This Grateful Season - Perfect Lattes

2012 can go down as the year I became a pretentious latte drinker. It started a year ago when I found my favorite latte in LA (so far) Espresso Profeta. My old love of pumpkin spice lattes do not even cut it anymore. ::gross:: I want whole milk, well pulled, one-shot lattes. I even have a weekly ritual. I've tried lattes in Boston, Hawaii, Vegas and San Francisco. My Boston go to was Espresso Royale. But, San Francisco's Blue Bottle Coffee was the best I've ever had (pictured).The morning I sat writing in the beautiful sunlit of San Fran, sipping the latte pictured above, was awesome. I walked from my hotel in Union Square down to Mint Street and into a expansive coffee shop with floor to ceiling windows and a line out the door. Everyone seemed perfectly dressed in cozy layers, wire-rimmed glasses and tattoos peeking out, with the baristas working double-time to fill the orders. I loved it.I sat at the bar, a window seat, and started writing my morning pages. A skinny guy with a perfect salt-n-pepper 5 o'clock shadow sat down next to me with his coffee and iPad."That's pretty analogue of you," he said, pointing to my handwritten pages."Well, I have an iPad for work and I can't stand typing emails on it, let alone writing anything more."In response, he showed me a stylus in his hand and we laughed. He pulled up an app and showed me he can draw and write all of his notes as if it's paper, but it's all digital. Awesome. And as I looked at his notes, I saw sketches of toys."Are you a...toy... designer?" I ask."Um. Actually, yes. That's exactly what I am," he said. Hah. Amazing.So we had a really engaging conversation about toy creations, my plans for San Fran, and then on to the space shuttle traveling through Los Angeles. Haha.After we said our good-byes, I went to photograph a corner of the room where a white plate and napkin were waiting to be cleared. A barista came over to clear the counter and paused so I could take my photo."Are you a photographer?" she asked."No. Not really, but I'm visiting and I can't get over how gorgeous the light is here" I said.And she went on to tell me she's a film photographer, old cameras, and she doesn't have a website yet... but such a fun conversation too.So, my trip to San Fran was awesome and landed me the best latte of the year. Grateful for the whole experience.Here's last year's latte post (at least I'm consistent...?)____________For the month of November, I write each day about something I’m grateful for and call it Grateful Season. It’s my way of reviewing the amazing year I’ve had and helps me focus on blogging during the crazy holiday season uptick. Feel free to join me – just make sure you let me know!