I went for a little visit to what I’m going to call the 6th Avenue Coffee District today.

First stop: Satellite. Have you been there? Their macchiato is truly awesome. I was parked in the liquor store only parking, so I had to slurp and leave.

Next stop, the other end of the coffee district: Valhalla. I had to pick up some beans, so what the hey, I had another macchiato.

So I am here tonight confessing that my previous exaggerated post about 2nd best cup of coffee…hogwash compared to the perfection I tasted today. Recalling from a distance of several hours, I would say there wasn’t much difference between the two – they were both rich and aromatic and nutty and really amazing. But I remember thinking, immediately after having the Valhalla cup, that the Satellite cup was better.  Maybe it was just that the barista bothered to provide art on top; Valhalla’s new person – who had a broken arm – didn’t. There was quite a crowd, though and she probably didn’t have time.  Speaking of which, I try and try, and the best I get is funny little shapes.  I had one recently that looked like a forest creature drawing.  See above – I keep thinking beaver, but as I look at it, it’s something like a squirrel, right?

It makes me think how often we are so pleased with our own success that we speak in extremes to describe them.  Yeah, my shots are more than acceptable to me, and my family appreciates how good they are.  But they are what they are – little candles next to the big lighthouses, where beacons of light show the way through the morning fog.

I want an espresso stand.