Some Offices Away from the Office:
Coffeehouses in Seattle I Can't Stay Away From
Some people can get work done just about anywhere—their living room, McDonald’s, a park bench, a beach in Rio. For me, it’s coffeehouses. Even when crowded and noisy, I can sometimes work better than when I’m in my office with no distractions. As a result, I’ve found several places that represent an ideal work environment. Things I look for: good coffee, availability of power outlets, good table heights for typing, how easy it is to find a table, hours of operation, and overall ambiance. Naturally, these are all opinions, but they’re worth checking out if you happen to be in the area.
- I took a drive to the University district to check out the new UZ (University Zoka), a few blocks north of University Village.
This is the second Zoka store, after the first one in the Meridian District (near my old offices). I never took to the original one: despite serving good coffee and offering free Wi-Fi access, the place is cavernous and not, to me, very conducive to working. I prefer something slightly more intimate.
UZ achieves what I like: wood-paneled walls (the good type of wood paneling, not the icky 70s stuff), lots of tables - including long tables where up to eight or ten people can work) - and good coffee. I ended up not staying long, though, because the table I chose wasn't sturdy or flat; typing jostled my PowerBook, and every time I leaned on the table it dipped toward me. Surprising, since this is a brand new coffeeshop, but in fairness the table looked hewn from a tree trunk, so it had its own charm. I'm sure that having coffee without a laptop would be nice.
Anyway, it's worth checking out. Given the high student population in the area, I imagine it will do well.
- Herkimer Coffee, 7320 Greenwood Ave. N. At the corner of Greenwood and N. 74th St. in Seattle, it gets a good deal of foot traffic, lots of morning coffee commuters, and there are a number of cool funky shops nearby. They serve coffee from Caffe Vita, a Seattle roaster that's starting to make a name for itself. The blends are rich, not overly dark and not bitter. Herkimer also features free wireless net access. I like to work on my laptop in coffeehouses, and judging by the number of people I see here with computers, so do lots of others. The fact that it's free makes it an immediate draw for those who don't want to go to Starbucks. (At some point all Wi-Fi access will be free, just as you don't pay for comfortable seating or pleasurable decor.) Largely because of the free wirelessness, I've been here several more times than if they just offered good coffee.
- Diva Espresso, 8003 Greenwood Ave N. This is the place that sparked my love affair with coffeehouses, and I’ll frequently go out of my way to spend time here. The coffee is great, the color of the walls is warm and inviting, and there are plenty of power outlets to use no matter where you sit. The table in back next to the large wooden cabinet gives you a modicum of privacy, while the framed mirror above the table lets you discretely spy on the other patrons when you’re not being very productive.
- Cafe Solstice, 4116 University Way. Now this is a coffeehouse. Lots of room, lots of tables, and lots of power outlets (one for each table against the walls). Cafe Solstice serves coffee from Lighthouse Roasters, in my opinion the best in Seattle. It's in the heart of the University district, so expect it to be crammed with students, especially at night, and especially during finals. But if you show up in the morning, there's plenty of seats available. They also tend to play really good, eclectic music ... sometimes loud. But it's often a mix of world or techno-inspired music, so the sounds reverberate through your ribcage and become a good accompanying feel while working or just hanging out.
- Caffe Ladro (Fremont), 452 36th St. N. I don't know what was here before Caffe Ladro moved in, but it wasn't nearly as good as its recent replacement. Caffe Ladro's Fremont branch is also a haven for students and the studying type, but gets plenty of traffic from Fremont's quirky population. With walls painted deep textured red and dark green, you feel like you've stepped into a large study. The long tables along the left side of the place are great for working (spread out those papers if it's not too crowded!), or having short meetings. The rotating collection of artwork tends to focus on high-quality photography (versus some of the inspired dreck that some coffeehouses call art), adding a touch of class to an already inviting locale.
- Torrefazione Italia, Republic of Fremont. [Update 10/10/05: Sadly, the Torrefazione in Fremont closed in late September 2005; here's a photo I shot in its last days. Truly one of the best-looking interiors of the coffeehouses in Seattle.] Torrefazione has several distinctions: it’s large and open-aired, has great big windows -- a few of which open as doors in the summer where you can sit at tables in a moderately-sized courtyard -- and it just happens to be in the same building as Adobe’s Seattle headquarters. Fremont alone is worth visiting (be sure to check out the statue of Lenin, bought and shipped from Russia shortly after the USSR collapsed; as a political statement it’s intriguing, and as sculpture it’s captivating). There are lots of power outlets, a very comfortable leather couch and a pair of matching deep leather comfy-chairs. If you’re going to do some serious work, try to grab a square-shaped table; all the tables have Italian ceramic tile on the surfaces, but the smaller circular ones bulge upward creating a mound that doesn’t support a laptop well.
