Tag Archives: forty days fika

i found myself driving on i-26 north today. and that could mean only one thing.. i was headed to weaverville, a small town just about 10-15 minutes from asheville. i had not planned this at all. like i said, i just found myself on the highway, headed north.

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let's face it. there is nothing better than coffee and books together. they go together like peanut butter and jelly. like peas and carrots. like tom and jerry. don't ya think? i certainly do. so, to get my week started off right, i decided to head downtown to malaprops... THE bookstore in asheville. a staple in asheville's cultural and artsy scene. an independent bookstore, a supporter of local authors,  an advocate for peace & equality & coexistence, and a community-oriented gathering place. but, it's not just a funky, cool bookstore with lots of books of all kinds  - mainstream, and not so mainstream. it's also a cafe. and it's a cafe that encourages sitting down, sipping coffee, and reading books.

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just off busy hendersonville road, south of the biltmore estate and biltmore village, you can find biltmore coffee traders. set back from the road a bit, the cute, red cottage looks inviting and, based on my previous experiences, i knew to let all expectations fall to the wayside. i just parked my car and went inside.

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today was weird. at first i was excited about my fika visit. for once, i knew where i was going. and i was really looking forward to it. not that i had any real major expectations or anything, but i had passed this particular cafe numerous times and knew that one day soon i'd visit. and, hey, i was in west asheville. and, if you're following me during my 40 days, you know by now that i seriously dig west asheville and haywood road.

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i had a little time today, so i turned on some good ole bluegrass and made the 15 minute-ish drive to black mountain. asheville really almost runs into black mountain, thanks to swannanoa and east asheville, so there is really no excuse for you to not make the drive as well. you won't regret it you can either take the highway (I-40) or the old business highway 70. i decided to take I-40 out there, and hwy. 70 through, swannanoa, back. the day was just way too pretty to just park and go inside some coffeeshop. i needed a mini-roadtrip.

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i thought it was about time i headed over to one of my new favorite areas... west asheville. haywood road. the atmosphere is so relaxed there. and i felt like chilling out. just being me.

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i found the coffee version of Cheers (you know the 80s tv show about the pub/bar in Boston) in a strip mall just north of Asheville.

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i pretty much had no idea what i was getting myself into when i visited the downtown market. it sounds like a regular place. you know, cafes with the word "market" usually sell some sandwiches and soup. it sounds like a little bit of an upscale place where you'll find middle-aged people. lots of tourists. so, when i typed in "downtown asheville cafes" in my phone and downtown market popped up, i thought i knew exactly what i was in for. the only thing was, it was a little bit out of the way from the center, center of downtown, on a street headed toward the river arts district - known for its artsy-ness.

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it was a beautiful early autumn day and i could feel the pull of downtown. i had nothing at all planned. no idea where i'd get my coffee from, but it needed to be downtown. i don't know why. so, i parked my car and started walking the streets. i just felt good. you know, one of those days when you feel really alive. the sun was warm and shining. the sky was bright blue. the moon still hung in the sky, fading away as the bright day took over. and the leaves were just beginning to get that hint of color on the tips on some trees. everything just felt good. and i walked.

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It was a totally last minute decision to head to Charlotte Street and visit the City Bakery Cafe. It's a fairly popular place for people who live in Asheville, at least I think it is. Though I am not sure where I am getting that information from. In any case, it was another beautiful day and I was just dying to be outside. For some reason, this cafe popped into my mind and I headed to Charlotte Street, hoping they had outdoor seating.

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