...this is at the top of my list. Joe Van Gogh, AKA Cup a' Joe's coffee shop in Hillsborough, NC. Since I've been back in February, I've visited this place 1-3 times a week- to do fundraising, to read and relax, or just to stop in for a delicious cup of espresso. This place means a lot to me for three reasons- 1) Well, we've been through a lot together! On the days I didn't think I would make it back to SK and was lonely and depressed, on the great days everything was going well, and everything in between. I got to know the baristas and they always knew my drink- the same thing every time just about. Dylan would stamp my frequent drink card like 4 or 5 times for 1 drink 'cause I was nice to him and he was quitting soon. 2) The espresso was unbelievably good, especially for this area. It was such a comforting thing to soak up that strong, sweet, smooth espresso. 3) It's in a city that hardly anyone in my city travels to. Hillsborough has always been that "Why would I go there?" kind of places for me till I explored and found some excellent places. It's kind of a hole in the wall town, very cute. I would see many of the same people every time I went there and it made me, in a weird way, proud to live close to it.
So though this is probably boring for you to read, I felt compelled to pay tribute to my second favorite place back home (the first being Chestnut Ridge!). I will miss this place.
