Ever gone somewhere and said, “Hey, I need some coffee. But I don’t want to patronize the Mermaid. Where, oh where, can I go?”
Well, if you have Internet access (and of course you do, having gotten a list of free Wi-Fi providers before starting off on your trip), you can check out The Delocator for your java fix. The Delocator’s mission:
Cafés are vital social outposts that have historically provided subjective, social, local, and at times, irrational interaction, inspiration, and nourishment to artists, hipsters, musicians, activists, intellectuals, radicals, and others alike. Currently, independently owned cafés around the world are under aggressive attack; and their numbers have been sharply decreasing for many years. delocator.net is a means to preserve these local businesses.
This is definitely not a perfect solution: I typed in my zip code and found the three local cafes I’d mention to visitors, but their list of nearby Starbucks is wrong, wrong, wrong. (Not that I’m going to go out of my way to correct it for them—best to find a local cafe.)
I also can’t figure out what their radius for cafe results is: I typed in my mom’s zip code (in San Francisco) and got pages and pages of cafes…not one of which is one of the cafes within three blocks of her house. She lives near California and Fillmore; there are quite a few there. When I visit Mom, I’m just not gonna stop by Mission Delores for a cuppa. However, if I applied what appears to be the radius in San Francisco to my own area, I should get a few more cafes in my results. There may be a few kinks in the machine yet.
But still! A good start! And you can submit entries for their list and make comments on cafes. Support your local coffeehouse!
(Via The Accidental Hedonist)