it takes me about 15 seconds to size up a cafe, and i'm happy to discover that this one is of superlative quality. it's good, real good.
it has old chairs and sofas, and the personality of a place other than a chain. it has good beverages. it has nice people working there, and maybe interesting patrons. it has free wifi, without any bullshit about codes or any such. (although not old school, wifi is a must these days. seriously, could you start a self-respecting cafe and not have wifi? how the fuck could i blog about it if there were no wifi here?)
there is food. i used to think that food was not essential. but i have come to believe that it's a great thing, for multiple reasons. having food lets me eat here and hence work uninterruptedly. also, if i'm going to buy a sandwich somewhere, it's good that it should be here, because then i feel ok about staying to work longer.
areas for improvement: 7am to 9pm is too short on both ends. closing at 7pm on friday is a huge what the fuck.
we're not too far from my first love in a cafe, which was the 1369 cafe in inman square. that joint will always have a place in my heart, though it was a bit small. in arlington, va, there was common grounds on wilson ave, which brought a soul to a fairly soul-less town. chicago had some contenders, but no really great ones. san francisco had lots of cafes that were excellent by every objective standard but had the wrong vibe (like pretty much everything there, to someone from philly).
it's interesting to be back here. when i visited during the years between leaving in 01 and now, i felt alienated by the city, like it was no longer home to me in any sense. but now i feel like it's about as homey is pretty much any place is to me (the presence of other people dear to me being held equal), which maybe is not all that homey but fine.
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