S2E12: Brewed and baked.

Day 12: Sept 21, 2023
St. Louis, MO

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I am predictable when visiting a reasonably sized city. I look for coffee, a juice / smoothie shop, a natural foods store, a sourdough bakery, and a decent restaurant that serves up clean and fresh fare or some local delicacy.

St. Louis fortunately checks several of these boxes. Jen attended Webster University and resided here for a few years after graduation. It becomes our homebase when visiting her family — her childhood hometown is Belleville, Illinois, just across the river.

Unreasonably Good Coffee. That’s the slogan of Quarrelsome Coffee, which is now a new favorite. It has all the signs of a third-wave (fourth-wave?!) coffee shop that needs to survive in today’s Instagram- and TikTok-fueled world. Killer branding (I bought a shirt — it has tigers on it), excellent typography, a lovely color palette (green is great and underrated), and a space worthy of posting on your chosen social feed(s). Oh yeah, the coffee and sparkling tea are pretty dang good, too.

I notice the first of what might be a trend…

It’s a Thursday, so I have a standing meeting with the team I work with at True Ventures. I sit in the sunroom of our temporary home and am happy to see familiar faces. Everyone is accustomed to me Zooming from different places now. I’m thankful for such awesome colleagues.

The call ends, and a run beckons. Jen and I had noticed that the pastries at Quarrelsome are by Knead Bakehouse — a bakery specializing in all things sourdough. It’s just a few minutes from our Airbnb, so after a sweaty run in Tower Grove Park, we pick up two different sandwiches to sample and a sourdough chocolate chip cookie. Everything is absolutely delicious.

These days, most urban areas have local residents persuing endeavors and building businesses that enrich the community. As travelers, we get to partake in and benefit from those who take chances.