Are you a "coffehouse" person?

[trinacriabob]

While I may hate the summertime cold coffee-based drinks or the $4 coffee drinks, I really like the coffeehouse environment - Starbucks, Peet's, Borders Cafe, B&N Cafe. I go there to write my to-do lists, write other crap, read the paper, think....for me, it's a cerebral environment that has a good atmosphere. And I get by on less than $2, ordering either hot tea or iced tea.

Sometimes, the best coffee houses are of the "non-chain" variety. In Northern California, there is LaBou and Bella Bru (each has a few stores here and there). In the small town of Chico, there is a really cool one called "Bidwell Perk," taking its name from Bidwell Park, the 2nd largest city park after Central Park, except that this one sprawls into the foothills canyons, complete with deer, coyote and mountain lions.

Do you spend much time in a cafe' or "coffeehouse?"

[regfootball]

well, coffeehouses were cool back in 96 i think.

that said, i paid 2.63 for a depth charge at starbucks today....but alas it was through the drivethru....

[ZL-1]

Certainly. As you know they're a big part of social life over here.

[Intrepidation]

Iced coffee FTW

I don't hang out at coffee houses...I have better ways to waste my time.

[!!!TED!!!]

Does Tim Hortons count?

Insert random picture here>

[Drew Dowdell]

Since the company I work for was bought out by a Canadian company, Tim Hortons is all we hear aboot now.

[GMTruckGuy74]

well, coffeehouses were cool back in 96 i think.

I voted rarely, as I'm not a coffee drinker at all... but reg's post hit on something: back in '95 & '96 the wife and I, while dating, would spend a lot of our time hanging out in Princeton and we'd usually end up in Small World Cafe (a cofee house; she'd get coffee, I'd get hot tea). She's still a Star Bucks person (her company is installing one inside of their new building), but I rarely step inside of a Star Bucks myself. So to me (and reg), coffeehouses were cool in the mid-'90s

[trinacriabob]

well, coffeehouses were cool back in 96 i think.

Really? There's a regular laptop brigade in these places nightly. Reg, you're making me feel like a dork.

[trinacriabob]

Certainly. As you know they're a big part of social life over here.

Sim. Nao esquici.

Brasileira (com Fernando de metal), Suisa, Versailles, Nicola...mais aqui nao temos os bolos de nata.

Edited August 19, 2008 by trinacriabob

[regfootball]

Really? There's a regular laptop brigade in these places nightly. Reg, you're making me feel like a dork.

at least in 2008 vs. 96 you don't need an ethernet cable with your laptop

i'm all about central perk if a pokey Jennifer Aniston is still serving the drinks........

Edited August 18, 2008 by regfootball

[ZL-1]

Sim. Nao esquici.

Brasileira (com Fernando de metalo), Suisa, Versailles, Nicola...mais aqui nao temos os bolos de nata.

Aha, another person converted to our 'Pastéis de Nata' :AH-HA_wink:

How are things going?

[VenSeattle]

There's always the alternative.... :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

McDonald's Fights Culture

i want to talk about coffee & mcdonald's for just a minute.

here's the scene: two women are sitting in a bookstore cafe sipping coffee by a fire. think liberal arts grad students. not exactly mcdonald's bread and butter clientèle.

they break away from their NY Times and Dostoevsky and have an exchange similar to the following:

blond white girl: "Hey, so i heard mcdonald's makes lattes now."

jewish girl: "Well that's...that's...fantastic," she says, social consequences be damned.

and then they say things like i don't have to listen to jazz all day long! i can read gossip magazines again! i can watch reality tv! i don't really know how to speak french! i don't even know where paraguay is! what's paraguay?

And then the pitch: Try mcdonald's McCafe coffees. all the coffee, hold the attitude.

and i wonder aloud: who is Ronald McDonald appealing to with this ad?

McCafe commercials are just annoying.... ugh.

I voted now and then... I like Starbucks... their coffee and atmosphere. They usually have a couple of different coffees brewed so ask what they're serving when you order a drip. Try something different.

[SoCalCTS]

I used to go all the time in the early 90' when people were still talking about art and literature but nowadays, the independent coffehouses are mostly gone and Starbuck's is full of bible study groups. So the answer is NO!

[trinacriabob]

but nowadays, the independent coffehouses are mostly gone and Starbuck's is full of bible study groups. So the answer is NO!

Yes, a lot of fundy Bible study groups and Amway (or facsimiles thereof)....pick your poison.

Seriously, you can spot those a mile away and stay away from those types.

[Satty]

I loathe Starbucks because of all the bible thumpers who hang out there. I dont care about the fate of my soul, I just want to eat my f@#king scone.

There are 3 small coffee houses that I do go to when I have some free time and a hankering for coffee. Two of them are withing a couple miles a work, neither is appreciably better than the other, so which one I go to depends on traffic. The other is about halfway between my house and work, they have live music (usually decent music) on Sunday nights and an improv troupe on Thursday nights. Plus, they have some pretty good sandwiches.

[regfootball]

i got amwayed in a starbucks one time. UGH!

[Satty]

Next time, whip it out and ask if they'd be interested in buying a tube steak.

Oh, and its Quixtar in North America now. I've seen their freaking commercial about 7 times in the last 3 days.

Edited August 18, 2008 by Satty

[Robert Hall]

When I lived in Ann Arbor in the mid '90s, I spent a lot of time in a local coffee house downtown... studying between classes, hanging out with other grad students and studying together for exams. There was a Starbucks, IIRC, but they weren't everywhere like now. Back in 2001-2002, when I was out of work for a while, I hung out in Colorado Springs in a neat local place called Pikes Perk--all the independent consultants hung out there, what with the appeal of the free internet (which wasn't so common back then). I often would go there 3-4 days a week and hang out all morning, talking w/ consultant buddies, working on business plans, and other tech ideas...we ended trying to launch a company out of those meetings, but for lack of funding had to go back to regular jobs, working for the Man (i.e. normal corporate jobs).

These days, I brew coffee at home, drink the coffee at work, or drink a cold Starbucks double shot. In summer in the disgusting oven of Phoenix, it's hard to get into drinking a hot coffee..

I do like a traditional, independent coffee house enivronment in a gray, rainy place... where I can while away the hours reading the paper, reading a book, listening to a local band. Doesn't fit in well in the always sunny, always warm reality I'm in now. I miss gray and rain. Even Colorado doesn't have that many gray, rainy days.

Edited August 18, 2008 by moltar

[trinacriabob]

Oh, and its Quixtar in North America now. I've seen their freaking commercial about 7 times in the last 3 days.

LOL. Sh!t under a different name still smells the same.

[HarleyEarl]

Doing the coffee thing has to be one of my favorite things. Do it almost every morning, read the papers, watch the people...great transition for the workday ahead. I go for the more upscale, trendier ones. Better muffins and pastries and better coffee.

On the weekend, I look forward to just relaxing on a coffehouse patio, either alone or with friends...luv it.

[z28luvr01]

I hate coffee (and most caffeinated products), and when I want some decaf tea I'll grab a Lipton teabag and make it myself, so I frequenting coffee houses isn't really my thing.

My one visit to this type of environment was in a Borders cafe three years ago. I sat there and read for a while just to get away from the lunacy for a bit, and I had heard it was a decent place to meet people. The experience wasn't all it was cracked up to be IMO.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I don't drink hot drinks.

[frogger]

Once I got my Keurig machine, the cafe visits have become much less frequent.

[capriceman]

+

um... yeah.

The only time i Buy coffee is either in a can at the store or a iced cappif@#kingwhatthehelldoyoucallit at Tim Horton's when its my turn to buy donuts for the guys at the shop. other than that I brew my own it costs penny's and stays hot all day even the next day in my ancient asbestos filled thermos it will steam in the mug. Mine doesn't have that A on it and the chrome has camo duct tape on it for when i go hunting its not reflective.

[balthazar]

No coffee here, ever. No time to sit (well: to gussy up, drive somewhere & sit) and ponder the inadequecies of my life, either.

[Paolino]

We started brewing our coffee illegally in the Spanish teacher's classroom. I love that cup in the morning... she buys some sort of Spanish coffee... it's awesome--I get the rich flavor, the effect of caffeine, yet no upset stomach like regular coffee gives me.

Ah, just like it was back in Italy--now there's coffee that'll put hair on your chest. :AH-HA_wink:

[Intrepidation]

I usually grab and iced coffee from DD in the morning before work, but that's it.

I haven't been to a StarShmucks in forever.

I tried one of the "McCafe"coffees cuz I had a free coupon...tasted like crap.

Edited August 19, 2008 by Dodgefan

[trinacriabob]

i got amwayed in a starbucks one time. UGH!

FYI - the person who amways (not deserving of a capital letter) you is called an "amrrhoid."

Edited August 20, 2008 by trinacriabob

[trinacriabob]

No time to sit (well: to gussy up, drive somewhere & sit) and ponder the inadequecies of my life, either.

LOL. That's classic. I think I've worn jeans/shorts, a $6 tourist t-shirt and sandals every time I've gone. I'll be on the lookout for some overdressed people "on the make."

[VenSeattle]

I'm thankful I moved to the PacNW... Starbucks are pretty safe in this area... Not too many bible study groups... Most people up here seem to be intellectuals that lean towards science, technology, or nature (you'll never forget about a Solstice up here!)

[Croc]

I had a $10 a day habit this summer. Thank god for the freebie coupons!

[gm4life]

I have a Mr. Coffee and a deck to drink it on. What more do I need?

[trinacriabob]

Aha, another person converted to our 'Pastéis de Nata' :AH-HA_wink:

How are things going?

I'm doing ok, ZL, considering I'm one who loves to complain....

Some photos of these addictive Portuguese custard treats about 1.5x the size of a silver dollar....

um pastel de nata (singular)

auguns pasteis de nata (plural)

[Robert Hall]

Mmmmmmthoselooktasty...don't think I've ever had one

[Paolino]

I don't drink hot drinks.

Ice coffee?

[balthazar]

>>"LOL. That's classic. I think I've worn jeans/shorts, a $6 tourist t-shirt and sandals every time I've gone. I'll be on the lookout for some overdressed people "on the make.""<<

Just to clarify- I'm a self-employeed contractor, I wear clothes until their practically illegal or simply fall apart. Yesterday I had decent shorts but a $1 t-shirt (military surplus), and both work boots are cracked completely thru on the soles- they are my 'dry day' pair. I don't go 'on the street' this way and I guarantee you compared to what I wear, you get 'gussied up'. :wink:

[pow]

I'm doing ok, ZL, considering I'm one who loves to complain....

Some photos of these addictive Portuguese custard treats about 1.5x the size of a silver dollar....

um pastel de nata (singular)

auguns pasteis de nata (plural)

Nice. I had some in the former Portuguese colony of Macau. A lot of Cantonese dim sum places have similar custards.

For me, coffeehouses are primarily a nice place to chat. I'm not too big of a coffee drinker, though I do enjoy the occasional sip or two. The best espresso I had was from a place called Cafe St Eustachio in Rome.

[Robert Hall]

Nice. I had some in the former Portuguese colony of Macau. A lot of Cantonese dim sum places have similar custards.

For me, coffeehouses are primarily a nice place to chat. I'm not too big of a coffee drinker, though I do enjoy the occasional sip or two. The best espresso I had was from a place called Cafe St Eustachio in Rome.

I definitely liked the espresso bars in Italy...even more so, I loved the patisseries in France and the UK...a big cafe au lait, a baguette with cheese and bacon....mmmmmm..