I constantly tell people that I love my city, and I want the places that I love in my city to prosper. To that end, I tell people to go to the places that I like, so they don’t disappear. So, that’s what will eventually (I hope) fill the “Oh, the places…” tab that you see above. I’m going to try to stick to at least one rule: I will post from the place I’m posting about. First, because If I want You to patronize a place, than certainly I should. And second, because I can better relate why I think you should go there when reminding myself why I do.
Place #1 is the Wilde Roast Cafe in Northeast Minneapolis, named for the writer and socialite who apparently spent most of his life speaking in aphorisms, with a scribe following him everywhere.
I love this place for several reasons. Oscar Wilde was a great writer, and one of my favorite aphorists. (WordPress doesn’t think that’s a word. It is. Look it up.) They get points right away for that, but they use his likeness and his legacy well. Had it been around in the 19th century (useless fact: his death preceded my birth by exactly 80 years), he would have been much more welcome at the Wilde Roast than here, for example.
What makes a great coffee shop to me is mostly about the mood. I don’t really care if the coffee is that good (it is), if I like the music they play (I do*), if the people that work there are friendly (they are). I care more about the lighting, the decor, the chairs, et cetera. It’s about how comfortable I feel hanging out there to read, do homework, or this.
They have good mood lighting throughout, but it’s still bright enough on one side to do homework. They also have the big, comfortable chairs and couches that should be at any good cafe.
It’s not the cheapest place, but it’s not unreasonable and the food and baked goods are generally done well. I’m not a food critic, so don’t expect too much detail in that regard.
Deals! I just discovered this. If you ever go to the Heights Theater, two-for-one desserts!
For the drivers, they have off-street parking; for the rest of you, it’s on or near several bus routes (2, 4, 6, 10, 61, et al).
One of the few real drawbacks, at least for the night-owls like me, is that it’s only open until 10. And if you look at the time stamp, I was unable to finish this entry before I had to leave, thus partially violating the only rule I have so far. I am currently at the Espresso Royale Caffe in Dinkytown, which may eventually grace these pages.
What else should I report on in these entries? Is this too much, too little? Do you care?
¡Hasta la próxima vez!
*i.e., St. Germain, at the moment.
