Walking to Silk City Coffee, Talking Shop, & Testing New Camera in Downtown Manchester, CT

In less than two weeks, I leave for a 90-day solo walk from Calais, France to Rome, Italy, along the Via Francigena (roughly 1,900 kilometers on foot). Before I go, I have some things to figure out. New camera. New shoes. New pack setup. And about two weeks to iron out whatever needs ironing before I'm somewhere in northern France with no good options. So today, I decided to test some things out with homefield advantage. I walked across town to my favorite coffee shop in Downtown Manchester, Connecticut, where I grew up, where I ride my bike, where I know the baristas and sit at the corner window seat, and which shops have been here forever and which ones just opened. This is a walk, a gear test, and a small time capsule of the hometown. 0:00 — Date & introduction 0:15 — Gear overview 1:06 — CPL & ND filter 1:43 — Why today's walk matters 2:05 — Vlog format thoughts 2:31 — Testing audio & stabilization on a busy street 2:54 — Manchester CT background 3:32 — Bike lanes & pedestrian infrastructure 3:57 — Local shops and restaurants 6:33 — Arrival and closing thoughts Canon PowerShot V1 | 74 degrees | June 2026