time while running an errand in the neighborhood l, and find myself stopping back in time and time again. While they do not roast their own, they partner with a local roaster who provides them their beans.

They have a simple menu, homemade pastries, and a nitro brew on tap. The space is small but offers a few tables and a nice couch set up for those who work remote or just want to get out of the house.

How to see FREE Art in San Francisco

If you are like me, art plays a central role in any trip. From paintings to architecture to weird one-person performance pieces, tuning into art on a trip adds an important dimension to all of my travels.

In a place like San Francisco, where the art world is thriving, it can be hard to narrow down exactly what to see, especially if you are short on time. How do you prioritize? And with any trip, there is always the decision point of what to spend money on and where to save. If you are going to San Francisco, don’t let the art slip by. Here is how to see some beautiful works, and for FREE!

Go For The Gallery

Galleries line the streets in SF, and can be found in most neighborhoods. The highest concentration of these galleries live between Union Square and The Tenderloin districts, specifically on the streets running east/west. Geary, Sutter, and Post streets all have excellent galleries with collections from very famous artists.

The collections are for sale and often the spaces are smaller, but there are no lines, no fees for entrance, and excellent variety of unique pieces you will not see in larger museums.

On this trip, we stumbled into the Christopher-Clark Fine Art gallery (where we were introduced to the artist Mr. Brainwash, who, according to the gallery staff, is a protégé of Banksy. He was already a street artist when Banksy discovered him and took him under his wing. His pieces are layered and complex and visually very, very cool.

As we perused the rest of the gallery, we discovered a collection of Salvador Dali pieces, as well as a collection of Pieces by Matisse and Rembrandt. It was an exceptional collection, and best of all, no lines and free!

Next we hit openings at two smaller galleries on Sutter. At Hashimoto Contemporary gallery we saw the opening of Scott Albrecht’s exhibit “Holding Time”, a Brooklyn based artist displaying his signature graphic relief paintings and sculpture.

After checking out his beautiful works, we popped into the gallery next door, Glass Rice, where another opening was in progress.

Gallery hopping in San Francisco is a lovely way to see unique pieces by famous artists and fabulous new works by emerging artists. If you are traveling to San Francisco, be sure to add this to your itinerary to add an extra dimension to your experience.

Renting Bikes in Amsterdam

“I think it’s just up here.” Brie was leading us to the bike rental shop, eyes steady on her phone as the little dot on Google Maps brought us to our destination. It was our second day in Amsterdam, and, jetlagged, we found ourselves out the door so early our voices echoed off the buildings.

We lifted our gaze to find the address and realized we were no longer alone. The man in our path was close to seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and a mop of wild curls pointing in every direction. And he appeared to be…dancing. He spun around in tight circles, eyes closed, smile on his face, jumping high and clapping his hands to a beat only he could hear.

Brie and I shared a glance. Years of city living conditions you for how to respond in moments like this: trying to remain neutral when a naked man boards the train, crossing the street when a woman screaming at herself starts moving your way. We slowed our pace, assessing the situation: Was he coming home from an all-night bender on cocaine? Was this a psychotic episode? A whirling dervish? Our new friend did a quick spin through an open door. That’s when we saw it: “Bike Rental”

We had arrived.

He danced back out of the shop and onto the street. We approached slowly, steeling ourselves.

“I have a reservation?” Brie held out her phone, showing him the screen.

“YES!” He screamed at us in a thick Greek accent. “WONDERFUL!”

He danced around us in a circle. “MY NAME IS NICO!” He shouted. “NICO IS A GREEK NAME! I AM GREEK!” His voice lowered conspiratorially as he leaned down towards us. “This is the name that is born from Nicholas, which means ‘victory of the people’. What are your names?” We answered obediently. A cloud of confusion passed over his face when Brie introduced herself.

“Like the cheese.” She offered.

The cloud cleared and his smile was back. He clapped his hands together and did a spin, laughing loudly. “BRIE!” He screamed. “BRIE! LIKE THE CHEESE!”

We got down to the business of choosing our large, slow bikes, all of which were tattered and in questionable repair. He continued to dance around us, arms akimbo. “Okay! Now! You give me your license in exchange for the bike.” Handing over an important document to any stranger draws a beat of trepidation, but this had me wondering what the Dutch black market looked like for American Driver’s Licenses.

Then I felt something shift. Instead of feeling nervous, I found myself feeling… charmed. Nico was full of verve and delight, dancing his way through life, radiating joy. I thought about my own guardedness and felt something soften. Why was I not dancing through life? When had I become so tough?

As we pedaled away from Nico and our important documents, I promised myself to let down my guard a little more, and to let joy in.

Just like Nico.