I love downtown Pullman. As I sit inside Cafe Moro writing this letter, I can’t help but feel like I’m in my own mini paradise. I love the coffee, I love the people watching, and I love being surrounded by humans and not needing to talk to any of them.

I grew up in a small town called Washougal, just outside of Vancouver, Washington. My house is about 15 minutes outside of town, and I have never really had neighbors I could spend time with. Washougal’s downtown is, in the simplest terms, pathetic. There was a coffee shop there that I loved, but the business didn’t last even a year. My town is not sophisticated or hipster, so the downtown scene is three bars and an overpriced clothing store.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my hometown. But as a college student with a hunger for culture and exposure to life and arts, Washougal just doesn’t cut it.

Pullman, however, is the perfect transition for a small-town girl who fantasizes about living in the big-ish city. Pullman is comprised of college students, for the most part. We are a mostly liberal, artistic and “hipster” group of people. We like our coffee, we like our laptops and we like our social lives.

Maybe downtown Pullman is a little small for someone who grew up in Seattle or even Spokane, but I think it’s just quaint enough for a college town like this.

And it is because of this love I have for Pullman’s downtown that I want to dedicate this week’s Mint to all that it has to offer.

The idea for this week’s theme is “A day in downtown Pullman.” An entire 24 hours might be a stretch, but I firmly believe that you can spend a good chunk of your day on Main Street and be perfectly content.

I’ll admit, there are some pieces missing from this three-block stretch of life. Retro Riot’s entertainment merchandise is sorely missed. A pawn shop might be fun, and a market would be nice.

But I feel the need to give Pullman a shout-out. It’s been here for a long time. It’s made it through multiple floods, fires, even a cyclone. Yet the people always pick Pullman right back up, and the town only gets bigger.

So, despite what might still be missing from this cute college town in the middle of nowhere, I can easily walk you through a day downtown. First stop: coffee.