Coffee Shop Hop - Even Realtors get to run away from home from time to time. This week my husband and I hit the road, flying from Pensacola, FL, to Charlotte, NC, and then driving to Burlington, VT.
We covered a lot of ground!. Since it's spring one might think we'd be smelling the flowers . . . but, well not everyone has Florida's weather. We decided a stop at some of the more colorful coffee shops would keep the chill away.
So here's a first - a combination coffee shop review and real estate update. Let me know what you think!
The Dripolator in Asheville, NC
Another Active Rain Blogger, Don Davies, tells us that although the Asheville real estate inventory is up over '07, so are the asking prices. It's a healthy market with the average selling price in the first quarter of '08 coming in at $277,792.
As for the Dripolator, my husband Jay says the tomato and provolone breakfast sandwich with pesto is THE BEST! I was impressed with the artistic coffee (see above . . . half way gone and the feather's still there!) We loved the atmosphere. Lots of local art for sale on the walls, business people (or college types) at the computers and even a reading lesson in progress. 
After a fascinating drive through Virginia and the Skyline Divide, and an evening spent in Pennsylvania, we found ourselves in Hudson, New York. Hudson if full of interesting little shops, mostly on Warren Street.
The Muddy Cup in Hudson, NY
The Muddy Cup was at the top of the hill. Very eclectic, with lots of antique touches and plenty of light from the front windows. They had some great pastries as well.
This was the perfect stop prior to heading up to Olana, the gorgeous early 20th century Moorish influenced home of the great painter, Fredrick Church. We were able to stroll the grounds of Olana and the coffee kept us toasty warm.
According to Trulia, the average sales price for a home in Hudson from Jan. to March of '08 was $239,400. Contrast this to the average price of $189,750 for the same period a year earlier. Hudson is catching on!
Next stop on the Coffee Shop Hop, Stockbridge, MA, because I just had to have lunch at the Red Lion Inn. The Red Lion was founded as a stage coach stop in 1773. Of course, a lot has happened since then . . . and if the walls could talk just imagine what they would say!
After a great lunch topped off with a couple of spicy bloody marys, we needed . . . you guessed it . . . coffee. We found the Stockbridge Coffee shop just around the corner from the Red Lion.
An older couple sitting on a bench out front enjoying their coffee were perplexed as to how we road our bicycle (mounted on the top of the car) without the front wheel. When Jay explained the quick release mechanism the gentleman quipped, "Well, I guess I won't steal it since I'd have to get a front tire for it!"
But the coffee was great! We had a couple of double espressos with foam for the road and headed out of the Berkshires toward the Green Mountains.
Sperling's Best Places tells me that the median home cost in Stockbridge is $607,500 with a -2.83 rate of appreciation last year to this year. The population is under 3,000, so truly a small town.
Burlington, VT, has a lot of coffee shops, but I really enjoyed Uncommon Grounds. The place was bustling mid day, mid week, as was the town. Even though it is spring and we had a sunny day, there were snowflakes that looked a lot like glitter falling outside the coffee shop windows. There is some great people watching from the bar front windows at Uncommon Grounds.
My nonfat, decaffeinated (one can only take so much caffeine) latte was great and I would recommend the shortbread as well!
Burlington is a college town, the home of the University of Vermont. According to Active Rain contributor Chris Hurd, it's a super place to live. Trulia tells me the average list price for the week ending April 9 was $323,933.
Now, it's time to head back to Florida. This leg of the trip will be by plane so I'm not hopeful I'll find any funky coffee shops. Look out Starbucks! Hope you enjoyed my Coffee Shop Hop!
and their stories. 
Pensacola is poised for growth. Underscoring that sentiment, a $100 million expansion to the Pensacola Regional Airport has just begun. The expansion includes a state-of-the-art in-line baggage screening, four more passenger loading gates, an enlarged ticketing area and a 1,300-space addition to the covered parking garage. Once completed, the project will be the most expensive single public works project ever undertaken by the City of Pensacola. The work, which is scheduled to be completed by late 2010, should not impact travelers as it is being phased and is an addition to the existing facility.