As two Snow Birds, after our first remote lyfe month in sunny St. Pete, we were excited for month #2 down south and began to flap our wings from St. Pete all the way over to Austin Texas for our second nest of the winter. However, we didn’t know that we were about to spend 2 days in Baton Rouge Louisiana, about 6.5 hours out from Austin, to wait out a once in a lifetime ice storm that hit Austin serendipitously the day before we were supposed to be there. We saw news stories showing Austin drivers slipping and sliding down hilly roads, and how the trees were weighed down and breaking under the weight of the wintry mix. It did not look good. Our moms advised not to go there yet and we acted as if we were gonna go anyway but actually listened to them and waited it out a bit more. By the time we summitted Austin it was still wintry, the trees looked like they needed unlimited PTO, tons of damage everywhere, and the roads were still slick. And, our new Airbnb had no power when we arrived. Romantic!

This new place was cute – not huge but compared to our “cozy” first Airbnb it was a much better layout. Our cats seemed to be in better mindsets with this new pawquarters and Pidge and I went shopping for groceries, candles and other things to get settled in with no power. The next day the power came on and the adventure began. Our Airbnb was very close to the Colorado River that runs you into the downtown and we loved having the access to boundless dream running trails along the river. Along the path, there are tons of turtles on logs bathing in the sun and you can see the whole skyline of Austin in the distance. Since we were training for Pidge’s first half marathon, we took in a lot of the city on foot and by trail, which was super nice. Austin was charming with its vibrant downtown, tons of music opportunities, and great bar options everywhere. On the flip side, it did not seem as diverse as we thought it would be and it seemed like every ‘restaurant’ was a food cart serving tacos!

We had fun with some Austin friends we were visiting, a close friend visiting us while we were there too, and we even made new friends at a coffee shop that was between a funeral home and a gas station. That was dope. In Austin, I ventured out to a co-working space for a few day passes close to us called Createscape that a fresh and funky co-working space for a very affordable price. Most days I joined Pidge working at a coffee shop. Austin was a little tough for remote working with its high prices for parking and overwhelmed coffee shops with high competition for seats indoors near plugs. We did enjoy a nice day trip to the Riverwalk in San Antonio and appreciated the spectacle of a Buc-ees, which is like a Disneyworld gas station experience – it’s huge! Overall the highlight was seeing Pidge rock her first half marathon in Austin on a super hilly course, being with friends, and the Colorado River.

Coffee Shop Roundup by Pidgette

Austin in February was to experience the electricity while escaping the winter. Overall the weather remained mild and provided sun more often than not, but rainy days in between. 

The remote working community was much more saturated than probably most other metro cities with the buzz about Austin growing. That being said, take extra consideration with Austin’s coffeeshops-many have more limited seating. Supply vs Demand. We found ourselves under the pressure to beat the crowd in the morning (before 8:30 AM) for indoor seats especially on rather hotter, colder, or rainy days. To note, Austin has various spaces with coffee, food trucks and breweries with outdoor yard seating and that defines where more locals go to spend time. It became a bit more transparent though that during the more extreme Summer weather, remote working is most likely a large challenge as most of those outdoor yard seating places offer no charging plugs and leave you vulnerable to the sun. 

I would say that if you are looking to spend your time at a coffeeshop in Austin, to plan weather wise. Most locals already know, but bringing your own water, charging packs, and finding shade is key to Austin for year round. 

Some of my favorite Coffee Shop Locations:

Radio Coffee + Beer- 4204 Menchaca Rd

Offers the indoor seating, but also covered outdoor seating under canopy as well as natural tree coverage. Easy transition from coffee to beer whether through the workday or to meet up with friends. Very friendly staff. Food trucks on site, but with limited hours of operation. 

The Buzz Mill- 1505 Town Creek Dr.

Mostly outdoor seating, but offers another coffee to alcohol transition. Has food trucks with tasty, but heavier food options. 

Bennu Coffee- 515 S Congress Ave 

Very surprising to have the indoor space they door. Definitely one of the remote worker hidden hotspot with bakery items, coffee, and plugs everywhere. 

Vintage Bookstore and Wine Bar- 1101 E 11th St,

Okay, so it’s not actually a coffee shop, BUT it’s a wine bar and bookstore combo with seating through the location as if it could be a second house. Since it still opens before 12 PM, it still can be your remote working day spot. 

Lastly, would recommend visiting the Austin Library-the coffeeshop and rooftop might just surprise you, but I will let you find that out.

Remote Lyfe! It all began in a 199 sq ft. “cozy” Airbnb in beautiful St. Pete, Florida. We arrived late at night for our month stay and immediately took in our new ‘storage cube’ of a unit. Pidge began weeping. Our cats looked at us like “is this all we can afford?” Turns out $2500 doesn’t get you much anymore these days. On the positive side we could high five from the toilet to the bed, it had a cute little porch with a swing, and we had access to Season 18 of Survivor on Netflix which somehow we ended up watching all of in our time there. Also, important to mention is that we had access to THE OCEAN!!! I mean it wasn’t at our doorstep, (a park with live gators was), but the ocean was only a 13.4 minute drive away.

Pidge and I put our stuff down, got the cats out of their negative mindsets with some deep breathing and affirmations about how we can make this beautiful together, and then we went down the street to a Mediterranean restaurant to reflect on our life choices. Our Remote Lyfe adventures had officially begun! What happened for the next month no one really can recount. We did make this (<—) MTV Cribs-esque video to capture the memorable humble beginnings.

The Remote Lifestyle in St. Pete Florida – Quips, Comments, and wild thoughts from David

Ah St. Pete. On one side of town, there is the 1970s style of mostly low-rise low-key ocean front hotels, Kava Dens, sea-themed restaurants and some beautiful sand + crystal clear turquoise waters (who knew that the word turquoise was spelled that exquisitely!) I put a toe in that sparkly water and it immediately froze off. For two Detroiters though, that 65 degree sunny day felt like a 90 degree beach day but that water was a polar plunge for only the bravest on the beach/the kids who ran in like it was a heated wave pool!

On the other side of town was the gorgeous St. Pete Pier. It truly is beautiful and showcases the oceanfront with community interaction opportunities for recreation, strolling, running, shopping and such. It was the perfect boardwalk to stroll while eating a gelato! And 4th street of downtown St. Pete is poppin’ with some snazzy places like a bar called the Laundromat, where you enter by calling a pay phone and then pushing on one of the laundry machines in the wall that opens up to a swanky speakeasy. And a place called the Dog Bar, where we witnessed dog heaven, dogs running everywhere and sniffing butts as adults drank cold beverages. It was at that bar that we witnessed a first date between what seemed to be a dog loving woman and a guy overdressed in a suit who must have said that he loved dogs too. With a dog’s ass in his face for at least 85% of the date, it was just quality entertainment.

We loved the hip, fun-loving people of St. Pete, and the calming ocean waves at our feet by the end of a workday. One day after we finished work, we quickly got some picnic accoutrements and made our way to the sparkly beach only to be feasted on by a hangry group of seagulls, one of which ran off with Pidge’s favorite cookie. Pidge will be commenting about the lay of the land of coffee in St. Pete, and I wanted to share a bit about joining a co-working space called the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. Conveniently located downtown, with free parking, I found Mary from the center to be the most amazing welcome guide for St. Pete. The center was very affordable for a month membership and I could do my meetings from board rooms with views of the whole city. Plus with the free parking outside me and pidge could park there and I could do some meetings at the center and then join her at a coffee shop or take a walking phone meeting by the water. St. Pete was sunny, somewhat warm, and quirky cute and it was really a great month to kick off our remote lyfe! We also had a great time fitting in a few day trips to nearby Tampa, which we went to for a Jazz Festival and a Theatre of the Oppressed event, and down south to Sarasota and Siesta Key for some more beach adventures! Now to the coffee round up with Pidge!!

Coffee Shop Round Up by Pidgette

St Petersburg was the luxury escape for sun deprived, remote workers very accustomed to the dull Midwest winter. For the Midwest in January, there is little to no option to remain outside further than necessary to scurry to the next enclosed locations,so for St. Pete to offer any amount of extended time outside is a new experience. 

Doors were left open at midday for the fresh air. People would fill the outdoor table seating to enjoy their lunches. Faces lit up by sunlight while conducting their meetings. Absolutely unknown to us. 

Not only does offering the outdoor office option create the best fight against seasonal depression, but the overall energy of the coffeeshops. People seemed lifted in a way that not only were most days met with beautiful sunshine, but the reminder that the beach, ocean, parks, downtown pier were all a quick 20 min drive for the after-working hours where we could enjoy the remaining sunlight in January. 

Overall it seemed like a smaller remote working community that contributed to the daily coffeeshop traffic. 

Some of Pidge’s favorite St. Pete Coffee Shop Locations:

Book + Bottle- 17 6th St N

A bookstore, a wine shop, a creative meeting space, a coffeeshop. Easily best combo with best energy. 

Black Crow Coffee Co.- 2157 1st Ave S

Definitely one of the remote worker hidden hotspots. The open large garage doors offer such a great open space on sunny days. Very inclusive and inviting for all genders and identities. 

The Kava Shack-201 150th Ave

Listen, a 24 hours coffeeshop with dope vibes-couches, ping pong tables, smoking/vaping area in the back, videogames on a tv-kind of like your own little modern That 70s Show basement. 

Paradeco Coffee Roasters- 111 2nd Ave NE #101

A whimsical step back into a 60s vibe for a coffeeshop, but with very healthy snack/beverage options. Bright and pastel colors created such a great space. 

“The Mountains are Calling and I Must Go” – John Muir

The Mountains Called, We Answered Before it Went to Voicemail

A Lot About Intention

A Picture is Worth 3 Words – I Love You

The Mountains Called, We Answered Before it Went to Voicemail (By Da-V-Day)

It all started with a 8/infinite hour overnight bus ride at butt o’clock from Rio to Espera Feliz. This is what that looked like (pic on right)..impossible to sleep except for the guy right behind us who sounded like a bull frog for 92% of the trip.

We wore shorts on the bus as it had been hot in Rio and we were greeted in Espera Feliz around 4am by our friends Ari and Thalles in winter parkas, hats, and scarves. It was COLD…crisp! They then drove us through the bumpy countryside roads into the Caparao National Park area which is home for Ari and Thalles! It was super dark but the stars lit our way highlighting the silhouettes of the mountains, and we soon found ourselves at Ari and Thalles’ AirBnB guest house – Casa da Serra Caparao Instagram @casadaserracaparao – objectively the most gorgeous AirBnB in this galaxy.

We rested for a few hours as the sun came up before going with our gracious hosting friends out to the delectable local lunch buffet at Cantina da Tia Nena, and adulting/getting some groceries in the nearest town. Then, we were kids again liberated in the Caparao mountains for some exploring, hiking, waterfall chasing, and bathing in pure nature. It was intensely refreshing and the joy of Thalles and Ari was palpable to share their home sweet home with guests. They are truly the best hosts you could ever hope for – the most loving and fun couple you will meet, and so beautifully passionate about facilitating an authentic, remarkable, and memorable visit for us. We are so grateful for them (if you are reading this Ari and Thalles..thank you, thank you, thank you!) As we went around town with them we quickly learned that they were local celebrities (or they paid everyone to act like they were!) and it was heart-warming to see such a vibrant close-knit community that Ari and Thalles are a part of and actively contributing to its beauty. Later that day we had some great conversation as we sorted coffee beans together that were literally picked in their backyard, we relaxed and breathed in the mountains from some hammocks, and had a night fire to let the stars inspire our imagination and feeling of reconnection to this wild marvelous world.

The next couple days we fell in love with the flow of the mountain life – the ecstatic feeling of exploring the wilderness and jumping into refreshingly cold water of waterfalls in the park, the sweet delights of local Fred’s fresh and locally made coffee and the most incredible chocolate chip cookies, and the chance to slow down and connect with locals having our friends as our bridge for intercultural connection. It really is the simple things that sparkle in Caparao and the presencing in the moments that filled our days in Caparao with laughter, learning, reflection, rest, contentment, and solitude.

We were especially fortunate to attend the area’s Festa Junina which just happened to be on one of our nights visiting. It felt like the entire community turned out in all its festive energy to celebrate and we were treated to traditional Brazilian dance and animated traditional stories, festive treats and drinks, and even a mechanical bull/buttery poll was prepared for a climbing competition. Right in the middle of the awe-inspiring traditional dance, complete with couples in colorful coordinated outfits, a torrential rain storm came through and knocked out the power. We stood under an awning for a bit enjoying the comradery with everyone as the storm intensified and feeling the power of nature, the power of community, and the joy of being a part of it all wash over us.

A Lot about Intention (By Pidge)

Ahhh, Espera Feliz to Caparão. It felt so beautifully rural. The roads wrapped along the elevation where each turn exposed the immaculate views. The national park painted the background and the coffee farms colored the landscape. Greens & grays countering the red, brown and orange creating a beautiful masterpiece. Then many houses with fun yellows and blues bringing a sense of mystery into the picture that each house that protected people and families with stories and experiences. And we were just so lucky for the opportunity to be in one with a beautiful couple. 

When we originally were planning Brazil, we had not planned for there, but with such an opportunity came the intentionality. I found myself thinking a lot about intention with every smile we met; It felt embodied there. Each person we were introduced to had a light about their purpose or an ambition for their passion. The park rangers for the Caparão National Park had a sense of protection for the park and nature. The local farming family was so giving to not only provide for their own family, but also the community. The owners of a local café were so loving with their family and coffee that they loved sharing it with others that shared that same love. 

More personally, we were lucky enough to learn about our host/friends’ passions. Ari envisioned their place as a yoga and/or retreat haven where she shared her practice to help others. Thalles had planned to explore being a park guide to share his excitement about what Caparão could provide. (Happy to share that we have cheered them on while watching each grow into their passions). 

That part of the trip honestly gave such a richer understanding of Ikigai. Although anyone can read the book, it takes a lot to understand and live to it. Being raised in the U.S. has a lot of privilege I am grateful for, but sometimes I do get saddened by the suppression of ‘living life with such a purpose’. Sometimes living in the U.S. feels more like we are playing a role in a playwright rather than actually experiencing the liveness of life which I appreciate Espera Feliz & Caparão for offering such perspective. 

A Picture is Worth Three Words – I Love You

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