Local Coffee Spot: Cafe Cafeza

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I don’t know about you guys, but I am a sucker for coffee shops. Coffee has the smell of productivity in my mind, and I have written long, extensive essays in an hour or two just by sitting in a Starbucks. Lately, I have been really encouraged to explore the local shops and cafes around the Houston area. I want to support local businesses, and I feel like each little whole-in-the-wall place has unique abilities that cannot be duplicated.

So without further adieu, here is Cafeza!

Cafeza is a small coffee shop in Sixth Ward that also sells some wicked breakfast and lunch meals. The coffeshop doubles as a bar too if you’re into drinking in the early hours of the morning, haha. For me, the best coffee shops will have free Wi-Fi (am I right or am I right), an array of seating choices, big tables for productive work days, and tea. Since I am not really a coffee drinker, I tried the Strawberry White Tea and a warm buttery croissant. It was a great way to start my morning and it wasn’t only because I had buttery bread for breakfast! You get to see the steeping of the leaves as you sit at your table, and the staff gladly brings the tea to your table as you eat. It’s just a very friendly, home-y coffee shop to visit. Also, if you peek outside of the coffee shop and you will find a big chalkboard wall that people use to list the things they are grateful for! Go visit when you can!

 

Girly Date in Downtown Houston

There is nothing better than a little catch up with a good friend! Crystal and I spent last Thursday afternoon exploring through Houston (mostly eating) and spending some quality time with each other. Crystal’s boyfriend, Ricky, just completed basic training for the Air Force so now we are both ‘milsos’ together! We have found so much more in common now with Ricky’s enlistment, and I love to share with her the tips and tricks of military relationships. We also found a greater closeness in our friendship because we FINALLY have a person that is closer to understanding how we feel.

To start off our day, we ate lunch at Spaghetti Warehouse. After our Italian food and good conversation, Crystal and decided on The Honeymoon Cafe for dessert. And might I say, that was DELICIOUS. My New Orlean’s style Doberge cake was probably one of the best cakes i’ve ever had in my life. The blackberries that were served with the cake created a perfect balance, and all Crystal and I could do the whole time is just let out several mmmm‘s with each bite.

As we walked off our wonderful dessert, I decided to tell Crystal about a great tourist spot that just so happened to be a few minute walk from Honeymoon. This overlook of Houston is completely free. For a moment, I stayed silent and just soaked in the beauty of the view we were seeing. Crystal and I both FaceTimed our loves because we felt the view was just something that needed to be shared. It is one of those sights that pictures and video cannot do it justice. You can see the little neighborhoods of Houston very clearly from this high up and you put yourself in perspective to the others walking on the street. To find this view, locate the JP Morgan Chase Tower in Downtown Houston and make your way up to the Sky Lobby on the 60th floor of the building.

Overall, the day was great. I am so glad to have a friend like Crystal who can relate to me in a way I felt many could not. She is a wonderful, wonderful human being who is so driven on her future. It is refreshing to find someone like that, who is on the same page. Would totally go out again… next time to a sushi place! Love yah, girl!

Picture Spot | Biscuit Paint Wall

Such a popular Houston picture spot! I took my beautiful cousin Laynie out the day after my birthday. We went to the Japanese Festival and to tons of museums and picture spots, so I thought it was a pretty productive day! This wall was on my list so without further adieu –

☑ Go to Biscuit Paint Wall in Houston

We took some pretty cute pictures for our Instagram. Very good day overall!

Three Houston Local Spots | May 3rd, 2016

Here’s a few pictures from today’s adventures with my love.

Today we:

• Rented bikes and rode the bikes throughout Buffalo Bayou Park.
• Ate really good burgers, cajun fries, and fried pickles at Stanton City Bites.
• Had a Peachy Green smoothie (apple juice base, peaches, spinach, kale) at JuiceLand in the Heights.

Overall, very happy with the day. I would totally recommend all three of these things if you’re looking for a relaxed, outdoors date day with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Also, the bike rental is $5 for 24 hours and Buffalo Bayou Park is free for all visitors. Other than biking, there are also hiking and jogging trails too if you’re into that!

HOUSTON LOCAL SPOT | ATKINSON FARMS

If you want to find a good place to go strawberry picking, I totally suggest Atkinson Farms. Inside the property, there are tons of strawberries and also a little market for other fresh grown produce. We picked a whole bucket for $8! How great is that?

Houston Local Spot | Drinkabili Tea

If you are ever around The Woodlands, go and check out this hidden gem. I found this place on Yelp (mostly for the wifi lol) and I love it! It’s the perfect study place. Starbucks is ALWAYS packed with people, but this little cafe has maybe five customers to the most during the day.

Drinkabili is the place for you if you like:

• Flavored iced green and milk teas
• Tapioca/Boba!
• Hot green and white teas
• Vegetarian meals (wraps, burgers, etc)
• Free, fast Wi-Fi
• Great customer service
• A quiet study spot with outlets near every wooden table.

Go check it out, I’ll link my personal Yelp page below!

http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=4PIePNUKqxxhgqOPzt5FRg&utm_source=ishare

Wooden tables = productivity.

 

Peach Green Tea ($4) with Tapioca to soothe the soul.

 

Vegetarian Portobello Burger $9 (grilled portobello, pesto sauce, lettuce, tomato, american cheese and red onions on a organic sprouted whole wheat bun) and a side of fruit.

 

Tourist Love in the Air

WEEK IN PHOTOS (1/1-1/8)

One thing that I really have been trying to do is using my camera more to document my weeks with photos and memories. This is something I want to try to do every week of the year but I am not sure how consistent I can be with it once I start school. Just something to try! Let’s see how this works out… This is my week in photo:

      

Houston Local Spot | Market Street

Hello there! Since I have this beautiful new camera and I spent the entire day after my doctor’s appointment hunting for a dress for my boyfriend’s military homecoming, I figured I would take this baby out and take shots of a place that is common among locals in Houston. Just to get myself familiar with the functions of this camera you know? A few minutes never hurt! I hope to create more blog posts in the future about spots in Houston that I explore. This place is a regular in my book. I visit very often! Market Street is in The Woodlands, TX and is perfect for a little date night or a lunch/shopping day. It is outside of the hustle and bustle of downtown shopping, and it has everything from a movie theater to shops, restaurants, private boutiques, you name it. The best time to visit Market Street is conveniently during my favorite part of the year – Christmas! As you can see, this street is just as excited for the holidays as I am. From what I heard, the Christmas tree that shines in the center of the street is 16 feet tall. A very good place to take a picture with your boyfriend or best friend.

Here are a few favorites (inside of Market Street) that I would love to share:

Favorite Shops: Madewell, Lush, Francesca’s, Sur la Table

Favorite Restaurant: Berry Hill

Favorite Dessert: La Madeline’s Fruit Tarts

Favorite Sight: Christmas & Christmas lights around the shops

What I Love: The Environment (so laid back and slow jazz is heard throughout the whole street)

  
  
  
  
  

Thanks for reading!

World of Dance Houston Twenty-Fifteen

Oh yes, that’s right! I attended a big name dance competition that is known all over the world, and had a blast at that. Dance used to be my all day everyday before the world of public school sports came into place, so this competition just sparked my love for dance and wanting to dance all over again.

The talent there was incredible, and three words: IT WAS LIT. The youth and adult division crews from all over the area had amazing music, choreo, themes, stage presence, everything. I went to WOD Houston this year, mainly, to support my friend Andre who is in Soreal’s DreamTeam right now. He was GREAT and I almost lost my voice from yelling the whole time.

At WOD, I got to me a lot of new people. The car I rode in pretty much was FULL with new friends that I didn’t know before AND… I got to meet Brian Puspos! We joked around and took a picture together, even though it was incredibly blurry haha.

The venue was a bit small, but WOD utilized the space well and it was more of an intimate experience compared to how Global Finals in LA looked like.

Overall, very good night with super cool people. Thanks Ral for the invite!

Houston Local Find | The Boba Shop

Visited the cutest little boba shop last week. The interior design just screams happiness!