Last weekend I went on a quick day trip to Milwaukee. The weather was nice so I decided it was a good time to head up there. It was a little depressing because so many stores had gone out of business or closed locations. One of my favorite Salvation Army stores was no longer there. The Thrifty thrift store directly across from it had closed its doors about a year earlier. It seems that it is not only the regular retail stores that are closing their doors.
For lunch we stopped at this cafe that served various sandwiches, coffees and baked goods. I will not mention the name because although I am going to share a bizarre story, the food was really good. I am not sure if you have picked up on the fact that I am a big espresso drinker. It is the only coffee I drink because it was the first coffee I ever drank. I was well into adulthood and out of grad school when I tried my first coffee which was an espresso in Italy. I have been drinking it veer since and have never actually been one to drink American style coffee. There is a reason I am giving this background. I like it simple. Two shots of espresso in a demi tasse. That is all I require. No foam, milk, flavors...nothing. So, this cafe had a chalkboard full of coffee drinks. Latte, mocha, breve, americano, flavored....you know what I mean. There was a charge for extra shots, etc. I stared at that board fro quite some time. I could not find espresso. I asked the server if they had espresso. She said "yes". I then said that I would like an espresso. OK, this is the part where she stared at me like I had grown a third eye. She then asked "Do you mean that you only want the espresso shots?!?" Ummm, yeah. She still looked at me like I was a serial killer. Anyway, I received two shots of espresso in this HUGE coffee mug. This is why I bring this up. Milwaukee is a small city, but it is still a city. This was not a Mom and Pop cafe. It was a cafe with several locations ( I am guessing that it might be a chain). It is not as if Milwaukee is in some secluded part of the country. Am I the only one that cannot believe this place had never heard of someone drinking an espresso? Is it just me? Sorry. Mini-rant.
For quite awhile I had heard about Paper Boat boutique and gallery. I went to check out the location online before leaving for Milwaukee only to find out that it will be closing on May 31. It is too bad. I was glad that I had the chance to go before it closed.
They carry goods from many indie artists and crafters.
It is a nice little space with some great stuff.
...and this guy guarding the front door.
2 comments:
Milwaukee! I would like to think it was only the server who had never heard of espresso. Oh, I remember hearing "expresso" quite a few times on campus in Madison, WI. So who knows... ;-)
I would like to think you are right. :P
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