I enjoy doing astrophysics outreach to the larger community. During my PhD in Baltimore I was a member of the PAGS (Physics and Astronomy Graduate Students) outreach group at JHU, where we went to schools in the greater Baltimore area and showed cool science to young bright minds. As a postdoc in the Boston area I was a speaker at Astronomy on Tap, and collaborated with Science for the Public, a local Boston non-profit, in one of their episodes.
I like playing squash, and above all, coffee. This is a list of some coffee places I have really liked in different cities, as well as a (completely arbitrary) rating from 1 to 5. I’m compiling this list for my own records, so YMMV. You'll probably notice nothing below a ~3. Those aren't worth writing about.
Texas
Houndstooth 3.5/5 -- Austin, TX.
Thunderbird 3.5/5 -- Austin, TX.
Medici 4/5 -- Austin, TX*.
Mozarts 3/5 -- Austin, TX [on the list for the vibe, not the coffee]
Square Peg 4/5 -- Austin, TX [the opposite, great coffee and no vibe]
Intelligentsia (Shoal Creek) 4/5 -- Austin, TX*
Merit 4.5/5 -- Austin, TX.
East Coast
Peregrine espresso 3/5 -- Logan Circle, DC.
Dolcezza 4/5 -- Dupont, DC.
Pitango Gelato 4/5 -- DC/Baltimore*.
Artifact Coffee 4.5/5 -- Union Mill, Baltimore.
Spro Coffee 3.5/5 -- Hampden, Baltimore.
Atwater's cafe 4/5 -- Belvedere, Baltimore.
Bird in Hand 3.5/5 -- Charles Village, Baltimore.
Ceremony Coffee Roasters 4/5 -- Mt. Vernon, Baltimore.
3 Bean coffee 4.5/5 -- Fed Hill, Baltimore.
Vigilante Coffee 4/5 -- College Park, MD.
Stumptown 4/5 -- NY*.
La Colombe 4/5 -- NY*.
Caffe Vita 4/5 -- Alphabet City, NY.
Red Eye Coffee 3.5/5 -- Midtown, NY.
Now or Never 4/5 -- Village, NY.
787 Coffee 4.5/5 -- Alphabet City, NY.
East One Coffee 3.5/5 -- Brooklyn, NY.
King's cup 3.5/5 - Midtown, NY.
Joe Coffee Company 4/5 -- Queens, NY*.
Small Point 3.5/5 -- Providence, RI.
Blue State Coffee 3/5 -- Providence, RI.
9 bar espresso 4/5 -- Somerville, MA.
Simon's coffeeshop 3.5/5 -- Cambridge, MA.
Diesel Cafe 4/5 -- Somerville, MA.
Crema Cafe 3.5/5 -- Cambridge, MA. (Moved as Revival).
Revival Cafe 3.5/5 -- Somerville, MA.
Longfellows 4.5/5 -- Cambridge, MA. (Replaced by Pepita).
Pepita Coffee (Lamplighter) 4/5 -- Cambridge, MA.
Broadsheet 4.5/5 -- Cambridge, MA.
Cicada Coffee bar 4.5/5 -- Cambridge, MA
Ogawa Coffee 3.5/5 -- Boston, MA.
Jaho Coffee 3.5/5 -- Salem, MA.
Back of the Bookstore 4/5 -- Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard MA
(Pseudo-specialty chains to avoid: 1369 Coffee House, Pavement, Bluestone Lane)
Rest of America
Webster's Bookstore 3.5/5 -- State College, PA.
Redhawk coffee 4/5 – Pitt, PA.
Comet Coffee 4/5 -- Ann Arbor, MI.
Intelligentsia 4/5 -- Chicago, IL*
Catalyst Coffee 4/5 -- St. Louis, MO.
Four Barrel 4.5/5 -- SF, CA.
Ritual Coffee Roasters 4.5/5 -- SF, CA.
PIQ 3.5/5 -- Berkeley, CA. (closed too).
Arcade Coffee 4/5 -- Riverside, CA.
Blue Bottle 4/5 -- Oakland, CA*.
Vesta 3/5 -- Las Vegas, NV.
MY coffee roastery 4/5 -- Berkeley, CA. [usually long wait, but worth it]
Spain
HanSo Café 4/5 -- Malasaña, Madrid.
Toma Café 4.5/5 -- Tribunal, Madrid.
Hidden Café 4.5/5 -- Les Corts, Barcelona.
Satan's Coffee 3.5/5 -- Barrio Gótico, Barcelona.
Monkee Coffee 3/5 -- Tetuán, Madrid.
Urbano Specialty Coffee 4/5 -- Malasaña, Madrid.
Café Doctor Luisito 3/5 -- Canalejas, Santander.
El Oso y el Madroño 3.5/5 -- Barrio Salamanca, Madrid.
Waycup 3.5/5 -- Retiro, Madrid.
Ambu 4/5 -- Goya, Madrid.
Syra 4/5 -- Barrio Salamanca, Madrid.
* Multi-city chain, moderate variability from one location to another.