My Chemistry with Coffee Shops

I’ve somehow become an unofficial ambassador of coffee shops—wherever I go ☕✨

I believe my love for café hopping began in Connecticut right after grad school, and truly found its roots during my sabbatical.

Those years were overwhelming 😔. At 23, with a new job, in a foreign city, living alone—moving from the vibrancy of NYC to the quiet of Hartford. It was a lot.

The coffee shop became my escape.

Story and Soil Coffee, Hartford

The beauty of a café is that it doesn’t demand company—it lets you be in your world, while others are in theirs 🤍.

I learned to love my own company: surrounded by strangers, the whisk of coffee in the air, lost in typing, reading, or sometimes just my thoughts 📝☕.

At first, I felt sorry for myself. That if I had a packed social life, I wouldn’t “choose” to sit alone. Maybe that was true. But time and again, I found myself drawn back.

Even now, no matter where I am, I instinctively look for a café first 🗺️.

Back then, sitting alone at a café wasn’t trendy—it could even be seen as sad 

Today, it’s a hobby, a small ritual. And during my sabbatical, as the creator economy blossomed, I found little communities of people who shared these stories 🌱. My hobby blossomed too.

And as I started liking myself back, the background music changed from sad to serene. The darker hues gave way to joy 🌿.

Recovering from depression doesn’t necessarily mean more positive thoughts—it often means fewer heavy ones. It became about simply noticing: the taste notes of espresso, the aesthetics of the café, the comfort of a book or my work 🍂☕.

Through travel, I also learned the discipline of finding “my spot.” Show up with laptop, same time, same order. Soon the barista knows your name, your drink is ready with a glance 👀☕. 

Gaslight Coffee Roasters, Chicago

Those tiny bonds—the free drink, the smile, the quick chat about weather 🌤️—are what made it special.

The glint in my eyes when I find a new spot, or the sheer joy when I enter my regular spot - that is my roman empire. 

Over time, coffee shops have became more than just places to drink coffee. 

They mirror my changing relationship with myself. ✨☕.