woke up in a weird town where the vibe was on and no one asked questions

i was supposed to play a gig here this morning but the drummer from the local band called and said the venue was flooded. again. turns out their basement is a swamp thanks to that clogged sewer pipe they never fixed. so instead of bills, i ended up wandering the town square with my bass rig draped over my shoulder and a thermos of black coffee. the temp was 15.42 but it felt like 14.48, which is basically a refrigerated hug. i checked the weather app again and it’s that damp, numbing chill that makes your teeth ache but you secretly love it, hope you like that kind of thing.


while i was out there, a guy in a vintage leather jacket (i assume he’s a tourist or maybe a ghost hunter? the vibe was 50/50) told me about this diner where the pancakes are so big they’ll make you rethink your life. he said it’s a myth but i’m here to verify. if you get bored, [cities] are just a short drive away, but honestly i don’t want to leave. the streets here are alive in a way traffic drowns. neighbors keep popping out of alleys to ask if you want to hear a joke or share a bag of chips. one lady even showed me her handmade ukulele. i didn’t ask about the price but i almost bought it.


i overheard a group of tourists at a coffee shop whispering about a ‘hidden’ bar behind a bookstore. some girl with a neon pink hair said it’s closed if the owner isn’t wearing her monocle. others warned about the street artist who paints murals of dancing dinosaurs but allegedly charges kids extra for ‘vintage vibes.’ i’m not sure what to believe. maybe i’ll just trust the drunk advice from the street corner baker who told me the best chocolate cupcakes are at a place that smells like burnt sugar and nostalgia. i heard that too, from someone who claimed they worked there in 2010. i’m not sure if that’s true or if they’re just mad because i asked if they’d sell me a recipe for the cupcakes. they hissed and waved me off.


the weather’s making me nostalgic. i just checked again and it’s that wet, earthy kind of day where everything smells like rain and possibility. it’s not perfect, but it’s real. and that’s kind of the point. i saw a group of kids skateboarding near the old train tracks and one of them did a kickflip over a puddle. the town mayor, or whatever they called the guy in the mayoral cap, came out to thank him. i almost grabbed my phone to video him but decided against it. some things are better experienced without a caption.


if you’re coming here, bring layers. the feels-like temp is 14.48 but the ground is 1000 mb so it’s practically an icebox. the pressure’s at 1015 which means the air is heavy, like someone’s sitting on your shoulders. 56% humidity means your socks will sweaty but your jacket will never breathe.-conductor at heart, i’ve adapted. i wrapped my bass jacket around my amp and played everywhere. once a kid asked me to play his favorite song while he cried. i did. once. it was ‘ seventeen’ by로 identifying who you are. i think that’s the vibe here. not curated, not polished. just loud, messy, and kind of beautiful.


p.s. if you want directions, check out the local board or yelp page. seriously, read the reviews about the diner. some say the pancakes are ‘existential,’ others say they’re ‘life-changing.’ i’m inclined to believe the existential ones. also, this map might help. i took a screenshot but it’s too weirdly formatted. don’t hate me.


here are some photos i took:

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