Gone Adventuring

Oh man, oh man, oh man! 

The 2" of snow and ice has melted, the sun's rays are out, and life is la dolce vita.

On Saturday mornings in the spring and summer, I wake up ravenous for a good adventure, usually fueled by wanting to explore a new neighborhood Joe and I don't visit very often, and a sweet Scoutmob deal. 

Today, we wandered from our abode in Midtown and strolled over to the Eastside Trail, where we continued on to Poncey-Highlands. Since all of our work and play usually happens on the Westside (best side!), it's rare that we get over to the other side of town. Alas, we hustled ourselves over to JavaVino, an awesome little coffee shop, wine bar, and small deli. It's everything you expect a place like this to be: warm and cozy with well-worn tables and chairs, leather couches that are the consistency of butter, and amazing light streaming through the windows. I ordered the Deli In My Belly wrap, and a frothed to perfection cappuccino.

Now, for a moment of small world-ness: 

Joe is great friends with Russell, a coffee roaster serving fresh brewed drinks in the Blacksburg, Virginia area. He's taught Joe so much about coffee over the years, especially at his old haunt, Easy Chair. With great taste comes great expectations, so when we sat down and started reading one of the framed images of a coffee farm, it turned out to be his favorite — Selva Negra from Nicaragua. We knew this had instantly become our new favorite place. 

After chatting and indulging our pedestrian legs, we headed up Ponce to marvel at the new Ponce City Market, and headed for our next destination(s): Whole Foods for a pint of High Road Ice Cream, and Home Depot for new kitchen succulents. High Road is near and dear to my heart, as they were one of my favorite On Branding guest experiences. Nicki, High Road's Chief Marketing Officer, let our crew taste real sorghum, try Vanilla Fleur de Sil straight from the vat, and sent us home with pints of Pumpkin Brioche Pudding the day before Thanksgiving. I love this brand, and I will support our local ice cream artisans to the end. 

Since we couldn't walk our ice cream and succulents home, we Uber-ed back with my favorite driver Yonas, and are settling in tonight with House of Cards (Season 2) and some dabbling in the studio. 

A most excellent Saturday of new adventures, warm weather, and fabulous company.

How have you spent your weekend so far, friends? Talk to me in the comments section below!