For me, an ideal afternoon is one spent in a cozy cafe, sipping a latte and reading or writing or sketching. This pleasure harks back to my time in Paris, where I found that cafe-hopping is a reasonably affordable way to really experience the vibe of a street or neighborhood (I couldn’t afford to eat out very often, but for the bargain price of 2 euros, I could get a cup of espresso and a chance to sit and soak in a cafe’s ambiance for a couple of hours). And so when I moved to Seattle, coffee capitol, USA, I immediately started asking around about where to find the city’s best cafes. I was living in Capitol Hill at the time and frequented Bauhaus, Espresso Vivace, Cafe Vita, and Joe Bar. Then I did a bad thing. I started taking all this urban, espresso-filled goodness for granted. I started filling up my Saturday and Sunday afternoons with errands and house-cleaning and tv-watching and naps. But I’m back on the wagon and am sitting in Stumptown Coffee on Pine Street as I type. And I like it. It’s nice here – warmly lit with comfy seating and clean, modern decor. Fellow Seattle-ites: any suggestions on where to spend next Sunday afternoon?
Natalie says:
There is another Stumptown on 12th, just on the south side of Madison- A bit smaller, great space. Any Uptown Espresso, reminiscent of SLO-town’s home of the velvet foam [in SLU, 4th and Wall, Queen Anne Ave, 6th and Virginia/Stewart]. Victrola on 15th is great on Sundays. And of course, the other ones you listed. This is something we don’t do enough- Matt just buys the beans and we make it at home. Can’t beat the atmosphere though!
March 17, 2008, 10:01 pm