Tucked away within Greene County and speckled with lush forestry, unique shops, yummy cuisine and "the most educated hippies you'll ever meet" (quote courtesy of my dad) lies Yellow Springs Village. The entire town is covered in art: from side walk chalk drawings to the carefully crafted felt butterflies and yarn cozies adorning the trees! There is little to no crime (most of the police reports are of neighbors complaining about noisy dogs) and everyone is extremely kind. It's rare to walk by someone without exchanging a smile or a friendly "how's it going?"! Upon arrival, I was told there is only one rule in Yellow Springs: Do not judge. Wow! As my eyes wandered from colorful building to colorful building wondering which one to enter first, I suddenly made a striking observation: contrary to California, there's no litter! The people of this town really work together to keep their environment pristine. So refreshing!
After 2 1/2 years of working at Jamba Juice, I've developed a serious smoothie addiction. In search of a blended treat, my Dad, his girlfriend Jessica and I headed downtown (my brother, Caleb, was in school at the time).
Roughly 7 minutes later, we walked into the Spirited Goat Coffee House.
An explosion of patterns and pastels, this is by far one of the most unique cafe's I have ever set foot in! With a stage for open mic nights and original for-sale-artwork hung on the walls highlighting a new artist each week, I was completely in awe. It is definitely a place I will find myself spending a good amount of my time. And yes, my Strawberry Banana smoothie tasted fantastic!
With a shining sun and clear skies, who would want to stay inside? We soaked up the sunshine while enjoying our breakfast: made-to-order bagel breakfast sandwiches with asiago cheese, egg, turkey & roasted tomatoes from the local market and smoothies. Yum!
Jessica next to one of the many art retailers downtown. Art is a very important part of life here!
My brother getting in on the action within the painting. He blends right in!
One of the things I love looking at downtown is "The Alley", an alleyway covered in murals by varying artists. Ever-changing, someone has already begun painting a new one since I've been here!
In the short time I've been here, I have met so many open-minded, trusting, intelligent, creative, inspirational and unique people! The amount of culture in this town is incredible: it seeps from the cracks in the pavement, it shows itself in the dreadlocks and tattoos of well over half of the residents, it's in every cup of coffee, in the strokes of paint on the buildings, it flows on the beats drifting from the coffee shops and import houses... I am falling in love! Possibly the best part is that I've only begun to scratch the surface of this wonderful place! Stay tuned to see what other treasures and surprises this town holds! xx
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