A weekend of "firsts."

Trying new things for the first time is a risk, but usually the outcome is beneficial to you.

This weekend I went to SPoT Coffee in Buffalo, NY, and I tried a Macchiato for the first time. I was picturing your average Caramel Macchiato, however, I received a tiny ceramic cup which looked like something you might play with at a tea party.

Photo Credit to Aubrey K. from Yelp.com

I figured I would try it even though it looked strange, and it was nothing like I expected. It was just 2 shots of espresso and foamed milk on top. Not the sweet creamy caramel-y latte tasting drink I am used to.

However, now I understand the espresso drinks a bit more and will always clarify before purchasing.

Someone else who had a first experience this weekend was my friend, Katie Watts. Watts had SPoT coffee for the first time and was there to laugh with me and share the experience I had with the Macchiato.

Watts came home with me for Thanksgiving break because she is from the United Kingdom, studying abroad at The College at Brockport for a year.

Watts had the opportunity to experience the true life of an American family.

"I went to Niagara Falls for the first time, I went to Buffalo for the first time... I had my first Friends-Giving, I had my first Thanksgiving,  I feel like I had a proper first taste at what it's like to live as an American and live in an American family which was really fun," Watts said.

Some of the other places she was able to go to for the first time were Marshall's, Hobby Lobby, P.F. Chang's, The Elmwood Village, Delaware Park, and one of Downtown Buffalo's newest restaurant additions, The 716.

"I got to experience proper chicken wings in Buffalo so that was really fun and really tasty," Watts said.

A lot of the food in America is really different and Watts says she has enjoyed tasting so many new things. Besides true Buffalo chicken wings, Watts had cornbread, banana cream pie, a Tim Horton's iced capp, monkey bread, and of course a Thanksgiving dinner, all for the very first time.

Watts said the Thanksgiving dinner was similar to a British Sunday Roast, and that there were many similarities in her experiences as well.

Watts is glad to have had the opportunity to experience life in America, and she can't wait to tell her family back home all about it as well. She even already began to share by FaceTiming her family and friends while at Niagara Falls, so that they could experience the moment with her.

Katie and I agreed that the most fun moments of the weekend were the unplanned adventures we encountered, as the spontaneity led to even more firsts.

"I feel like this week has been the best week I've had since being in America and like its been so much fun and I've never been made to feel so welcome in one of my friends houses here before," Watts said.

This weekend has reminded me that there is always room for firsts. I was born and raised in Buffalo, but I was able find new adventures in the same places I had already been, just with new people.

An Escape from Discrimination

Christopher Rendon is a student at the College at Brockport who loves to go to coffee shops.

Rendon took the time to explain to me why he feels as though coffee shops offer a non-discriminatory atmosphere as opposed to other places, such as McDonalds.

In his opinion, the people are what make the difference. He explained to me how workers in coffee shops are attentive and caring, as opposed some unkind people he has met in other places.

Rendon has been discriminated against for being Mexican, but he has never felt judged for the color of his skin in coffee shops.

Rendon told me his favorite coffee shop is one at home, Caffé Bene, and how he was able to relate it to a place in Brockport, Java Junction. He explains how these places have comfortable furniture, and they feel like home, so they create an environment which he enjoys spending his time in.

Finding new beans.

As I visit New York City for the fifth time, I am still amazed by the hundreds of unique people who surround me.

From the Halal street vendors to the hyperactive New York Stock Exchange Workers to the Billionaire CEO’s, I got to see it all. New York brings a different experience every time you go, especially when you start to get away from the typical tourist type of places.

Even though Time Square is one of these tourist places, the one thing I love to see is the different street performers. Now I’m not talking about the people who dress up like Disney characters. I mean the ones who are performing for the love of their talent, or because their homeless and have to perform in order to get dinner to their mouth.

Among my favorites this trip around was the man painted silver, a saxophone player, and the guy who did a side flip over seven people.

The people there all have a story, and not the type of story you hear every day.

Just as there are a lot of different people, there are a lot of different places to go. Of course there’s the chains like H&M and T.G.I. Friday’s, but there’s also a lot of unique places hidden in the nooks and crannies if you zoom into the map on your phone far enough.

That being said, of course you can find a Starbucks on every corner, but there’s hundreds of other coffee places that you have probably never tried before, and they are probably right next door.

When me and my friends arrived at the city last time around, we came out from the subway station by Central Park, ready for breakfast.

I voice commanded Siri, “Coffee near my location.” Of course, several popped up.

I could have chose the closest Starbucks to my location, but we ended up walking a block over to a place called Paris Baguette. Now although this is also a chain,we had never tried it before (since it’s only a chain near the coast in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania).

We never made a better decision in our life. No lie, I got the best frappe and cheese danish I’ve ever had. But I never would’ve had it if I didn’t step back and say, let’s look for something new, something that’s not Starbucks.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do love Starbucks. If it wasn’t so overpriced and a little more accessible to my location, I’m sure I would have it on the daily. I am a gold member after all.

Just because Starbucks is a chain, doesn’t mean you can’t have a unique experience while you’re there. After all, it is what you make of it and how you interact with the people while there.

Something which I saw in New York when I was grabbing my Starbucks for the 8 hour bus ride home, was an effort to de-chain the place.

By this I mean the Starbucks I went to was trying to do something which the other places weren’t, or at least which I had never seen before. They were hosting tasting of coffees from around the world.

I thought this was a nice twist on Starbucks because educates people on the different coffee’s representing all the different cultures which New York is home to.

Not enough people care to know the difference between the coffee’s of different regions, so it’s nice to see that extra step to connect with people and let them taste the difference between each culture. The sign they had out also educates people on the differences between the coffees so even if they can’t come to the tasting, they can learn about the history and background behind the beans.

This is a small step of knocking down the typical chain atmosphere of Starbucks, and it goes to show that every place no matter what can offer a new and interesting experience.

That being said, I encourage you to go out there and try something new. Email me your findings at coffeemaniacglobal@gmail.com