South Florida Spotlight: Philly Pretzel Heaven

If I had to name my top 3 favorite things in South Florida, I would say line dancing, spending time with my friends, and Pretzel Heaven (in that order). Every time I plan a trip to South Florida, I yell to my roommates "Oh my god! I get to go to Pretzel Heaven!!!"

They never understand my excitement because they think it's just any ol' soft pretzel. Oh how wrong they are. Philly Pretzel Heaven has perfected the pretzel. Unlike Auntie Anne's greasy commercial crap, Pretzel Heaven's pretzels are twists of salted joy.

It was 8am and I was driving Amanda (one of my back-home bffs) to work. We pass by US 441 (the street Pretzel Heaven is on) and I wonder aloud "Is Pretzel Heaven open?" Amanda looked it up on her phone and, indeed, it opens at 8. I almost cried of happiness as I mentally decided to treat myself to breakfast pretzels.

My car pulled up to PH at 8:45. I open my door and almost run inside... until I saw the door was closed! What! Why! There was a small sign hanging on the door that said "summer hours," proclaiming that the shop will open at 9 throughout the summer. After humming a brief tune of "Should I Stay or Should I Go," I decided to wait out the next 15 minutes in hopes of buying a piping hot pretzel.

8:51 and the door opens. I dash inside to see two employees shaping pretzels. Over the loud drone of the ovens, I ask "Are you guys serving pretzels?" They didn't hear me. I waited. Finally, they noticed me. "How many do you want?" "Just two." "It'll be about 9 minutes."

Ten minutes later and there I was, sitting on the curb outside, eating a fresh pretzel dipped in cinnamon glaze. The sun beat down on me and sweat beaded on my forehead. An older man walked by, examined me, and stopped. "Wow! What a perfect day you're having. Sitting in the sun, eating a pretzel. What could be better?" I nodded in agreement, slightly perturbed that I was interrupted during my feast.

Pretzel Heaven review: honestly, what can be better than salted pieces of bread? Salted pieces of bread dipped in pretty much any sauce you could want (chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, peanut butter, 6 different types of mustard, nacho cheese... the list goes on). Teamed with specialty drinks and a great price, Pretzel Heaven will always be one of my favorite places.

Going Home

I used to go home to South Florida once every month, on the dot. I missed my friends and family, but most of all, I didn't feel like I had a comfortable life in Gainesville. It was so much easier for me to run home to my mother and best friends than find new hobbies and forge new friendships in an unfamiliar place.

With a job, new friends, and a sense of adventure, Gainesville has become my new home. That being said, I have found myself going longer and longer between family visits. A couple weeks ago, I realized it had been over two months since my last one. This realization, paired with my mom's constant questioning on how soon I am coming home and the fact that my best friend is moving to Seattle at the end of the month, convinced me that it was time to pay a visit to my first home.

A large part of the reason that I don't visit home as often as I used to is the drive - Florida has little in terms of geographic variety, and one can only see so many anti-abortion signs before the craziness sets in. Rain pelted down only to have the sun blaze 10 miles later. Oh, Florida, what would I do without your inconsistent weather? Live a sane existence, perhaps.

Four and a half hours later, I walked into my mother's house with a big smile on my face, only to hear "what the fuck?" What a homecoming.

I've been enjoying my trip so far, but I've definitely had to step back and have few reality checks:

1. People's lives do not revolve around my own

2. It is easier to adjust than to set rigid plans     

3. I am really bad at managing my money         

But, with these things in mind, I've had a very productive trip. I've gone dancing, ate delicious food, and spent some much-needed time with my mom and friends. In a few days, I can go back to Gainesville with the pleasure of knowing my time was well-spent. Stay tuned for a few "South Florida Spotlight" posts in which I post a few of my old favorites and some new adventures!

Coffee Tour de Gainesville: Cymplify

Writing all these coffee posts makes me think I might have a coffee problem... nah

Due to another open mic night, my Thursday night was spent listening to chill jams and drinking an iced mint mocha (it was divine) at Cymplify; the coffee shop/restaurant/ice cream store/nursery/who knows what else is going on there but then again who cares because it's damn delicious.

Cymplify is a bit out of the way for me... all the way in west Gainesville, so I don't go often. But I've never had a disappointing experience. So far, it is the only coffee shop in Gainesville that I don't feel intimidated in immediately upon arrival. Yeah, it still has the typical hipsters and their aura of sophistication, but for the most part, Cymplify's clientele is friendly and welcoming.

After purchasing my coffee, the barista (baristo? He is a guy. Is that a gendered word?) offered me a punch card, and then proceeded to joke about the random pieces of paper they were using because they had run out of their actual cards. While I was taking pictures of the shop, he asked me if I have an instagram for photography, and we proceeded to exchange information. I swear, I've never had an encounter with someone behind the coffee counter that was so casual. I felt right at home.

As I was snapping away at my camera, a pony-tailed man walked by me and said "Oh, be careful, this one's a hippy." I scoffed at the term, knowing that he was taunting me because of the headband I wore over my hair. "Hippies are always nice, so you better watch out for this one," he said as I walked out, laughing.

I was taking pictures outside when this same man stepped out, and said to me "Let me guess, you're a journalism major? No, photography"

"Actually, I'm an English major" I replied. "But I have a blog and I'm doing a series where I go to all of the coffee places in Gainesville and write about them"

"Oh that's cool," he said. "You aren't reviewing them and talking about snooty things like the coffee aromas. You're just saying hey I went here and this is what happened."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed.

After this, we proceeded to talk about the various acts that had already performed, and he told me about a fundraising he was doing at the local botanical gardens. He encouraged me to continue with my blog, and seemed very enthusiastic about what I'm doing.

I didn't stay long - just enough to drink my coffee, listen to Margaret's set, and hear a historically accurate song about felines - but, so far, it was the most comfortable I've ever felt on this Tour de Gainesville. Maybe it was the Cymplify atmosphere, or maybe I'm just getting the hang of this whole blog thing. Either way, it was a great night.

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Springs)

Best thing about living in Gainesville during the summer: it's surrounded by several natural springs and nature preserves.

Worst thing about living in Gainesville during the summer: all of my friends are either in class or working.

And it was these two things that brought me, alone, to Rainbow Springs in Dunnellon, FL. At the beginning of the summer, I wrote myself a list of goals that I want to accomplish. Most of them are pretty basic - read some books, run a 5k, practice my french. One is unique to Gainesville: visit every surrounding spring.

The Fine Print printed an article during spring called "Spring Fever," which listed nine different springs in the area and gave a brief description of each. I read the article at the beginning of May and thought to myself "Hey, I can visit all of those no problem. In fact, I'll probably be able to visit them twice." Little did I know that scheduling a day trip like that with friends is extremely difficult - especially when my days off are during the week, and everyone else's are the weekends.

I've been in a weird mood recently that I can't quite explain. Normally, I'm a social butterfly and I crave constant conversation (just ask my coworkers or roommates - I'm sure they're sick of me). I love being around people, laughing and joking and exploring. But over the past month, something in me changed. I dread getting out of bed in the morning because it means that I have to interact with others, and while I still want to be around people, the commitment of making plans feels like almost too much.

Because of this, I've been trying to make more time for myself. A cup of hot tea in the morning, an hour of yoga before work... being alone with my thoughts puts me simultaneously in the best and worst mood. That is why I went to Rainbow Springs by myself. I knew that if I really wanted, I could find someone to go with me. Who wouldn't want to take a day trip to a beautiful spring that costs only $2 to get in? But part of me needed this.

I spent the day looking at waterfalls and abandoned zoo enclosures; Observing as children shrieked when they jumped into the ice-cold water. It didn't matter to me that the weather was less than ideal (of course on my day off it had to be the only rainy day of the week). I swam solo in the icy water, and when it started to storm, I hung my hammock under a pavilion and read. I bought myself a coke and thought about how different the trip would have been had other people accompanied me, and how one day, I would like to return with my friends. But for that day, my own company was perfect.

I can now proudly cross two springs off of the list (I visited Ginnie Springs earlier this summer), and I can look back on this trip with fond memories: driving with the windows down and the cool wind on my face, jumping into crystal clear water, hanging out as the rain droplets gave me goosebumps. I just hope I can visit the other seven springs before the summer is over.

Coffee Tour de Gainesville: Coffee Culture

For many months, Coffee Culture was only an idea to me. On occasion, one of my former coworkers would bring in some fancy iced beverage, tap me on the shoulder, and point to his drink - indicating to me that he had bought some Coffee Culture, and welcoming me to drink as much as I liked (as long as I didn't finish it, of course). The same coworker once told me to "become one with the bean" while I was learning how to make french press... ah, memories.

My excursion today began with an open mic. Margaret is a musician and is always looking for new open mics to perform at. Conveniently, most of the places in Gainesville that host open mic nights are coffee shops, so going out to support her is always a good time (even if only due to the fact that I love coffee).

Thus welcomes me to Sunday Night at Coffee Culture. While maybe not an Official Event deserving of the promotion to proper noun, for me, it was an event... Especially if one considers how I've been trapped in bed, sick, for the past week. I've been to two other open mics in Gainesville, and I've learned by now not to set any expectations. Well, Sunday Night at Coffee Culture delved into a new realm of "out of the ordinary." Or maybe not. After all, it was my third open mic ever.

From Tristan Harvey of Harvey and Whistle (source: Margaret), to Bruce the Naked Poet, to a "cool ass accordian player" (what I wrote in my notes, guess I didn't catch his name), I was kept on my toes as each performer took the stage. I have a list of memorable quotes because it just kept getting weirder. My favorite? "I'm going to talk about my cat's penis." Honestly, even if I gave context, it still wouldn't make much sense.

As far as I could tell, Coffee Culture consists of two main rooms, both reflecting separate 'coffee shop' aesthetics. One - comfy chairs, plush couches, and coffee tables to gather around. The other, tables and chairs perfect for studying. Marge and I sat in the latter room, facing the stage. I ordered an iced dirty chai and was pleased with my choice.

Overall, it's pretty cool place. It's comfortable, and doesn't have that same posh hipster vibe that so many other local Gainesville establishments do (at least not completely). I definitely want to return another time so I can look around a bit more, possibly take more pictures. However, they do have a drive-thru, and knowing I don't have to leave my car for my caffeine fix is a great thought.

Freedom to Feel

'merica

When I was thinking of ways to celebrate the Fourth of July, spending 8 hours working in a bakery wasn't exactly at the top of my list. In fact, initially, I was frustrated beyond belief. While all of my friends were feasting on hot dogs and watermelon, I had to spend the majority of my Saturday trapped inside. However, I tried not to let the negativity permeate my entire holiday.

Instead, I dressed in my most festive gear, put on my happy face, and danced my way through my shift. Rather than dragging my feet, I pranced around the shop, slicing bread and making coffee.

After work, I created a feast of my own and spent the evening recuperating. Fancy Fresh Market hot dogs, brioche buns, fresh watermelon, white corn on the cob, and a mini-marathon of Mad Men.

It would have been so easy for me to sulk the day away, feeling bitter that I had to work while pretty much everyone else in my life was having a great time, but I couldn't let that happen. I believe that we have a choice in how we react to the obstacles life throws at us. For me, sometimes that means being a moody drama queen. But today that meant being thankful that I have a job, drinking a couple cups of coffee, and jamming to some great Spotify playlists.

Besides, I can't be too bitter, seeing as I spent my Friday night celebrating America's birthday with Lil Wayne.