DETOUR: To Sweetwaters Cafe

It looks like plot #2 from the last blog entry has won the vote! This elevates the idea of writing in a coffee shop as the appropriate atmosphere.

Today I am visiting a friend on the north side of Ann Arbor and so I have taken a detour away from the Ypsilanti coffee shop list to explore Sweetwaters. This means that this coffee shop will probably never be the one I choose to write at regularly, but I do work down the street from it and have thought about moving to this side of town, so you never know in the future it might be.

The walls separating the shop from the outside are all glass windows, which made taking pictures a challenge, but it does add a bit of romanticism to the place when you look outside and see a snowy scene like today. In fact, I'm kinda loving it here right now watching the snow fall on the tree branches as the street light blinks on the corner of Plymouth and Green road.

Also, there is a patio at the back corner of the Sweetwaters that allows customers to sit outside when the weather is nice. I always like to have the option of being outside, this probably comes from all the days I am stuck at work or was stuck in school and am unable to go outside.

I am sitting at a high top table near an outlet today, but there is four arm chairs in front of the fireplace that also look like they would've been a cozy place to become lost in thought.

The drinks taste good and are moderately priced. I ordered a small soy Chai latte for about $3.65, which seems about average for coffee shop drinks. Oh! But did I mention the sweets?! I wish it wasn't right after Christmas and I wasn't trying to be good or I would order what looks like one of the most delectable frosted cupcakes or cheesecake I have ever seen! They also have chocolate cake called "OMG! Chocolate cake," which can be ordered al a mode and looks so delicious it would probably take an entire year to burn off the calories.

As far as the corporate factor Sweetwaters is a corporation, but its a corporation that started out and is only located in Ann Arbor...so it doesn't seem as evil as some corporations which put the little guys out of business.

I also love these cute little tea pots that they have on display. My friend told me she bought one for her sister for Christmas and they pop just enough color in the room, where I can see why they would make a great happy little gift.

Let's Take a Vote: Which would you read?

I have had my car back for about two weeks now, but due
to the holiday season I have been a bit of a slacker on the blog front.

First of all, I want to cheer for my two new followers...yay!! I really appreciate your support and look forward to any comments you want to make in the future. If anyone else out there is reading regularly and wants to become a follower your support would be appreciated as well. :)

Anyway, I am completely prepared for the holiday season now and in just a few days things will be calming down with the light work week after the holidays before next semester starts. I will continue exploring coffee shops, but I want to select ONE writing project...instead of the many I have started now.

This is where you come in dear reader, please help me decide:



1. The Underwater Story- a young adult trilogy I started to create when I was in the fifth grade about two teens and their younger siblings that discover their past is connected to a magical underwater world.

2. The Bitchin' Baristas- A slightly older series of twenty-somethin' girls who work in a coffee shop posing as our modern day Cinderellas. There is romance, there is heartbreak and there are typical jerks for bosses as they struggle
to earn a living.




3. Entanglement- A play that demonstrates we are all connected in a way where we are "entangled" with each other and the people of our past trap us like a web.

4. The Fairy Godmother Business- After going through multiple unsuccessful careers and relationships Lola decides to convince her friend Trish to
start T he Fairy Godmother business- a top secret business dedicated to creating, preparing and helping women through the experience of the perfect "Cinderella" evening.

Which are you most interested in reading? Vote on idea 1, 2, 3 or 4

Hanging Out in a Basement near a Church: The Common Cup

Starting tomorrow, I will be car-less indefinitely while it gets fixed at the collision shop, but don't worry I am fine. While it was parked in the street someone backed out of their driveway and hit it. Note to self: never park behind driveway EVER again.

Anyway, the reason I am telling you this is because it led me to the conclusion that even though I went coffee shop exploring last night, I decided to go again tonight and I ended up at the Common Cup on Washtenaw in Ann Arbor.

The Common Cup is hard to find because it is actually connected to a church building and the facade faces a church instead of the street. In fact, I think the only reason I was able to find it is I have been here in the daylight before with Carla about three and a half years ago. At that time, we knew where it was because her boyfriend worked here.

This also explains why I was not freaked out or lost when I walked in the doors that labeled the building only to find I must turn left and go down a small set of stairs in order to reach the coffee.

When I walked in I decided this may be my favorite place yet...everything a coffee shop should be....

The music is a bit loud, but it is mellow and seems to be drowning out other people's conversations. They have both comfortable chairs and tables, you just need to be a little careful about which one you sit at if you need an outlet to plug in your laptop. The lighting is just right, not fluorescent, but not too dark either. It is a warm soft lighting.

There is even a shelf of board games and a few books for visitors to enjoy, meaning this would be a good place to hang out with a group of friends or solitary. The internet took a minute to log on, but there was a flawless connection once I did. I lacked cell phone reception, I imagine this is because it is located in a basement, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

As you can see by the mug that they put my hot chocolate in (located at top of page) they are not skimpy with their drink portions..nor is it too expensive. I was able to get a hot chocolate and cookie for a little over four dollars! Plus, the barista served it to me at my table and don't you just love the classic chip on the left side of the dish?!

I think my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE thing about this place is that they exhibit the work of local artists and hang it on the wall as if it were being displayed at a museum! Other coffee shops such as The Plymouth Coffee Bean and The Ugly Mug display local artists work for sale, however the Common Cup is different because here there is an actual wall post about the artist and another one about the work they are exhibiting. The work is hung and lit on the wall in an arrangement that reminds me of a gallery.At first I saw all these pictures of crucifixes and was a little freaked out..."Well the coffee shop is connected to a church after all," I told myself as I silently vowed not to come here where crucifixes are judging me ever again. Then I saw the sign that said "40 Crucifixes" and the name of the artist, Mike Frieseman and realized it was not a hypercritical stare down of Jesus due to the place's location, but instead an aesthetically pleasing visual placed by a local artist.

The barista said they switch exhibits every month. A coffee shop mixed with a gallery? Am I in Heaven? What a very whimsical characteristic, don't you think?

As an article that hung on the wall here said, three years ago when I visited with Carla, the statement stands true: "There is nothing common about The Common Cup."

Perk and Brew: Where are you?

I ventured out to the next shop on my list tonight only to discover I might as well have been looking for the great pumpkin. The Perk and Brew does not exist...at least not that I could find.

The website I originally searched for coffee shops was a city search URL and the reason I was afraid that Perk and Brew did not exist was because there was no attached website. It turns out my suspicions were true.

I followed their directions to the tee...turn down Pine View Dr. off of Textile, then Madrona, then Eagle Crest Ct. Nothing was there. In fact, if to you these street names sound like neighborhood streets...it's because they are.

It was actually a very nice neighborhood though with big colonial style houses that I would not imagine existed in Ypsi, but I guess that is what you get when you go on adventures. You find out there is different sides to the places you are exploring.

The neighborhood was called Pine View Estates and a golf course intertwined between the houses...why is it neighborhoods that surround golf courses always seem to be the biggest in the city?

Anyway, there must have been a Perk and Brew coffee shop at some point for the city search to list it. Did the map and directions just lead me astray? Does anyone have any information on this? Does anyone know where it could be? If so please pass your knowledge along to me.

After looking up the hours to The Common Cup which closes at 5pm on Saturdays, I have found myself at the Starbucks on Washtenaw. I am going to wait and let you know about all the Starbucks in one blog, because after all a Starbucks is a Starbucks....or is it?