Although traveling for work can be tiring, tough on the family you leave behind, and often lonely, getting to know the cities you’re in can often provide just enough fun and change in scenery to make you appreciate your job, family, and your wonderful life. And, if you do your homework, you can become familiar enough with the city to feel somewhat like a local, or at least, comfortable with your surroundings.

When traveling, there are always three things I research in advance to help me feel more in tune with my destination city…

• Running paths or trails
• Local patisseries or dessert places
• Coffee shops

Last week, I was fortunate to be in both Miami and Boston. Although each city is remarkable in it’s own way, I seem to focus on what matters most….and that’s finding a little bit of home through a safe and scenic place to run, fantastic food and desserts, and a great cup of espresso.

Now, as most of you know by now, my espresso habit is fueled by my Nespresso machine. Each morning it puuurrrs to me in that wake up and smell the dulsão de Brazil way. So it’s only natural that waking in a strange city becomes even stranger sans Nespresso.

Ironically, Miami and Boston (and Chicago for that matter) all have something in common… and more than just great food and fantastic running paths. They are all home to Nespresso boutique stores. This may seem insignificant, but if you know anything about Nespresso you know that they have very few boutique stores in the US (in only 8 states). And I just so happened to stop in two boutiques in two different states in the matter of 5 days!

 What I loved about each was how similar they were to the overall design (sleek, clean, and modern/edgy) and that they hosted a tasting area to sample their most popular espressos. Miami actually took their “tasting area” one step further by provding a full cafe with indoor and outdoor seating and a tres chic experience on a warm spring Miami evening.

With so many sites to see in Boston and Miami, you may wonder why I spent my time pining over coffee. In reality, coffee was just one small part of the overall experience on my trips – albeit an important part and one that made me feel a little closer to home.