Four Coffees to Go

Maybe I should have said, "eight coffees" since it was both Maga11 and myself that toured downtown Lewisburg Coffee Shop Series. It was a very mellow Thurday and many of the trees that lined the streets still had some dazzling color to them. We decided to park in a central location and branch out and back to walk to the cute cafés in this letterbox series.

First was our walk the Cherry Alley Café. On the way we passed near our second destination and an art store, Brushstrokes, that I had to pop into in search of true indigo. A close Prussian Blue was all that I was able to find. Maga11 talked to the clerk about oil paints that clean up with water. There was a nice supply of Mastercarve carving material and carving tools but I am set for stuff like that.

We found the first cafe and walked right in. I placed our order and Maga11 found the letterbox. With a cup of coffee and chai, we sat down and sipped and stamped. This first box had been out for a while longer than the other three so reading through the log book was even more fun. We loved the way it was hidden and the drinks were some of the best we had. We only got smalls because we had to pace ourselves. Cherry Alley Café got my vote for best shop on the tour. The menu items and atmosphere were matched by the friendly staff and free wifi. We regretted not being the first to have logged our finds on location.

Back we went to Mya's Cafe. Maga11 and I had set up for the art's festival in this town a few times. It was always a chilly show because it was in April. I can remember standing on the street and freezing in the rain one year. Today was nothing like that as a mild breeze blew off of the Susquehanna. Town was not totally dead at this lunch hour but we were lucky enough to never have to wait in line at any of the coffee shops.

When we got to Mya's, I was excited to see the lunch menu and we thought we would check out the specialty item. Maga11 & I switched roles (not rolls) as she ordered a snack and I searched for the cleverly stashed letterbox. We met at a table in the center just before the shop started to get crowded. Maga11 had pruchased a couple of little slices of cheese cake and I opened the box. The log wasn't as full but about half of the finders had written nice messages. The stamp was nice but I wasn't sure what it was since I couldn't find the design for sure on anything around the store. This was a much busier café being on the main drag. The wait staff was friendly but needs to be educated on how to pronounce "gyros" from whence the name "heros" came for what some call a hoagie or sub(marine) sandwich. The cheese cacke, which granted was not labeled so maybe wasn't technically cheesecake, had a thin layer of creamcheese on the top and the bottom was more like ricotta cheese. It was so-so.

We were getting full but decided from the clue description that we would try for some soup at our next location, Zelda's. The store front says "Zelda's on the Park" and it is just off of the park. We were glad to walk through the area to digest our topsy-turvy piece meal dessert. We arrived, again no line, and the soup menu had plenty of choices including a vegan chili. Maga11 ordered a tomato bisque and I broke form and ran and got the letterbox. I think I forgot it was her turn or maybe she wanted to sit down. Sorry, Maga!

The café was very groovy and put together in a very self service way. Wifi was available here too. We chose a bad table to sit at because it was by a door the wait staff went in and out of and the back of my seat was whacked with the door many times. Our soups were a little acidic but not all together disappointing. I make my chili acidic too as a rule. This letterbox was my favorite in the way it was hidden and the stamp. The people who had found the series directly before us, Acme Amblers, are to be commended for gently cleaning the stamp in a thorough way.

Last stop, onto campus for 7th St. Cafe. Campus was quiet and although the sky was getting grey we enjoyed the walk. It was still mellow and the leaves on the ground were bold splashes of color. The 7th St. Cafe was a little more stark but the outdoor patio over the stream was a nice way to finish the day. We were able to enjoy stamping and reading the logbook without feeling rushed to leave and took our time before walking back to our car.

Thank you Kelly & Ben for this enjoyable series. We ate our way through town in hope that when we stopped at Wenger's Grocery Outlet on the way home that we wouldn't as hungry as we usually are.