What is it with college kids and coffee shops?

Whenever I thought of my look in college, I imagined myself bundled up in my favorite pair of boots, jacket, stylish scarf, trendy hat, and of course my thick rimmed glasses, reading high-brow literature, studying away in a coffee shop as the leaves begin to change. It sounded straight out of a Pinterest post about pumpkin spiced lattes. After living in Durango for three years now, my dreams of being a Pinterest model have come true.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite things to do in Durango is spend hours at the coffee shops. There are a few in town, but my favorite is the Steaming Bean. Right off of 9^th and Main, the coffee shop has the warmest vibes, beautiful local art, and the perfect coffee shop music. It is the only place in town that I can focus on homework for hours on end.

But my hours logged at the local coffee shop are not just spent with my nose pressed to my computer screen reading psychological journal articles. I love waking up a little early, walking down to the Steaming Bean, and doing some pleasure reading or writing before class. It is time to myself to reflect and enjoy the present moment.

The people-watching is also fantastic. There are people who get their double-tall-mocha-spiced latte with three shots of espresso and rush out the door to their respective work places. Or the quintessential freshman with papers and various electronics strewn about, obviously cramming for a test. Or my favorite, the older couples, who, such as myself, are simply sitting and enjoying the robust taste of a morning brew, just taking in the sights and sounds, wanting nothing more than what is right in front of them.

So what is it with college kids and coffee shops? Apart from every twenty-something wanting to be a coffee connoisseur, coffee shops are a place of harmony. It’s where we will finish studying. It’s where we will find the perfect caffeine buzz. And it is where everyone is at peace.

So although I have never made the investment of a trendy scarf, contact lenses are much more practical than glasses, and I am more likely to be reading the best-selling middle-school dystopia book, I love chasing the day away snuggled in the corner of the Steaming Bean.