2025 has begun in the wettest and windiest fashion in London and I'm already dreaming about my next adventures, ideally to somewhere warm and sunny! In the meantime, I've picked out five of my favourite travel memories from 2025, including two new countries (Sri Lanka and Bulgaria) and delightful returns to NYC and Cannes.

Whenever I visit New York City, specialty coffee shop hopping is always on my agenda. I've been visiting the city's coffee shops for over two decades and it's a pleasure to go both to a coffee shop I've frequented for 21 years and to a whole host of much newer specialty coffee spots on the same trip. NYC's coffee scene has continued to evolve with my own tastes and I always discover new cafes and roasters to check out. My most recent trip was no exception!

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, this month marked a big birthday for me. And where better to celebrate it than my favourite of cities, New York City? My parents and brother joined me for an action-packed five-day trip to the Big Apple, my 33rd visit to the city since my first in 1995. Each of us was allocated a randomly assigned time slot in which to plan a group activity but there were plenty more celebrations, experiences and wonderful new memories throughout the trip. Read on for a selection of some of my favourites.

Last week, I was back in New York for an epic birthday celebration. We had so many activities planned — of which more to follow soon! — that I didn't have as much time for coffee shop exploration, but with five full days in NYC, I didn't do too badly. We were staying next to Grand Central Station in Midtown East, so I was able to visit a few coffee shops there. And I also enjoyed stopping by some new-to-me specialty coffee spots further downtown, including one that has to have the most unique name ever for a coffee shop. Read on to find out more!

Today, I’m New York bound once more on a long-awaited family trip to mark a milestone birthday for me. It will be my 33rd visit to the Big Apple since my first in 1995. Feeling nostalgic, I dove into my NYC archives, trawling through my old diaries (until 2006), blog posts (from 2007) and photo albums (digital and predigital — a big thank you to my parents for their help with the earlier years).

I was sad to bid farewell to my old passport this week — not just because it was an EU one (*sob*) but also because the stamps inside remind me of the travel experiences I've enjoyed over the past decade. To highlight some of these wonderful memories, I decided to pick one photo from each year, and boy was that hard! (I cheated because the header image features an 11th photo!)

I was last in New York in February 2020, a work trip that also took me to Seattle for a conference. It was a strange time to be there, as COVID cases began to climb, and no one really knew how to act as we didn't know what was to come. I did what I usually did and tried to go to as many of my favourite NYC places as possible, saving the rest for the trip with my parents I had booked in for May 2020. Of course, it turned out that it was my last foreign trip for 18 months, and the two-year gap until my return earlier this month was my longest absence from my favourite city in more than 15 years.

Earlier this week, I wrote about three of the excellent new-to-me speciality coffee shops I visited in Brooklyn during my recent visit. But I had the opportunity to stop by a fair few coffee spots in Manhattan too. I was staying near Bryant Park, which meant that Midtown coffee shops feature quite prominently on this list. There used to be a real dearth of speciality coffee in this part of town, but there are now dozens of places to get a great cup of coffee. I did find, however, that many of the Midtown coffee shops I visited had a real focus on takeaway and served coffee in disposable cups even if you are drinking in (COVID has been a driver, of course). This isn't that surprising, given the high proportion of tourists and office workers in that part of town, but it is worth noting.

After a two-year absence, I finally returned to New York City earlier this month, for a holiday with my parents. We were originally supposed to go in May 2020, but we all know why that didn't happen. With six days in the city, I had plenty of time to visit some new and new-to-me specialty coffee shops. And three of my favourites were all in Brooklyn. 

Despite it being a leap year, 2020 hasn't been a year where I've felt like leaping much, what with one thing and another. As such, my annual travel round-up post, where I highlight some of my favourite places for leaping that I've visited that year, has had a bit of a revamp. 

We're now inching closer to the end of an exceptionally challenging year. Despite everything, I know I'm very lucky to have remained healthy and in work (busier than ever, in fact, as I work for a science journal) throughout, but it's been such a difficult year for the hospitality industry, as coffee shops and eateries have had to adapt and then adapt some more in the face of constant change. 

A conference for work last month meant I was able to make a long-awaited visit to Seattle and its long-established and varied coffee scene. I was working for most of the six days I spent there, but luckily, I was based very centrally with lots of good coffee options nearby. A few early-morning jogs and two days off at the end of my trip meant I was able to visit a baker's dozen of specialty coffee shops during my stay. I've left plenty more for my next visit, but read on for my thoughts on the places I sampled (my very favourites marked in purple in the map below).

Ahead of a week in Seattle for a conference, I got to spend a few days in New York. I was staying in the Financial District, close to my company's office, where I was working for most of my trip (happily, I'll be back again in May). I did, however, have a free day-and-a-half in the city at the weekend. I was very lucky with the weather too: although it was cold, it was beautifully sunny on Saturday and Sunday, the rain coming out in time for my return to the office. As well as visiting a few speciality coffee shops, old and new, here's what else I got up to.

Citizens of SoHo (SoHo)
I stumbled upon Aussie coffee shop and brunch spot Citizens of SoHo while I was wandering up Lafayette Street. They have several other 'Citizens of' locations, and the SoHo branch had only been open a few days when I visited. I had already eaten brunch but I was very much in the market for coffee.

As 2019 comes to a close, and a new year begins, it’s time for my annual round-up of my favourite five photos of the year that feature me jumping for joy in various locations. Regular readers will know that I use this post as a way of looking back on my travels throughout the year. And this year, I visited nine countries, including three that were new to me — Estonia (new), USA, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia (new), Malaysia (new), Singapore, Spain and France. 

If you've been following my Instagram, you'll know that I spent a week in New York last month. I was there to work in my company's Financial District office but did get three weekend days and a public holiday free to explore in the city, and was blessed with crisp but sunny weather for most of the week. I'm lucky enough to visited New York about once or twice a year for the past quarter-century, which takes off the pressure and means coffee shops, restaurants and things to do can sometimes remain on my to-do list for a couple of years. I've already written about my most recent speciality coffee experiences here, but here's how I spent the rest of my trip.

Earlier this month, I was back in New York for eight days. I was working and staying in the Financial District for most of the trip, and to the best of my knowledge, I've already explored most of the best speciality coffee options in the neighbourhood (my guide is here). This, combined with what seemed to be a relatively small number of new openings of independent speciality coffee shops since my last visit one year ago, meant I didn't get to visit as many new-to-me coffee shops as I had hoped. There were four or five on my list that I couldn't quite squeeze in this trip, and two more in the East Village (Frisson Espresso and Southern Cross) that have recently closed — alas, Google Maps hadn't yet got the memo!

These are the new-to-me places I did visit (all of which have also been added to my New York speciality coffee guide and map):

Baodega (Flatiron)
After two weeks in Malaysia, where I consumed more than my fair share of dumplings, I couldn't resist visiting a cafe in the Flatiron district that offered both dim sum and speciality coffee. Baodega has an excellent-value set menu at lunch, but as I was looking for something lighter, I went for six soup dumplings instead, which were really good. The coffee is from Kopi Trading Co, and although my cortado was on the long side, it was smooth and well-balanced. As I arrived during the lunch rush, the only seating was at one of the large sharing tables opposite the counter, but this just gave me the opportunity to eye up my neighbours' enviable feasts.



Baodega is located at 7 W. 20th Street nr Fifth Ave. Website. Instagram.


Bluestone Lane (Times Square)
I've visited several branches of this Australian speciality coffee mini-chain before, including one in DC, and have found them to be as good a source of proper piccolos as of minimalist, pastel-accented aesthetics. I was therefore pleased when a journalist I was meeting suggested we meet at the Times Square branch, just opposite the New York Times. It's a small coffee bar, with not much seating, but the location is very convenient for Times Square. My piccolo was very good, even if I was too late to stop the barista making it in a disposable cup.

Bluestone Lane is located at 11 Times Square nr Eighth Ave (and various other locations). Website. Twitter. Instagram.


Brooklyn Roasting Company (DUMBO)
I visited the DUMBO branch of this Brooklyn-based roaster mid-way through one of my 'usual' New York runs: over the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn and then back over the Brooklyn Bridge. Located on Washington Street — now 'Instagram famous' as a result of the 'between the blocks' shot of the Manhattan Bridge that you can snap — the spacious, cosy cafe was a great spot for a quick breakfast. My cortado was well brewed, and the cheddar-jalapeño scone set me up for the rest of my run.



Brooklyn Roasting Company is located at 45 Washington Street nr Water St (and other locations). Website. Twitter. Instagram.


Felix Roasting Co. (NoMad)
Having seen photos of Felix Roasting Co. online several months ago, I knew that the NoMad cafe with its straight-out-of-a-Wes-Anderson-film interiors would be beautiful. But what about the coffee?


After having a run of cortados that were slightly longer than I usually prefer, I was keen to switch to filter coffee and was pleased to spot an Ethiopian Wush Wush coffee available as a batch-brew filter coffee. I became familiar with Wush Wush in 2017, when I just missed out on trying it at the London Coffee Festival. At Felix, the coffee's sweet honey and blackberry notes came through nicely, and sitting in the elegant, baroque cafe was a very civilised way to spend a coffee break.


Felix Roasting Co. is located at 450 Park Avenue South nr E. 31st St. Website. Instagram.


Gimme! Coffee (Nolita)
I have been to Nolita-based Gimme! Coffee before but it was a long time ago and I never photographed it for my blog. I was pleased to discover that it was just around the corner from my second hotel, and stopped by for a very fine macchiato on my way into the office on Friday morning.


The narrow coffee shop has just a couple of seats at the end of the counter, as well as on the bench outside, but they've managed to squeeze in a shelf with retail coffee beans and coffee kit, and local art adorns the walls. If you're in Nolita, this is a great place for a quick coffee stop.


Gimme! Coffee is located at 228 Mott Street nr Prince St. Website. Twitter. Instagram.


Partners Coffee (West Village)
I've visited Australian roaster Toby's Estate's Williamsburg and Flatiron cafes several times before, but not since the New York arm of the company's rebrand — and rebirth as Partners Coffee — earlier this year. As I was in the West Village on my first afternoon in the city, I decided to visit Partners' Charles Street cafe, in an angular, red-brick building on the corner of Seventh Avenue. I arrived not long before closing and so opted for a macchiato with the Bedford Blend espresso, which was a lovely pick-me-up after my flight from London. Single-origin espressos and pourovers were also available, and Partners' signature brightly coloured bags of retail beans are also on sale.


Partners Coffee is located 44 Charles Street nr 7th Ave. South (and other locations). Website. Twitter.


As I was spending so much time in the Financial District, I also re-visited two of my favourite three coffee spots in the neighbourhood, Black Fox Coffee and Cafe Grumpy (the third being Voyager Espresso). At Black Fox, I had a chocolatey Colombian Los Gigantes filter coffee from Ritual, and bought some fruity Ethiopian beans from Vancouver roaster Lüna, which I've been enjoying at home. As Cafe Grumpy's small, orange-accented coffee shop is often busy in the mornings, I stuck to the batch-brew filter coffee and was really impressed with the single-origin Nicaraguan coffee on offer. As I took my coffee to go in my HuskeeCup, I also got a 50¢ discount.



I had hoped to visit Nobletree's Financial District coffee shop, but in my pre-work rush, I couldn't track it down inside the sprawling Westfield World Trade Center (possibly because according to Yelp, if not their own website, it's closed). Instead, I visited another branch of Gregorys Coffee, close to my hotel on Broad Street nr William. The single-origin batch-brew filter wasn't ready yet, so I enjoyed a well-made cortado in this busy coffee bar. There isn't much seating, so it's best to fire up your reusable cup so that you can enjoy your brew elsewhere.

Finally, I was also able to stop by one of my favourite branches of Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, located on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side. I got an Ethiopian pourover to go in my HuskeeCup, which kept me caffeinated on my walk over the Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn.


For 80+ more of my favourite coffee shops in New York, please check out my speciality coffee guide; I've also included below my updated NYC speciality coffee map.

It's taken me too long to visit Chicago — the Midwestern city, on the shores of Lake Michigan, has been in my sights for some time. I missed out on a work trip a few years ago, but as it would have been during a particularly cold and snowy February, that may have been for the best.