Tag Archives: North America

Big Sur

The Phoenix at Nepenthe, Big Sur (48510 Highway One, CA) Though technically not a bookshop in its own right, an interesting books section has been created at the The Phoenix store which is attached to the (once) bohemian restaurant Nepenthe. … Continue reading

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San Francisco

Farmer’s Market (Ferry Pier, San Francisco, CA) You can’t set foot in California these days without bumping into a farmer’s market. They are as popular as coffee houses and have fast become weekly events in many towns along the West … Continue reading

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Chicago

Descartes Coffee (327 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611) Descartes Coffee is the antithesis of Starbucks (despite playfully hijacking their logo style and lights). It’s a small, independent coffee shop that is located in a few places around the city, … Continue reading

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Santa Cruz

Bookshop Santa Cruz (1520 Pacific Avenue Santa Cruz, CA 95060) The future looks bright for this great, not so little, independent bookshop in Santa Cruz which has been going since 1966. Earlier this year, the Santa Cruz branch of Borders … Continue reading

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California Zephyr – Chicago to San Francisco

We finally boarded the Amtrak train after a minor delay but were just glad to be on the move. We opted for a sleeper car this time as we’d be on the train for three nights. The room in our … Continue reading

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Chicago

We took the overnight train to Chicago, not getting much sleep but passing through idyllic-looking rural farm land along the way. The Chicago stop-over was supposed to be brief – a one night stay in the downtown hostel with a … Continue reading

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