Cinnamon and Coffee

With limited time today and many appointments to keep, I decided to go out for a walk early and watch the town wake up.  All I had to do was follow my nose.  I headed west from home to get to the downtown area.  Turning a corner, cinnamon took me by the nose and led me to Pavel's Bakerei.  It has a curved glass front and inside are three shelves holding plates of delectable pastries and goodies, many of them as big as a baseball mitt.  I reached in my pocket and -- to my relief -- I had left my money at home.  That was a close one.

Down forest past two boutiques, one called Chartreuse and the other called Biba; past Hazara Oriental Rugs, around the corner and west again on Lighthouse Avenue.  Next, I passed Maurizios Cafe, not yet opened, and then Juice N Java on the corner of 19th Street.  Quite a few groovers had settled in already with their favorite cuppa Joe and a scone.  Nice.

Over across Lighthouse is Holly's Lighthouse Cafe, which is a charming blue-checked-table cafe well loved by locals.  The early birds were scrutinizing the menu and refilling mugs of coffee.

On my side of the street, I passed more businesses that would swing their doors open about 10 a.m. or so.  Others are only open for dinner.  The Red House Cafe had just opened, and for probably the only time I've ever seen it like that, it was empty.  But, at 7:30 in the morning, I just had to wait for an hour before hungry breakfasters would be queuing up for tables.

I walked on, trying to keep my pace up but always distracted by changes.  One notable change:  The grand mansion originally built by Dr. Hart that had subsequently been occupied by Maison Bergerac and then The White House On Lighthouse has finally been purchased after standing empty for a couple of years.  It's enormous and will require quite a truckload of cash to refurbish.  I'll be very curious to see how that will come along and if it will be used commercially again.

Finally, before turning down toward the ocean for a roundabout loop, I detected the aroma of breakfast cooking at Toasties on the corner of Central and Lighthouse.  By far, they have the fastest service around and they keep your mug full.  It's a great place to go for a hearty breakfast, but you may have to wait a little while midmorning on weekends.

I'll tell you more about dairylands, the original 100 acres and other layers of the town.  Walking is a great way to get around town, especially in the morning with cinnamon and coffee wafting through the air.