Drinking Coffee All Day Long

  It has been a snowless winter here in northern NJ, so we decided to go to the snow, since it wasn’t coming to us. Had a lovely weekend, at a lovely place, Frost Valley YMCA (a camp/retreat/environmental educational center in the Catskills) where the mugs are sturdy and the coffee is hot and plentiful. This thing happens to me every time I see snow outside. My coffee intake naturally increases. It’s Pavlovian, yes, but also a common response it turns out. On average, drinking a cup of coffee raises your core body temperature by 2.6 degrees. But scientifically, it’s also about the emotional impact of a cup of hot coffee. According to an article published in Science Journal “warmth is the most powerful personality trait in social judgment.” In the study, researchers found that study subjects who were given a cup of hot coffee had a better perception of the person who gave them the coffee. They rated that person as more trustworthy, warmer, and more socially attractive. Add to...

Remember during the pandemic when suddenly everyone was out walking around, as much as possible, for whatever reason? Then suddenly everyone was going on hikes, every day, sometimes multiple times a day? It was a good time to be a pet dog, for sure. Turns out this trend started well before 2020. For the past 50 years, hiking popularity has exploded, with more people hitting the trails every year. It is now the 4 th most popular outdoor activity in the U.S., after running, biking, and fishing. Guess what? We have lots of hiking spaces here. There are 200,000 miles of trails nationwide, with 3,000 new trails added each year. The Benefits of Hiking Hiking has lots of obvious benefits. With an average hourly 500-calorie burn, vitamin D benefits from the sun, fresh air, immersion in nature’s bounty, and the positive impact of companionship during hiking, this is one wholesome, good-for-you, always interesting activity. Stats from jerseyislandholidays.com show that almost 50 mill...

  Every time we go to Busboys & Poets when we’re in Washington, D.C., I feel as if I’m walking into my own personal immersive coffee house experience. You know that super-progressive, wood-paneled café/ full-service restaurant, with a bar and (wait for it), a BOOKSTORE! It exists. It’s as vibey as it was in 2005 when Andy Shalal started it with a mission that still resonates 18 years later. Late December is a great time to go to Busboys & Poets. The holiday décor is festive and chill, and baby it’s warm inside. Just outside, blue-white lights twinkle on a large pristine Christmas tree, against the backdrop of the Romanesque architecture that defines this part of D.C. Inside, the wood paneling is offset by art deco chandeliers and ceilings, with inlaid brick in the large loungey coffee bar section. Stevie Wonder’s You Haven’t Done Nothin’ plays in the background as you ponder whether to buy “Patriarchy Blues”. Did you know by the way, that You Haven’t Done Nothin’ wa...

It is the stuff of dystopian novels. Imagine this: Coffee is illegal. It is considered dangerous and illicit. Consumption can be punished with jail, or even death. Your life can be ruined if there is any evidence that you are trying to grow your own coffee trees. If someone comes into your house and smells hot brew, they must report it to the authorities. It is so far-fetched as to seem laughable, but once upon a time, coffee was considered dirty, lascivious,  and dangerous. Although during the 1500’s, coffee was widely used for social and intellectual purposes throughout the Middle East, in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, it was generally not available in Europe. At that time, many in Britain viewed coffee as some exotic, “Muslim” brew. Slowly coffee made its way into European culture, where it took hold with fervor. By the 1600’s, coffee had sparked a full-on social revolution in Britain where coffeehouses became the center of social life for many men (and a few women as well)....

I love NYC during the holiday season. Crisp air, leaves with residual hints of red and yellow, holiday bazaars, ambient street music, and plenty of plein-air noshing and coffee-drinking. Last week, my friend and I took our kids to the playground near Union Square and at one point, I ducked out for coffee. I was determined to try a new place (at least new for me). Joe Coffee at 16 th St. off of Union Square pulled me in with its powder-blue branding and no-nonsense name. Joe Coffee was started in 2003 by Jonathan Rubinstein, with the goal of producing high-quality, amazing-tasting coffee served with “warm hospitality.” There are now 22 locations throughout the city. The coffee was amazing. But I wanted to know more. Sometimes you listen to a company’s spiel about sustainability, diversity, inclusivity, and fair trade, and you realize it’s largely performative. There is a lot of virtue-signaling in the coffee industry. I wanted to know where Joe Coffee stood. Discovering JNP Coffee ...

  Exciting news from the Montclair Art Museum (MAM)! The new Cornerstone Café made its debut last week when it opened to the public for the first time. Cornerstone features a full menu of coffee, tea, espresso-based drinks, and pastries. Located on the first floor, Cornerstone is nicely situated near the coatroom, with tables and a seating area strewn with art-related reading materials---and of course, there’s wifi. The new cafe is staffed by individuals from the Montclair High School transition program and Jewish Vocational Services of Metrowest and is open on Fridays from 10 am to 4 pm . The opening of Cornerstone is part of the museum’s new free-entry Friday program, which basically invites visitors in to experience the museum in a relaxed, open, inclusive, artistically expansive space. While traditionally MAM’s galleries have been free to visitors on Fridays, the new program is unprecedented in the museum’s history—and coffee is the cornerstone of it all. (smile/wink) ...