An Abundant Life - Top Of The Morning

I was planning to write about City Of Saints Coffee Roasters when I first met them in September of 2018. At the time they had opened a pop up cafe at Antique Bar & Bakery in Hoboken, and I was so impressed with the quality of their coffee that I offered to write a blog post. They have another location in Hoboken on 14th Street, and they also have a location in Manhattan and one out in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I had wanted to visit the Brooklyn cafe because that is also a roastery, and so I thought I would wait until I was able to find some time for a visit there before writing the post. But at the time my schedule was very busy, and then one thing led to another and then it was cold and unpleasant winter weather, and the pop up shop at Antique Bar & Bakery ended, and the blog post I had started in my blog stayed in draft form. I didn't want to take it out entirely because I kept thinking that at some point I'd find the time to go out to the Brooklyn cafe, but somehow there never seemed to be any time that seemed the right time and now we find ourselves in the now of very little travel and many shops closed.

In this current time, I'm still writing my blog, though at times it seems odd because though I can do posts remotely, I usually like whenever possible to travel and visit and talk and take photographs, but the other day I did a play on Zoom, something that I never thought I'd ever have the slightest interest in doing, and though it was a challenge, at this point who knows when things will ever get back to the way we used to do them, so I'm forging ahead wherever and whenever I can to keep at least plugging along in creative endeavors and trying to encourage other people that we can and we will make it through this to a better and brighter day.

So I found myself this past week thinking that this was as good a time as any to write about City Of Saints, and though I never did make it out to their Bushwick Cafe, I do still have the lovely memories of their time at Antique Bar & Bakery, and my first delighted impressions of the quality of their coffee then. As a company, they have a mission to be not only sustainable but also to be good neighbors and colleagues and to be community minded, and in a way that's what my blog and my work is about too. As people who know me know, I only write about people and companies and products I truly believe in, and I also try as much as possible to support the people I write about in whatever way I can and to invest my time and efforts in developing relationships that can last and help build community.

My first impression of City Of Saints was of course tinted through the rosy colored glasses that accompany anything that Chef Paul Gerard, a Partner and the Executive Chef of Antique Bar & Bakery does. I know that he allows only the highest quality ingredients and products to be a part of his restaurant, and so I knew that the coffee would be excellent. But something else happened when I tasted it - I was reminded of coffee that I hadn't had in years and that I'd been searching for. When I lived in Manhattan, I used to buy my coffee at a store named Jefferson Market on 6th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets in the West Village. I loved that coffee so much that I broke it down into how much it cost per day by figuring out the number of pots of espresso I could make out of it because I wanted to justify the added expense in my very tight budget at the time. I usually had their espresso or their French roast, but I also would buy different kinds from time to time to add a little variety to my morning. Jefferson Market closed about ten years ago, and I've been looking for coffee even remotely as good ever since, and when I tasted City of Saints coffee that first day at Antique Bar & Bakery, it reminded me of one of the Kenyan coffees that I had gotten all those years ago. It turns out that it was a similar roast, and that got me thinking back to the first time I had ever started buying my own coffee, when I was at school in Pittsburgh for two years when I first went to college. There was a little shop there in an area called Shadyside which is also the real life home of Mr. Rogers. During those two years I bought all my coffee there and a beautiful ceramic coffee maker with matching cups too, and a friend of mine always insists that it's my cups that make my coffee so good. I think they do, but I also know that it's the coffee that goes into them, and even in a paper to go cup City Of Saints tastes like a hands down winner to me. Their cups are lovely too, a beautiful blue, and if you're lucky enough to stop by in person, they'll make a little artwork to grace your heavenly brew.

City Of Saints
1320 Bloomfield Street
Hoboken, New Jersey
https://www.cityofsaintscoffee.com/

And In 2018 At A Pop Up Cafe
At Antique Bar & Bakery

122 Willow Avenue

Hoboken, New Jersey

https://www.antiquebarbakery.com/

Chef Paul Gerard
Executive Chef And Partner
Of Antique Bar & Bakery
Discussing Pastry Selections
With The Restaurant Pastry Chef
And The Staff Of City Of Saints

 

 

Photographs Courtesy Of Ricardo Vallejo

  

 

 

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Bravery

The first time I saw the inspirational t-shirts that Elizabeth Sites creates under the label declan I was in Bryant Park after brunch during the winter holiday season, taking a stroll around the shops with a friend who was in town who wanted to look at the different artisanal products on display. That particular market is always an excellent one, and as my friend and I turned a corner I saw someone I knew in the crowd and said hello. It was James Hammond, and it turned out that his girlfriend, the lovely Producer Pamela Lubell, who is also a friend, was helping her friend Elizabeth Sites with her booth, and so he took me over to see Pamela and that is the first time I saw the inspirational t-shirts Elizabeth Sites is creating.

That day Pamela told me a bit about Elizabeth and about Declan, Elizabeth's son who the label is named after, and she also told me about the t-shirts themselves and how Elizabeth created the brand because she wanted to bring a sense of love and joy and positive energy into the world and to be able to make a positive impact. There is something so beautiful about the t-shirts and hoodies she's creating, and something that is so powerfully positive. They are all hand crafted and made locally, and whenever possible she is hiring people to do the sewing who can benefit the most from having the income the work provides.

I had been planning on writing about Elizabeth last winter, but time was rushing by and I hadn't found a chance to do it yet. And then one day recently I received a gift package in the mail from Pamela, and there was a declan t-shirt in it. The shirt said "Be Brave", something that along with the fact that it arrived so unexpectedly made me cry. This time we are living in right now is not an easy one, and though I am really fine in every way, I'm not always feeling so brave. But after I had my little cry, I tried on my t-shirt and suddenly I was smiling, and I took my first selfie ever because I wanted to show Pamela and Elizabeth how much I loved wearing the tee.

Declan the brand was started by Elizabeth and named after her son Declan who after a traumatic birth was diagnosed with multiple severe disabilities. But in her descriptions of Declan, it is the beauty of Declan's life and the wonder and joy of her experience of life with Declan that are put into focus. She describes in "Our Story" on the website that "His love of life, regardless of his special condition, is a constant reminder that there is a colorful thread that weaves us all together. The need to love and to be loved." The mission of the brand "is to recognize and embrace the unique strengths of those with disabilities. By supporting and encouraging not only them, but their caregivers, we give them an opportunity to not only to be relevant and contribute, but to make an impact in the world." In addition to designing and creating these beautifully inspiring and encouraging wearable messages, Elizabeth is developing a friendship box that will include other artisanal gifts by other makers whose products she admires and believes in the quality and messages of. Within the box will also be a special message from Declan with a palm print of his hand and the encouragement to touch and hold his hand when we need to feel the reassurance a friend can give. Declan also gives support to Charities including Autism Society, Special Olympics, and Guide Dogs For The Blind. In a very powerful way, the very message of the brand gives a voice to Declan himself, asking the question and helping us find the answer to "How will you create and define your time on earth?"

Elizabeth and I had a conversation this past week, and it was a lovely one. There are times when you meet people at times in your life when you need to know that you're on the right track, and somehow that was what happened. I don't know where I'm going sometimes these days, but wherever that is somehow in our conversation I felt less alone. A burden shared is a burden halved as the saying goes, and when we find a way to connect with each other we can find our way to keep going. In a way I think that's what bravery is after all, when we feel less alone and we can keep moving forward in spite of the doubts and fears and uncertainty. When we can keep moving through we find we can make it and that the journey is a better one with a friend.

declan

https://declan.la/

Photographs Courtesy Of Elizabeth Sites

A First Selfie At Home

Inspired By A Gift Of Friendship

In Bryant Park

At The Holiday Market

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - The Place To Be

The first time I walked by the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City I wanted to go in and see if there was a restaurant where I could sit and view the water. I remember thinking very clearly that there must be one that had gorgeous views, and I also know the quality of the Hyatt brand because of my traveling in different places over the years, and it's been my experience that any time a Hyatt has a restaurant, not only is the food excellent but the experience is a lovely one. And so I made a note that one day I'd go back to see what I could find out, and then I met the Mixologist Stephanie O'Neill whose cocktails are as beautiful and accomplished as she is, and when I began to write a blog about her I found out that she worked at that Hyatt.

The Hyatt Regency Jersey City is in Exchange Place, in one of the most beautiful spots imaginable, and it's also very conveniently located not only to the rest of that waterfront area but also to downtown Jersey City and all the local transportation hubs leading to other areas including Manhattan. It's a hop, skip and a jump for someone like me who likes to walk by the water, and when I went to visit Stephanie O'Neill and first saw Vu I had to take photographs because the view is stunning. The cocktails she is creating are of course phenomenal, and the other bartenders who work there are making excellently delicious drinks of all kinds as well. And if you're interested in having a snack at the bar, there is an excellent menu too. The lounge and restaurant menus originate from the kitchen of imaginative and talented Chefs, and the restaurant is truly opulent in that wonderfully comfortable way that feels like a place where you'd want to go not just for special occasions, but any time you want to take some time to enjoy some time with business colleagues, friends or family.

And of course there's the view which brings something special to every moment. Throughout the day it is lovely, with the sunlight on the water changing into sunsets, nightlights shining from both sides of the Hudson River, and views of all of the major attractions on the east and west sides of the waterfront stretching down past the Statue of Liberty all the way to the Verrazano Bridge, and a front seat to admire the majesty of One World Trade Center. Even on cloudy days it's a lovely vista, with the water taking on a steely depth of color and refracting light. And to be able to sit there and enjoy the delicious creations of the Chefs and Mixologists, surrounded by this kind of beauty within the comfort of a beautifully designed room, is the utmost in luxury. A visit to Vu is one that is worth taking often, to take in the sights and the tastes and to just be.

Vu

At The Hyatt Regency Jersey City

https://www.hyatt.com/jersey-city-on-the-hudson/dining


Lovely Refreshing Cocktails

A Delightful Menu

Views For Days

Marvelous Mixology

With Every Detail In Place

Changing Light

Lovely Touches

A Special Place For Christmas Eve

Blessings,

Jannie Susan