Patch Picks For The Perfect Morning Jolt

The last census revealed that Americans spend more than 100 hours a year commuting - that's more than the average two weeks of paid vacation they earn! In fact, Illinois ranked among the states with the longest commute-to-work times, weighing in at 27 minutes on average.

Before you sit down for the long haul, make your commute a little easier with a caffeinated drink and a bite to eat from one of these local coffee shops.

, Wilmette
Just a block from the Linden CTA Station, Alchemy roasts its own coffee beans and bakes its own scones. Stop by on your way out of town for a drink to go, a pound of beans to share with your host, or a sweet treat at this small but mighty coffee shop.

A New Grind, Glenview
Located in the downtown train station on Depot Road, owner Patricia Dunleavy has for seven years built a small community of caffeine-driven commuters.  "I've got baby pictures from customers who've been pregnant and other things like that," says Dunleavy. "I keep it familiar and easy-going." And she knows her customer base: commuters eat and drink more in the colder, darker, winter months, and the muffin-eaters will not switch to bananas in January (though she always stocks a mix of baked goods, energy bars and fruit). Up at 3 a.m. and at work by 5 a.m, Dunleavy had advice for other coffee entrepreneurs: "You have to be friendly. Get to know your customers and what they like."

The Grind, Northbrook
Owner Charlie Bliss rises at 4:15 a.m. each day to serve coffee to strangers in the Northbrook Metra station — the first of his three jobs. Why does this Chicago firefighter and high school football coach do it? "Beauase strangers become friends," he quickly replies. He and the small staff who have managed the shop for the last 14 years get to know their customers and their preferred drinks. "I tell everyone who works for me, 'be nice, because they (commuting customers) have a longer day than you do.'"

, Highland Park
No bigger than a minute, this shop is a stone's throw from the Ravinia train station. But the menu is huge; coffee and espresso drinks, smoothies and milkshakes, as well as a refridgerated case of bottled beverages, make this shop  worth stopping for.

, Deerfield
You wouldn't think of a commuter train station as a great place to read or study, but Perks has made its corner of the Deerfield station just that. Employees work quickly to accommodate commuters' strict train schedules, and they shop locally for muffins, granola and roasted coffee beans to support small businesses like their own.