Week 8: Trinitea

Week 8: February 19-24, 2023

A weakness of mine is beverages. I will go out of my way to get anything delicious, food included, but a good bevvy is really my kryptonite sometimes. I'm not picky, either. A crisp glass of water or a Gatorade are equally as valuable to me as a ridiculous $20 cocktail or a Starbucks coffee.

Driving home from my lash appointment, my normal freeway exit was riddled with traffic (the rain almost always guarantees accidents in San Diego), so I kept driving. I figured I would just get off at the next exit and take city streets back to my apartment. Then I saw an opportunity for something new. And a beverage.

This time my beverage of choice had to be boba... Again...

It would be my third time getting a boba drink just this week... but this time it was justified because it was a NEW place! Trinitea.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the exit after mine lies a series of strip-mall-esque buildings. Trinitea is in one of them.

The Trinitea building

The windows and doors at the entrance to Trinitea were covered in drawings. Some were pages ripped out of coloring books and some displayed kid-masterpieces. I did not forget to take a photo of these, thinking back to my missed opportunity in Week 2 where I failed to take a photo of the auto shop's fan art and thank-you cards.

The art plastered on Trinitea's window

I love art in general, but especially kid art. Seeing the different ideas and art styles of kids is so interesting and fun. I loved drawing as a kid, I still do, and (at the risk of sounding like a boomer...) it makes me happy to know creativity isn't lost in this era of iPad Kids and TikTok-ers.

Inside of Trinitea, it was warm and cozy. Even though the walk through the parking lot was short, the wind and the sky-spit (drizzle) were horrible. The air felt so cold you could hear it in your ears and feel it in your throat. I probably looked silly shielding my freshly done lashes from the elements, but oh well. Gotta protect the goods.

Inside Trinitea

There were three other parties inside. A guy working in the corner sporting a highlighter-yellow coat, two ladies chatting at a table, sipping their teas and knitting (!!!), and a dad/daughter duo in line.

It was cute, the duo in line were thrilled to read both the Wi-Fi password ("Oh, 'Teamwork!' Nice!") and about the 10% discount if you brought your own cup ("Look, Dad! Next Thursday, we'll bring our own").

"Bring your own cup and get 10% off!"

Someone at Trinitea must also love to draw, because there were little doodles on all the signs. The marshmallow foam guy was a highlight for me.

Trinitea's large menu

The handwritten add-on to the left side of the menu caught my eye (mainly the cute pumpkin doodle and batman symbol), so I impulsively ordered it. It was the Autumn milk tea, with "notes of cinnamon and chai." I added honey boba and lychee jelly.

It was really good! I had a feeling it would be, since it had notes of two of my favorite flavors. Even though it is currently still Winter, this Autumn drink was the perfect fit for a blustery, cold day. It reminded me of gingerbread houses and spice.

My Autumn drink!

Bonus: in the parking lot, this absolute icon of a car was parked next to my (also iconic) van.

I tried my best to get a quick photo. Apologies that it is at a weird angle and suffers from a glare.

For your reading pleasure:

- "honk if you're letting the soft animal of your body love what it loves"

- "I ❤ My Gay Cat"

- "I'd rather be staring blankly into the clear blue sky"

- "We are all dogs in God's hot car"

And my personal favorite:

- "My CHILD was INMATE OF THE MONTH at County Jail."

A Bumper Sticker Icon

What can I say? I love a good beverage, and especially a spontaneous one. Even better that this boba trip also reminded me of the value of kid-art and hilarious bumper stickers.

See you next week!