Rather than hijack the coffee thread, I thought I'd start my own on the coffee house.
What a great institution: an office (however tiny and public) for the price of a cuppa joe. I started using them as places to do my grad school reading 14 years ago, and still spend at least ten hours a week in my favorite one --with its big "study hall" type tables and electrical receptacles underneath. This is where I still do my reading for class (now as faculty), and putting together my awesome lecture powerpoints.
If I was writing my dissertation all over again, I'd do it on the coffee house as a social space. At any Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Peet's, or mom-and-pop shop, we've all seen job interviews conducted, first dates begun, algebra being studied, movie scripts being written, Facebook being consulted, and much more.
What's your coffee house story or experience?
Like 'em? Hate 'em?
What do you do there?
Do you shun corporate stores for mom-and-pops? Or even care about that?
Any mating stories? Job stories? Brushes with greatness (celebrity sightings)?
My favorite coffee shop also happens to be a client, and since the project shown on that page we have done another renovation/expansion for them. Wonderful local coffee and people. I use both of their two locations as my conference room, as I work out of my home, and every time I go to one I see someone I know.
in thinking back on it, i realized i've been with so many coffee shops......the great Taylor's Bakery in Auburn where I used to go sketch and read; Gimme Coffee, Juno's, Wownet, and the Ithaca Bakery in Ithaca, where I used to read, sketch, and write; the wonderful Coffee Underground in Greenville, where I do all of the above and hear some crazy conversations.
i worked while in school and then for several years after I graduated, before I started graduate school. it was difficult to work a long day, maybe go to the gym afterwards, come home and eat, and then get to work reading, writing, doing a competition, etc, so that I could cultivate my personal, creative, and intellectual interests. So to stay focused, get things done, and not just fall asleep on the couch, I would go to the coffee shop at night and get in a few hours of work before bed.
I have fond memories of walking through the Ithaca streets at night in the late fall and during the winter with a light snow falling, on my way to or from the coffee shop...and how warm and welcoming the coffee shops were on those cold nights.....
citizen i actually wrote an undergraduate seminar, history paper on the role of coffee houses as social space in late 19th century Europe in the lead up to the revolutions of the late 1800s..
I wonder if due to the contemporary digital society internet cafe's play this role now? OR maybe just the networks themselves?
as for more contemporary uses, i tend to go to my local high-end roaster/brewer. You know the Pecha Kucha hosting, chemex or clover using sort of place.
however, sometimes when i just want really cold ac or less distractions so i can get more writing done or just when traveling on hgwy for instance i do still frequent Starbucks despite feeling "guilty" about it for not being a mom and pop.
Right, Nam, coffee houses go way back, and thinkers like Habermas credit them (and other institutions) with the creation of a public sphere (a la third space to which Donna refers above). It's hard to know if there's any actual revolution-fomenting going on at your typical Starbucks. By far the most common people I observe are 1) students, 2) aspriring screenwriters, and 3) people meeting for job interviews.
citizen - the starbucks near our office (on 5th street, in tech square) is right across the street from one of the most important tech incubators in town. there's at least some highly proto capitalist power meetings going on there every morning...
I work in Jackson Square in San Francisco, and everyday or so, I go up over to Caffe Trieste for a shot of espresso - before heading back to Revit away the afternoon. Their espresso definitely helps the synapses fire more instantaneously. - I sure focus more.
This is the place where Francis Ford Coppola wrote the Godfather on a an old portable typewriter, and where many old "beat era" poets hang out - there is always something going on there - a lot of European tourists - and a lot of crazy local color as well - must be the house red or something.
Cafe Blue which is my Monday morning eye opener - if my week isn't started there it's probably going to shit. 2 hours with large BMP skim latte in an old school hand turned mug and I'm good to go. Excellent and friendly staff, that pride themselves on making you feel welcome by remembering your name. It's so good I'm there some sundays too for brunch.
The other, far more pretentious in comparison, was really my first love - says alot about my shallow interior. Bear bones, minimal decor, a few splashes of colour and a revolving artist space of work - notable Laura Facey sculptures that I should of nicked when they got my order wrong. There's one close to home and one close to work.
Nonetheless they've on more than one occasion or not been my office - I've cranked out a set of cds, many a lecture, articles, papers and thread central posts
Thanks to all who've posted links to their homes away from home (or office).
And, Paul, Grind looks like a really interesting paradox. All the rhetoric and description is so nicely counter-culture and anti-establishment, but the design and look are so powerfully ordered and corporate-seeming. ("Think outside the box... like this, this, and this... but not like that.")
for those who dont know, I now am a store designer for Starbucks. I have worked for both large + small architecture offices all over the country, been a self employed architect and have worked in the construction industry, and I can truly say that working for Starbucks has been the best, most rewarding job that I have had.
As much as people want to hate them (because they are big and represent globalization, etc), they are consistantly one of the top companies to work for. We give health care and stock to any employee that works over 20 hrs a week (find any other coffee shop that will do that). We were just voted the most ethical company in Europe. We are at the forefront of developing green technologies (working directly with GE to develop LED lighting, developing low flow water fixtures, developing recyclable packaging and cups to be used across the hospitality industry) and all of our new stores are LEED certified.
Starbucks has worked to develop sustainable coffee practices throughout the world.
We are still one of the few places where a person can come in and sit down (you dont have to buy a cup of coffee) and set up shop for the day. In many areas, Starbucks truly becomes the community center.
We are also the reason that people can charge $4 for a cup of coffee.
For those who want to talk shit about Starbucks, you should visit our website and read the Shared Planet section
so do people still sit around starbucks for hours with a cup of coffee, reading/ working/ waiting for gfs/ wives to finish shopping?
or even in coffee shops in general.
coffee shops in our area (brand names and chains) have signs that discourage customers from studying/ working in their establishments during certain hours of the day.
Nice post, mdler, and I'm glad you're so happy there!
Two things about Starbucks: the overwhelming corporate-brandedness of their stores (the ones near me) makes me uncomfortable. When I know it's tempered with all the good things a large corporation can offer - benefits! - that makes it more palatable to me, for sure.
But the second thing is their coffee just doesnt turn me on, literally. I can drink a shot of espresso in a black coffee from Starbuck's and an hour later I feel no kick, at all. I wonder what it is about the Starbuck's blend or roasting that seems to not affect my system in an way?
Oh, one more thing: the Clover makes amazing, wonderful coffee and from what I've heard Starbucks bought up Clover to shut it down. This may be a rumor, but it comes from someone I know who owns a Clover that can now no longer get it serviced or get replacement parts. So, that's sad. It made amazing coffee.
There is a coffee shop across the street from my house, in an otherwise residential neighborhood on the edge of downtown. While I only go about once a month, (I thought I would go more but it is expensive), it adds significantly to my property value. A dream come true!
It seems like there has to continue to be an evolution. People still love to camp out, drinking one coffee for a few hours (this seems to happen at more of the college-oriented, grunge-ish shops, not the Starbucks).
What I do hope is that some of the smaller chains get larger. The mom & pops can be great, but there is also that inconsistency. Starbucks can be bland, but you know exactly what you are getting. That said, I still look to a smaller company given the choice, if nothing more than Starbucks is the only company I know of that does not give you a third espresso shot in a large latte!!!
We hit the Intelligentsia in Silver Lake on Saturday and I am happy to say that their pour overs match the quality the ones in Chicago. If I am in the mood for varietal coffee there's a place up Clark St. on the Ravenswood side of the street that has a clover and knows how to use it. Every cup is perfect!
IMHO it has nothing to do with mom/pop vs. corporate. Rather it's about the quality of the coffee, it genus loci and how it is captured in the brewing. Intelligentsia got me hooked...
there's a place in my neighborhood where all these old albanian men hang out - on weekends they get all jacked up on espresso and turkish coffee and basically hold court over the corner entertaining each other and flirting with the young women who walk by. there's a tv that seems to be constantly playing a soccer match and they have gelato. I like hanging out there occasionally, but you go there to be social, not to get your work done like other more american coffee houses.
LB - Clover was bought by Starbucks. It was / is a Seattle company as well. We (Starbucks) does offer parts and service for coffee shops other than Starbucks that happens to own a Clover brewer. Also, your local Starbucks will probably be renovated in the near future
Yes, we all shuddered when we heard the story of Mr. Starbucks buying Clover after having a cup of Grumpy's in NY. ;-) I agree with you, Donna, the clover makes an amazing cup of coffee. Intelligentsia pulled them out of their stores but a few places like Chava up on Clark St. still have theirs. There's a Guatemalan coffee from Intelligentsia they brew that is pretty amazing.
Congrats, Mdler, Starbucks does an amazing with their design. The one in my old hood has tables made from recycled barn wood that are very beautiful. It's nice to see a giant company's resources dedicated to such high standards!
Starbucks is good, middle-of-the-road coffee, period. I am sure they are a great company to work for, especially when there is not much other work in the market, but their flavor profiles really do get tired after a while. Do not know why that is. I suspect it is because of the lack of attention that comes with scale, for roasting the beans, brewing etc.
All in all, Starbucks is not as evil as people make them out to be, but I frequent them, only when there is no other choice.
Sep 29, 11 10:44 pm ·
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The Coffee House
Rather than hijack the coffee thread, I thought I'd start my own on the coffee house.
What a great institution: an office (however tiny and public) for the price of a cuppa joe. I started using them as places to do my grad school reading 14 years ago, and still spend at least ten hours a week in my favorite one --with its big "study hall" type tables and electrical receptacles underneath. This is where I still do my reading for class (now as faculty), and putting together my awesome lecture powerpoints.
If I was writing my dissertation all over again, I'd do it on the coffee house as a social space. At any Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Peet's, or mom-and-pop shop, we've all seen job interviews conducted, first dates begun, algebra being studied, movie scripts being written, Facebook being consulted, and much more.
What's your coffee house story or experience?
we met at starbucks
My favorite coffee shop also happens to be a client, and since the project shown on that page we have done another renovation/expansion for them. Wonderful local coffee and people. I use both of their two locations as my conference room, as I work out of my home, and every time I go to one I see someone I know.
The Third Place.
I only go to Starbuck's under peer pressure. In fact Starbuck's may be the last place in my life that peer pressure exists.
(ps: citizen re: "awesome lecture powerpoints" that's so me hahahaha my poor students are so tired of the sound of my voice!)
in thinking back on it, i realized i've been with so many coffee shops......the great Taylor's Bakery in Auburn where I used to go sketch and read; Gimme Coffee, Juno's, Wownet, and the Ithaca Bakery in Ithaca, where I used to read, sketch, and write; the wonderful Coffee Underground in Greenville, where I do all of the above and hear some crazy conversations.
i worked while in school and then for several years after I graduated, before I started graduate school. it was difficult to work a long day, maybe go to the gym afterwards, come home and eat, and then get to work reading, writing, doing a competition, etc, so that I could cultivate my personal, creative, and intellectual interests. So to stay focused, get things done, and not just fall asleep on the couch, I would go to the coffee shop at night and get in a few hours of work before bed.
I have fond memories of walking through the Ithaca streets at night in the late fall and during the winter with a light snow falling, on my way to or from the coffee shop...and how warm and welcoming the coffee shops were on those cold nights.....
citizen i actually wrote an undergraduate seminar, history paper on the role of coffee houses as social space in late 19th century Europe in the lead up to the revolutions of the late 1800s..
I wonder if due to the contemporary digital society internet cafe's play this role now? OR maybe just the networks themselves?
as for more contemporary uses, i tend to go to my local high-end roaster/brewer. You know the Pecha Kucha hosting, chemex or clover using sort of place.
however, sometimes when i just want really cold ac or less distractions so i can get more writing done or just when traveling on hgwy for instance i do still frequent Starbucks despite feeling "guilty" about it for not being a mom and pop.
Right, Nam, coffee houses go way back, and thinkers like Habermas credit them (and other institutions) with the creation of a public sphere (a la third space to which Donna refers above). It's hard to know if there's any actual revolution-fomenting going on at your typical Starbucks. By far the most common people I observe are 1) students, 2) aspriring screenwriters, and 3) people meeting for job interviews.
citizen - the starbucks near our office (on 5th street, in tech square) is right across the street from one of the most important tech incubators in town. there's at least some highly proto capitalist power meetings going on there every morning...
Coffee By Design
And if you're looking for more of an office for your cafe workspace: Grind
Citizen and Nam- here's a place for you
I work in Jackson Square in San Francisco, and everyday or so, I go up over to Caffe Trieste for a shot of espresso - before heading back to Revit away the afternoon. Their espresso definitely helps the synapses fire more instantaneously. - I sure focus more.
This is the place where Francis Ford Coppola wrote the Godfather on a an old portable typewriter, and where many old "beat era" poets hang out - there is always something going on there - a lot of European tourists - and a lot of crazy local color as well - must be the house red or something.
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/j9EVcmunMUIFut_EpsYrog?select=W5tcxFFKH2sMVFd21cgHvQ
I have two locals
Cafe Blue which is my Monday morning eye opener - if my week isn't started there it's probably going to shit. 2 hours with large BMP skim latte in an old school hand turned mug and I'm good to go. Excellent and friendly staff, that pride themselves on making you feel welcome by remembering your name. It's so good I'm there some sundays too for brunch.
The other, far more pretentious in comparison, was really my first love - says alot about my shallow interior. Bear bones, minimal decor, a few splashes of colour and a revolving artist space of work - notable Laura Facey sculptures that I should of nicked when they got my order wrong. There's one close to home and one close to work.
Nonetheless they've on more than one occasion or not been my office - I've cranked out a set of cds, many a lecture, articles, papers and thread central posts
Thanks to all who've posted links to their homes away from home (or office).
And, Paul, Grind looks like a really interesting paradox. All the rhetoric and description is so nicely counter-culture and anti-establishment, but the design and look are so powerfully ordered and corporate-seeming. ("Think outside the box... like this, this, and this... but not like that.")
What's it like there?
my local place if not at Starbucks is generally Volta
oh and SUVERK wish I had known about that place, I just returned to FL after spending almost 2 weeks in San Fran.
for those who dont know, I now am a store designer for Starbucks. I have worked for both large + small architecture offices all over the country, been a self employed architect and have worked in the construction industry, and I can truly say that working for Starbucks has been the best, most rewarding job that I have had.
As much as people want to hate them (because they are big and represent globalization, etc), they are consistantly one of the top companies to work for. We give health care and stock to any employee that works over 20 hrs a week (find any other coffee shop that will do that). We were just voted the most ethical company in Europe. We are at the forefront of developing green technologies (working directly with GE to develop LED lighting, developing low flow water fixtures, developing recyclable packaging and cups to be used across the hospitality industry) and all of our new stores are LEED certified.
Starbucks has worked to develop sustainable coffee practices throughout the world.
We are still one of the few places where a person can come in and sit down (you dont have to buy a cup of coffee) and set up shop for the day. In many areas, Starbucks truly becomes the community center.
We are also the reason that people can charge $4 for a cup of coffee.
For those who want to talk shit about Starbucks, you should visit our website and read the Shared Planet section
Excellent post, mdler.
P.S., Mdler: More electrical outlets, please!
so do people still sit around starbucks for hours with a cup of coffee, reading/ working/ waiting for gfs/ wives to finish shopping?
or even in coffee shops in general.
coffee shops in our area (brand names and chains) have signs that discourage customers from studying/ working in their establishments during certain hours of the day.
Nice post, mdler, and I'm glad you're so happy there!
Two things about Starbucks: the overwhelming corporate-brandedness of their stores (the ones near me) makes me uncomfortable. When I know it's tempered with all the good things a large corporation can offer - benefits! - that makes it more palatable to me, for sure.
But the second thing is their coffee just doesnt turn me on, literally. I can drink a shot of espresso in a black coffee from Starbuck's and an hour later I feel no kick, at all. I wonder what it is about the Starbuck's blend or roasting that seems to not affect my system in an way?
Oh, one more thing: the Clover makes amazing, wonderful coffee and from what I've heard Starbucks bought up Clover to shut it down. This may be a rumor, but it comes from someone I know who owns a Clover that can now no longer get it serviced or get replacement parts. So, that's sad. It made amazing coffee.
There is a coffee shop across the street from my house, in an otherwise residential neighborhood on the edge of downtown. While I only go about once a month, (I thought I would go more but it is expensive), it adds significantly to my property value. A dream come true!
It seems like there has to continue to be an evolution. People still love to camp out, drinking one coffee for a few hours (this seems to happen at more of the college-oriented, grunge-ish shops, not the Starbucks).
What I do hope is that some of the smaller chains get larger. The mom & pops can be great, but there is also that inconsistency. Starbucks can be bland, but you know exactly what you are getting. That said, I still look to a smaller company given the choice, if nothing more than Starbucks is the only company I know of that does not give you a third espresso shot in a large latte!!!
We hit the Intelligentsia in Silver Lake on Saturday and I am happy to say that their pour overs match the quality the ones in Chicago. If I am in the mood for varietal coffee there's a place up Clark St. on the Ravenswood side of the street that has a clover and knows how to use it. Every cup is perfect!
IMHO it has nothing to do with mom/pop vs. corporate. Rather it's about the quality of the coffee, it genus loci and how it is captured in the brewing. Intelligentsia got me hooked...
I go to "Sweet Pea"....Tea Room....to get my kicks!
there's a place in my neighborhood where all these old albanian men hang out - on weekends they get all jacked up on espresso and turkish coffee and basically hold court over the corner entertaining each other and flirting with the young women who walk by. there's a tv that seems to be constantly playing a soccer match and they have gelato. I like hanging out there occasionally, but you go there to be social, not to get your work done like other more american coffee houses.
citizen - more outlets are coming..
LB - Clover was bought by Starbucks. It was / is a Seattle company as well. We (Starbucks) does offer parts and service for coffee shops other than Starbucks that happens to own a Clover brewer. Also, your local Starbucks will probably be renovated in the near future
LB
if your friend needs parts for their Clover let me know. I can put them in touch with the parts department
the coffee house, "where ideas can have sex":
http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_where_good_ideas_come_from.html
Yes, we all shuddered when we heard the story of Mr. Starbucks buying Clover after having a cup of Grumpy's in NY. ;-) I agree with you, Donna, the clover makes an amazing cup of coffee. Intelligentsia pulled them out of their stores but a few places like Chava up on Clark St. still have theirs. There's a Guatemalan coffee from Intelligentsia they brew that is pretty amazing.
Congrats, Mdler, Starbucks does an amazing with their design. The one in my old hood has tables made from recycled barn wood that are very beautiful. It's nice to see a giant company's resources dedicated to such high standards!
Starbucks is good, middle-of-the-road coffee, period. I am sure they are a great company to work for, especially when there is not much other work in the market, but their flavor profiles really do get tired after a while. Do not know why that is. I suspect it is because of the lack of attention that comes with scale, for roasting the beans, brewing etc.
All in all, Starbucks is not as evil as people make them out to be, but I frequent them, only when there is no other choice.
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