Alchemy Coffee 42.073998, -87.692918
I found myself sitting at a little table inside the tiny shop in the early hours of a summer morning in 2017. It had only been a few months prior that we had decided to take this trip. It was an even shorter amount of time since I had decided to use this adventure as excuse to
try my hand at film making.
Now, I sat sipping my chai, soaking in the smooth, Vince Guraldi style, jazz. The smell of coffee actively being roasted in a back room filled the air. Processing my photos from the trip and thinking about all the things I wanted to do with our travels.
Alchemy coffee is a quaint shop in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Il, centered in a little shopping district right outside of the Linden station of the L. At the time, local coffee shops weren't something I sought out. In reality, outside my evening chamomile, coffee and tea weren't even something I regularly partook in unless it was to help me wind down for the night while I journal. In reality, we weren't even in this coffee shop for drinks either. My Aunt, who lived near by, suggested it because it was a good place to get baked goods and it was only a short walk from Bahá'í House of Worship.
Being the last day of our nearly two week trip to Illinois, and only having few hours before we needed to be at the airport to board our flight home, the one two combo of good food and a nearby quick point of visit seemed perfect.
Not wanting coffee, and having read about it in a book I had recently finished reading, I opted for a malsala chai. The scones we ordered, a cranberry and chocolate chip, were sourced from a near by bakery. We we got out food and drink, picked out a table, and took a break to just soak in the moment and look at all the pictures I had taken.
The whole atmosphere was reminiscent of the something strait from the cigarette smoke filled coffee shops of the Beat generation. Many coffee shops try to recreate this vibe by forcing the atmosphere. The result being the cliche' of a packed rooms of hipsters and tech bros typing away on their laptops with upturned noses and frapps. Alchemy coffee, however, achieves this by simply existing. This is probably due to, in true cafe style, the bulk of their seating being outdoors with their indoor seating being two tables in a cramped sitting area shared with their checkout counter. It could also be due to its location or its clientele being largely local regular on a first name basis. It could even be the chic modern aesthetic of their interior design among the old Chicago style architecture or even the simple vertical record player spinning the crackly tunes of vinyl records for the shops music. Whatever the reason, in the moment, at that shop, I was inspired to do more than just make a single video of our trip. Alchemy would be were everything started for me. Tracking down local coffee shops and trying their malsala chai during my travels had since become a staple. Starting this website to write about the places we've ate at, drank at, or saw and turning a one off video project into a youtube channel all were inspired that day.
Looking back, at almost a decade of adventures, exploring, sharing my experiences, and teaching people what I learn along the way, it can all be tracked back to my 2017 visit to this little coffee shop. The food and drinks are always amazing, but there is so much more to the places we share than just what we consumed and how it tasted. A huge part of what I love about the places I visit is the atmosphere they create and the inspiration they give. Its because of this, Alchemy Coffee will always hold a special place in my heart.
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