Solitary Experience
Riding a scooter or motorcycle, by nature, leans toward a solitary experience. A passenger can be included or machines can congregate in groups and technology can be added to provide communication but rider and machine make up the critical whole. People, and riders, like many forms of animal life, tend to congregate in flocks, herds, swarms and packs. My riding tilts toward the loner. Any introduction to Vespa riding should point out those two schools of travel.
There is ample information available in print and online regarding the technical skills and requirements for safe operation of scooters and motorcycles so I won’t attempt to add anything here. But their are unique, though certainly not universal, riding experiences that perhaps warrant attention.
Like the coffee shop experience.
Coffee Shops in Cities and Towns Across America
I can only speak for Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland and West Virginia. Others might weigh in on the rest of the country as I illuminate the non-moving part of a ride, the coffee shop experience. What I refer to is that moment during a ride when you say to yourself, “I’m taking a rest”, and you find yourself sitting in a small establishment dedicated to serving hot, brown liquid along with a small array of food.
Whether one of the nearly 13 thousand Starbucks establishments in the United States or the countless other local shops I’ve found these stops holding more than just a place to eat and drink. These places can be an adventure in themselves for the observant rider.
Making Coffee
Confession — I don’t drink coffee. Ever. But they aroma is intoxicating and the myriad processes of refinement and concoction are fascinating and at times border on magical. I’ve watched mesmerized as a barista creates art amidst a steaming cup of coffee with a flourish of hand and liquid. It’s a far cry from a waitress showing up with a glass pot of black coffee from a BUNN coffee system. It’s not better, just different.
And worth noticing as all sorts of traditions and rituals are swept aside as modernized processes take their place. Maybe coffee shops, the small ones, are a last bastion of human endeavor.
I’m probably exaggerating the point.
Watching the World
I’ve found coffee shops good places to relax and think. Unlike the hustling energy in a restaurant a coffee shop allows a person to fade into the background. Watching this person at Saint’s Cafe I’m reminded of my own need to collect my thoughts.
Frequently.
Riding a Vespa scooter, or a motorcycle demands a heightened level of attention to the road in order to stay safe. Bringing those skills indoors, especially if you’re making photographs, helps you see what’s going on around you. I’m always amazed at how much I neglect to notice.
Consuming Information
It’s increasingly rare to see someone reading a newspaper in the places I haunt. Information consumption by mobile devices has already and will continue to change the face of the information world. There’s a price though and as I watched these people I could not help but think the newspaper reader seemed more relaxed.
Probably a bias on my part. If I’m not already addicted to my iPhone I can see it from here.
Who am I kidding. I feel naked without it.
Friends and Acquaintances
Like the bar family in the TV show Cheers, the same thing can happen in a coffee shop. Carl is one of the regulars I’ve come to know from my frequent visits to Saint’s Cafe and appears periodically in photographs I make.
Riding a Vespa scooter or a motorcycle transports a rider through the world. I often hear it’s all about the ride or the journey but I’ve come to realize the destination can also play an exceptional part of the ride. For me, a coffee shop is one of those exceptional places.
What places are you and your ride drawn to?
Coffee Shops seem to be an item unique to North America, specifically in the USA, Starbucks as an international chain and “others.”
And here in Canada Tim Horton’s (Timmies) and the interloper Starbucks and then other lesser known brands.
The smell of coffee brewing is a wonderful aroma, and for me one other smell although not in coffee shops anymore; a decent pipeful of tobacco being burned in a pipe.
Here in Ontario and much of Canada smoking of any sort is banned. With hefty fines for disobeying the laws.
How one arrives at such institutions usually determines how long one may wish to remain inside. It seems rare for most named establishments to encourage the ability to stay in one place for an extended time. Find the non-chain places tend to allow quiet contemplation for an extended period, at least in my experience.
So in your case with Saint’s Cafe, a longer than say thirty minute period of non-movement from one location is allowable. The chains seemingly want you to keep purchasing refills of their product if you intend to stay in situ for an extended period.
The ubiquitous drive-through which seems to infect some areas does not encourage one to sit and think; then too doing so on a Vespa could be most interesting. Do you have a cupholder on your Vespa? Didn’t think so.
So the method of arrival is preferred as two wheels or three with a sidecar;
And an intent to stay put , drink decently brewed tea, sit, and observe.
Seems simple eh?
May you continue to do so.
I’ve always like the fragrance of a pipe or sometimes a cigar but in close proximity indoors they were oppressive. Every so often I run across it still and it conjures memories from the past.
Most of the establishments local to me have come to accept people hang out to talk and chat and work. With a major university near you can have students taking up space and wireless connectivity for long periods of time but amazingly some kind of compassionate ethos of coffee shop behavior has developed where it just isn’t an issue. Perhaps it’s part of the laid back temperament of rural Pennsylvania.
No cup holder on the Vespa. As close as I come to that is a water bottle hanging from the purse hook and a thermos of hot chocolate at times in the topcase.
Regardless of how I get to a coffee shop, what seems important (to me at least) is recognizing the opportunity to step off the merry-go-round and just absorb the world and my thoughts.
Coffee, a croissant, and the morning paper is bliss on a Vespa in Montreal just as it is in State College.
Nice post, I felt relaxed just reading it.
Your post about Croissanterie Figaro is absolutely what I’m trying to describe — a refuge from the flow of life we find ourselves swept up in. Croissanterie Figaro reminded me of the outdoor part of Duffy’s Tavern just down the street from me. I’ve sat there on a couple late afternoons having an early light dinner with my journal and eavesdropping on the conversation. No Vespa scooters passing by interrupted the experience though…
Thank you,sir,for another great post.
Thanks for your kind words John. Hope it inspires a trip somewhere to relax and regroup.
Nice post I enjoyed it at home this morning with a coffee by my side.
Good to hear from you Craig. I’m trying to decide on my day off whether to ride the Vespa somewhere for a cup of tea or do chores. Shouldn’t be such a difficult decision…
If I stop at all on a ride it’s only for one thing. Ice Cream!!! In the riding season there are several around and I can adjust the size of my vehicle accordingly. Short ride for a hot fudge sundae, I use a 50cc, Long ride to the Bike Night at an Ice Cream, I’ll grab something bigger.
Although now, with her gone, I might just follow your lead and find a Coffee Shop to drink my tea in.
Ah, ice cream… I love that stuff but I can’t indulge anymore. Our team redesigned the Penn State Berkey Creamery website from an informational site to one focused on selling ice cream and cheese. During the photography our studio was full of ice cream and it was difficult for me to walk past. And the pictures of ice cream when I visit the site sparks desire. The word “hot fudge” almost makes me drool.
Hope you find a path to a coffee shop to experiment with a non-ice cream experience….
I rarely frequent coffee shops, or stop for a break….my breaks are when I am composing a shot…it lets me stretch my legs from the confines of the rig (somewhere in the future, my right knee is going to fall off, I am sure).
Usually, I have to be part of a group ride before stops are considered and then only as part of the group activity.
A lot of riders “ride to eat” and they seem pleased with the motif.
I think you, ride to observe the human condition in said coffee shops…. 🙂
I do love something sweet to eat with a cup of tea but I think you’re probably right — I do like to observe. I’ve always felt photographers are voyeurs and considering I’ve spent a huge part of my life with a camera it’s no wonder I’m an observer…
That’s Kyle pouring the water behind the Ruby bags. He asked me about cameras he’s taking a class in photographing you should show him this photo if you see him it’s pretty good. There are no leather clad Harley riders at coffee shops they go to bars were you can smoke. I was going to say you can do a photo book of bars and coffee shops and scooter/motorcycle riders.
I’ll make sure Kyle sees the photo.
No book on coffee shops though I suspect whenever I get round to a Scooter in the Sticks book there may be an appearance of Saint’s Cafe or the Pump Station.
I love the pictures you took. They are fantastic! I love coffee shops and stopping into ones that I stumble across on my journeys. Thanks for the post!
Thanks Julia. Always great to stumble into places!
I find the best conversation and the greatest array of characters spewing local information and solving world problems is at the Coffe shop/diners in a bowling alley. Life flourishes there.
Bowling alleys. Never thought to stop there. Will have to take a closer look.
My “commute” has become riding to College Coffeehouse every morning. There is a regular group that meets there on a daily basis including George, a local BMW legend. Really nice when trying to debug a weird problem.
I suspect the stress level noted is due to the newspaper being a purely consumption device while the phone may require the user to contribute to the growth of the Internet… just like this post.
There is a lot of expertise floating around a coffee shop. Some actually useful.
I’m sure whatever was happening on that phone was critical to the survival of mankind. The newspaper reader on the other hand was just high on ink fumes…
Decades ago when I lived in that area, I used to love riding the road between Brookville and Punxsutawney, PA. An excellent high-speed run for 20 miles or so, complete with sweeping valley vistas, tons of long passing stretches, and very few radar traps. For me it was a high speed rider’s paradise. And stopping at Dan Smith’s in Brookville for some of their delicious homemade ice cream was always a valid excuse for a fast run down this wonderful road.
I’m travelled through that area on Interstate 80 but never explored the area much. Perhaps I need to spend more time riding that direction.
Is Dan Smith’s still around?
So, we have three common traits: Vespas, photography, and a vast preference for the leaf over the bean. This last trait has been a bit of a pain for me, , since tea drinkers have long gotten the short end of the stick in cafes, diners, and, up to relatively recently, even some high-end-ish eateries. (The look I gave when I was served a cup of tepid water with a Lipton bag in it at a $100-per-couple Vietnamese restaurant back in the mid-90s probably could’ve frozen a soufflé on-sight.) I’m just getting into the process of exploring the cafes of my newly-adopted Asbury Park (to be continued as soon as a bit more of the snow clears up ), but one of my favorite places requires neither my Vespas nor bicycles to get to, as it’s right across the street: Sunset Landing Restaurant. All I’ll say about the place now is that, on a particularly nice day, a nice cup of tea there doesn’t get to feel much better.
(On the matter of the omnipresent Starbucks, I’ll offer two small points in their defense: they make a pretty darn good hot chocolate, which is the only offering that gets me through their doors; and, more often than not, you can find a semi-secluded spot in their bigger locations, where you’re literally left alone for a few hours. Some of your indie cafes won’t let you do that.)
Fine traits! It is disheartening to enjoy a meal and then be presented with a Lipton bag. Tea is sort of like scooters in the United States — tolerated but not really widely embraced.
I have two boxes of Starbucks cocoa in the house…
Tea and scooters – now that you mention it, it makes near-perfect sense.
And, speaking of discovering cafes here in AP, I checked one out yesterday: Cafe Volan. Made a decent chai that Ann liked, and a perfect cocoa for me. Was the middle of the day, and we’d just finished a session at the gym nearby, so the vibe was unrushed and mellow. Yep, you might want to check my little town out at some point.
I would like to ride along the coast sometime and have a friend in Tom’s River. Maybe I’ll get to AP to sample the cocoa at Cafe Volan.
Sorry I’m responding so late Steve, must have missed this one…I like tea also but cant believe you don’t like coffee. I love coffee shops… love how you have described them.
I’ve always loved the smell of fresh ground coffee. But the taste of coffee — ugh. So I”m never really getting the full coffee shop experience.
Steve,
Oh my! You hit the nail on the head with this post. The beloved coffee shop is both and art and a science to both behold and experience. And they are as varried as the riders of two wheels who seek their fix of teas, coffees and hot cocoa. There is another aspect of the small classic coffee shop…making a fresh hot brew of cuppa on the roadside. I carry with me a Trangia 27 Stormcooker complete with its own Trangia Tea Kettle for Vespa scooting. Countless times waiting for a strong wind or rainstorm to pass has found me seeking a place to wait-out with a hot cuppa and a sugar ladden snack. A positive bright spot for any wait-over. There is even a smaller mini version of the Trangia 27 called the Mini-T, formally known as the Trangia 28, a backpacker’s Trangia dream for size that packs a hearty punch for such a little guy. Both will fit is a pack or ride bag. Google both versions and one of them may be something you might enjoy during your stops with Paul or Gordon. Once, during a minor breakdown of my Vespa along a backroad I was most glad to have a fresh hot cuppa while waiting for a tow ride to arrive. Many cross country bicyclists have come to love their Trangia’s cooking and boiling talents. Many moto-camping folks, myself included, love the Trangia 27 or Mini-T 28. Not to ever replace a great coffee shop but having your own with you at times is a equally wonderful godsend that takes up little to no room on the scooter. With denatured alcohol at the ready it can be a mini fireplace when weather turns ugly — a warm haven for a time. Awwwh, the coffee shop! Ranks right up there with Chevy and Apple Pie! Trangia runs a close third 🙂
Unless I’m camping I’ve not thought to bring a stove along on a day ride to make a cup of tea. I’m always searching for a place to make it for me. I have an MSR Whisperlite stove and a titanium pot set but the Trangia looks a lot less fussy. And I like the idea of alcohol instead of white gas hanging out in my top case. Just watched a YouTube video on the Trangia 27 Stormcooker. I want one. And I have to start talking about methylated spirits instead of alcohol!
When it’s cold I often take a thermos of hot liquid — sometimes tea but more often cocoa.
Looks like a new riding ritual is waiting to be made!
Steve,
I am so beyond thrilled that I could bring to you a new riding ritual. You have given me so much pleasure through your blog posts over the years. To think that I could give-back by introducing you to the Trangia 27 or Mini Trangia 28 brings a huge smile to my face and my rider’s soul. My my, and now I have laugh as I tell you that I carry The SOLO Stove Titan when winter riding. Its a bio-stove and can save your life if you ride in snow or ice on backroads since it provides a campfire style of cooking using pine cones, grass, leaves, twigs, charcoal — anything really — especially gathered from the areas you could be stranded in. All that said, the Trangia 28 has never let me down during all seasons of hiking, camping, moto-camping with my two Vespas. Even in the car or the van — I simply don’t leave home without it 🙂 All that and seriously I’m not a prepper! I am a former Police 911 Dispatcher and simply know the value in having a way to eat and drink anywhere is always a good-thing 🙂 If you do get a Trangia 27 please do a blog post on it. and go for the hard anodized 27 it’s nearly bomb -proof — it takes the beating a good ride can give it 🙂
correction:
All that said, the Trangia 27 Stormcooker and also the Trangia Mini -28 have never let me down during all seasons of hiking, camping, moto-camping with my two Vespas.
Just watched two SOLO Titan videos on YouTube. Nice looking stove. I’ll have to think about the Trangia or the SOLO. Looking through my gear I see I have a brand new set of titanium pots I forgot all about. Lots to think about. Thanks for sharing this stuff!