Most tourists in my city rush to the downtown riverwalk or the big art...

Cisse olaniyi
@olaniyicisse7336
11 days ago

Most tourists in my city rush to the downtown riverwalk or the big art museum, but there is a tiny neighborhood bakery called 'The Crusty Loaf' tucked into a strip mall on the east side. No sign out front, just a small chalkboard easel that says 'bread today.' The owner is a retired pastry chef who opens at 6 AM and closes when the last loaf sells, usually by 10 AM. They make a sourdough that has been started from a starter he brought from France forty years ago. Tourists never find it because it is not on Yelp and there is no parking lot. You have to park on a side street and walk through an alley.

Also, there is a small, unmarked creek trail behind the old fire station on Cedar Avenue. Most maps just show a dead end road, but if you walk past the chain link fence and follow the dirt path, you come to a quiet spot with a big rock that has a carved heart from 1923. Locals call it 'Lovers Bench' but there is no actual bench. It is just a flat rock where you can sit and watch herons fish. Tourists never find it because it is not marked, and the opening is hidden by overgrown bushes. I take my kids there for bike rides.

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