Arianna and I grabbed our friend Gabrielle and heading to the Green Line Cafe today. It is unseasonably warm for February but never too warm for tea and coffee! We sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed many neighbors with Gabrielle's beautiful daughter Rosalie. Gabby was gracious enough to share with us some of her hopes for her daughter today and for the future. Listen to our short recording here.
Rosie is our youngest guest yet to join us. We enjoyed some tea, talk, lattes and scones.
And mic drops. ;)
I was extremely happy to spend this time with my national service ladies, we met ten years ago through being alumni of City Year.
We learned last week that AmeriCorps is on the docket for a possible funding crisis again. We ask that you contact your representatives and ask them to support national service programs. You can email your local representation through this link here. Thank you. <3
We missed Louisiana at the start of this month and we needed to go no farther than Beck's Cajun Cafe to get a huge dose of Southern love. Reading Terminal Market was in full swing this Saturday morning and somehow we ended up with perfect timing to get two bar stools at the cafe. Our brunch included jambalaya, po boy sandwiches, and Cafe DuMonde coffee. Everything was delicious and dessert was king cake!
It was truly fascinating to sit down with these two wonderful guys (Kevin and Tsolmon) and talk for hours about Tsolmon's immigration journey from Mongolia, his nomadic life before the US, and learn about weeping camels and our own personal stories of favorite tales.
I'm grateful to be spending so much time with friends and new friends through this project. I encourage you to take time regularly and sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and listen to the stories in the hearts of those around you.
Burlap and Bean Cafe is one of the best cafes in Delaware County to do so. Come during the day because you want a really good cafe, and come at night because they have great live performances stopping through town here.
Last month, Arianna and I were able to travel to Louisiana for City Year's Alumni Service Weekend. We both were able to visit some of our favorite cafes while away from home and I got to add a new one that I'll want to return to often: Press Street Station Cafe.
Check out why...
What's even better is that this was the moment I got to sit down and reconnect with one of my best friends after being thousands of miles away. She's been a warrior woman for me and many others since the day we met over a decade ago. Many times we have laughed, cried, served together and shared our lives together while tapping to music, and no one has a better singing dog than her Nala. Aria Mason, I love you, lady. This was truly a gem of a day to spend with you and Givonna.
Nothing feels more like home for me than live music with friends close by and it was an incredible bonus to enjoy the delicious food and a pot of chai tea that Press Street Station perfected while the musicians took us through the afternoon.
Check out our recorded interview here and be sure to also listen to our interview with Givonna Mason, Aria's amazing mother, who also shared some of her life advice with me in our other interview. Givonna highlights how she keeps herself grounded in life and how to look back at your younger self years later.
Opera Creole is the creation of both these talented ladies. If you are ever in New Orleans you should check out both the Press Street Station Cafe and try to catch one of Opera Creole's performances.
