Lorelai's never had cofee like this

Every year, for the past six summers, my wife and I have loaded up the family car and road tripped across the country.

As we near Connecticut my kids look up from their iPads.

These gals are Gilmore Girls fanatics and apparently there are several towns that served as inspiration for Stars Hollow. Off we went to the nearest one.

The drive in was uneventful. I've been to enough of these places now to know the pattern... There is the little outside town that's pretty normal and soulless. Subways and gas stations litter their edges.

Then there is the original village, somehow beautifully preserved since before the founding of America. It's something to behold.

Google Maps shares about this little restaurant/coffee shop/seed store. Yes, the store sells heirloom seeds. Garden seeds. Pretty cool.

It was a great lunch. However, the thing I remember most was the coffee. The review I'd read said "The best cappuccino I've ever had". BS says I, but I give it a go.

And guess what? It was. It literally was the best coffee I've ever tasted. A cappuccino is a pretty good control too. Espresso and milk. No gosh darn sugar...

Friends ask about our road trip every year. We've seen some really cool places. The cool temps of Mammoth Cave on a very hot July day. The Lincoln Memorial in evening rain. Clingman's Dome in the Smokies. All worth seeing.

But it is always the random, impromptu stops that I remember most.

The seed store cappuccinos. The monastery we just happened upon. Rolling into Boston late on Independence Day with fireworks exploding over the harbor.

So happy summer to each of you. Expect joy from the unexpected.

All the best,

John Montgomery

P.S. If this made you think of someone who'd appreciate it, forward it on.