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For my Columbus to-do list, I chose to travel to different coffee houses near campus. I made it to the Cafe Keruac, the Fox in the Snow Cafe, the ZenCha Tea Salon, Mission Coffee LLC, and One Line Coffee. I rode my bike to each place (and learned that riding long distances in boots is a bad idea).

After a painstaking ride almost entirely uphill, I got to the Fox in the Snow Cafe. At the Fox in the Snow Cafe, I waited in an empty line for about five minutes before an employee took my order. I was not impressed by this. However, I ordered an iced coffee and it was made quite quickly, which was surprising. I am not sure if the cafe was under-staffed or if it is always like that, but I would not go back, and I would not recommend it to a friend.

While at the Fox in the Snow Cafe, I ordered from Zencha Tea Salon on GrubHub. I then rode to Zencha, and discovered that I had ordered from a different Zencha that was much further away. Although disappointed, I found the service at Zencha Tea Salon to be quite nice and the employees were very pleasant. I ordered an Irish Cream bubble tea, and it was made quickly. I had never tried bubble tea and did not know what it was, so I was quite surprised when I sucked up a ball of something squishy. Overall, I enjoyed the Zencha Tea Salon and would definitely go back, and I would certainly recommend it to a friend.

I then rode to Mission Coffee LLC. When I got there, I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, which was a “Kodiak”. It was made fairly quickly, but I was confused as to why there was so little coffee in the cup (I hadn’t known at the time, but it was a straight espresso shot). I drank it all at once, and immediately regretted it. That was a truly awful experience that I never wish to repeat. However, the service at Mission Coffee was great, and the layout of the place was thoughtful, with many tables and chairs by the bar to wait for drinks to be made. I would consider going back and maybe ordering something different, and I would likely recommend the place to a friend.

After Mission Coffee LLC, I rode to One Line Coffee. There, I purchased a “Classic Green”, which was a version of a classic Chinese tea. I had to wait while it steeped, and, when it was ready, I discovered that I was not a fan; it was quite bitter, although I was probably supposed to add some kind of sweetener, so that was my own fault. I probably won’t return, as this place was quite far away.

Overall, I learned that Columbus has a lot to offer in terms of coffee. However, if exploring the city further requires more bike riding, I do not wish to do so.

For my Columbus to-do list, I chose to seek out different coffee shops, some of them close to campus and some far from campus. I plan to purchase coffee at each location and sit and experience the atmosphere of the room for a while. I will spread these visits out over the period between when this assignment was assigned and when it is due, in order to appreciate the experiences individually, rather than bunching them all together at once.
While exploring this city through visiting different coffee shops, I am most looking forward to being able to experience what Columbus has to offer in terms of quiet places to drink coffee or tea and study.
Over the course of this assignment, I hope to discover a few things: I hope to find the cheapest place around campus to buy coffee/tea, I hope to find the shop with the best coffee around campus, and I also hope to find the shop with the best atmosphere.
I have already visited the Kafe Kerouac coffee shop. At this location, I experienced great customer service, relatively quick service, and a hot coffee. I bought a hot mocha espresso, and sat in one of the chairs in the main lobby area. I watched people place their orders and leave. During this experience, I learned that one can buy many things other than coffee here. I had not known this before hand, so I was a bit surprised. Overall, I would return to this coffee shop and I would also recommend this place to friends.