(Hopefully) Good to the Last Drop!

Sacramento is a coffee shop-spotted creature, with both chains and independent cafes occupying the same streets, blocks and neighborhoods, and business people and hip artsy folks peacefully sitting side by side.

For me, a cool and comfy coffee shop is one place I actually prefer to visit alone, the inspiration pouring from me like espresso from a spout. Then again, it’s a perfect place to meet a friend or have a casual meeting. I really like the indoor/outdoor options, too, like getting two places for the price of one, should the inspiration – or conversation – last throughout the morning.

There are so many notable coffee shops to mention in the greater Sacramento area, so I’ll just mention a few I’ve been to recently and a few I’d like to try based on reputation/word of mouth:

Old Soul at The Weatherstone [812 21st St.] – Brick building, smallish garden-like patio, smokers, quiet neighborhood setting…
Naked Lounge [1500 Q St.] – View of the park, comfy velveteen chairs and sofas, special tea drinks, large scones…
Temple [1014 10th St.] – Comfortable feeling, cool building, quality drinks, friendly service…
Chocolate Fish Coffee [3rd & Q St.] – Surf videos, good coffee, modern décor…
Maestro Coffeehouse [2060 Arena] – Strip mall, elegant, personal touch…
Coffee Works Inc [3418 Folsom Blvd.] – Exotic, earthy atmosphere, independent, friendly…

*One word of caution: Barristas in general are not always friendly or really interested in who you are or why you’re there. If this matters to you, frequent the places most hailed as “friendly”. If you know why this attitude exists and pervades some coffee houses but not others, do fill the rest of us in. P.S. Sometimes ‘hung over’ can be mistaken for indifference, so I’m told.

Clouds Above Trees, South Lake Tahoe, CA

As the cloud changes form and drops some of its excess mass, the rainbow stays with it, but stretches and extends from front, and over the top to back. In it I see pink and green primarily, colors that remind me both of purity and potential.

I hear church bells around the corner. And then I see a carnival and childlike lust for life and her dreams in the kaleidoscope of my mind.

Some things are visible but out of reach. Others are tangible yet finite. And still others are not literally seen or felt, but breathe life into the kind of dreams that eventually create new kinds of life.

The Bread Store, across from OfficeMax

But because I was also in need of some career comfort, it delighted me to plop down into an office chair that felt almost heavenly in comparison to the one I’ve got. It was black – not my color of choice when it comes to office furniture – but hey, I know I’m the minority in that regard. And anyway, it was just so darn comfortable that I had visions of wanting to sit at my desk all day and write away.

Then I spotted some very attractive journals/notebooks that awakened my sense of all things pretty… and just in time, frankly, because I too was in need of some career inspiration.

And although I walked out empty-handed (to be fair, I didn’t have my wallet with me), I did not walk out with nothing. You see, shopping at office stores is not exactly titillating to me…. but on this day I learned that they can be quite comforting, and even inspiring if you let them.