I made it. Only 30 minutes till close but Kara and I wandered in here the other day and I wanted to feature it.
Little Oddfellows. The cafe in the bookstore: Elliot Bay Book Company. I bought a few books here the other day. The coffee shop appears to be the {little} sister of the Oddfellows Cafe + Bar a few doors down. Smart of them. I like it.
Nearly all white and timber, with grey and white chairs and accented by green plants, this smart little oddfellow looks like something out of a Johanna Gaines (LOVE) catalogue, minus her signature natural farm touch of course.
I will never be cool enough to hang out with it’s servers and that’s fine. The service takes no shit and I love that.
The coffee- a decaf mocha, because well- it’s 8:30 (pm) on a Sunday. The only other companions here are sweet little mix of stragglers, pushing the limit on this bookstore’s closing time. I get it. It’s awesome here. If I were local – I’d be here all the time. Scratchy 20s (styled?) songs bop over a soft speaker making me wonder if there’s a victrola nearby and the shift ending sounds of the barista are no bother as I sip the chocolatey end to my week. (“Chocolatey end?” Maybe there’s a better way to say that.)
Like I said- Kara and I swung in here the other day while we were doing laundry down the street, one of the few times the hotel didn’t have laundry. We’re staying at the Hyatt down on Howell so don’t feel too bad for us. The room is a nice treat at the end of a week of wanderlust through the West. But anyway- the other day this cafe was abuzz with midweek locals and tourists. This place serves beer as well and a seasonal fresh juice- which they happened to be out of the other day (bummer!) but the panini we got was great, if simply done and I guess I can’t really speak to the quality of the coffee as it’s been obliterated by my chocolatey end..
Seattle was..great. I love this city. The humans are just so fascinating. I’m kinda glad to realize I won’t ever live here, just in the regard of knowing how hard it would be to be cool here. Not that being cool is hugely at the top of my list of things to do where I live, but there are just SO MANY COOL PEOPLE HERE, and none of them want anything to do with me. Which is just kinda great. Helps me relax in a way.. I can stop trying to make friends and just..be.
There seems to be a hardness to the people here. The real locals that is. I’m sure the heedless weather and hilltop sidewalks carve these diamonds of persona relentlessly and quickly. It seems like it takes guts to live here,…or just a lot of money. It doesn’t take much to realize that the art scene here is vibrant and it’s participation wide spread. The Seattle International Film Festival was letting out a showing when I hopped off the cable car blinded by a gleaming Pacific sunset.
It’s the birthplace of grunge after all. Here’s where I’ll stop because I won’t pretend to know anything about that world, but the hangover is real and really felt, even if the tech startup capital flowing through this town is doing what it can to lululemonize its roots.
Nothing against it. Our week at Urban Yoga Spa (we did their $29 introductory week of classes- no treatments), was great. Another title that this city is a contender for – Yoga Paradise. With Yoga To The People and pretty much any style you could want available in a four block radius, it’s hard to chose.
Coffee? Yoga? Outdoor Culture? What’s not to love? If you haven’t been here, I say delay that European getaway and spend half of what you’ve saved to get here and dig in. Capital Hill area is a good place to start. Look at me just recommending neighborhoods now!
Well there’s five minutes on the buzzer now and I’d love to bounce before the door is locked. Server karma and all that…even though I’m trying to make the last restaurant I worked in exactly that..the last restaurant I worked in.
I’d say (in reference to the last post) that leaving Seattle this time, I’m grateful to have a little bit more of a perception of what it is. At least now feel better knowing that it’s a city of such magnitude that it can only be digested in chunks over time.
Check out Little Oddfellows and the Elliot Bay Book Company! Definitely worth wasting a rainy afternoon in.
Grounds for Inspiration 