The Rainy Day Blues

I should have known better than to get out of bed this morning. Any idiot knows that rain = movie and pizza in bed. Rain ≠ work. But glutton for punishment that I am, I rolled out from under the covers, curled my hair, stashed a banana in my purse and ran out the front door. This is where it starts to get good.

Since I'm a fashionista, I wore a skirt today. D'oh. But since I like to sleep in till approximately thirty-two minutes before my bus leaves, there was no time to change when I stepped outside to see it POURING. At least I didn't bother with shaving my legs this morning.

Next in line to ruin my day was the construction flagger, letting by three cars at a time. It took ten minutes to get through one intersection! So of course that meant that right as I pulled up to the bus stop, my bus was pulling out. Luckily, the next bus was scheduled to arrive in half an hour so I only had to stand in the rain for twenty-eight minutes. Curly hair? Poof! Gone.

I finally get to my office forty-five minutes late, freezing, and one last kick in the shins--coffee pot is empty.

So now, I'm sitting here at my desk, dreaming of a cozy afternoon in a coffee shop or a bookstore with a hot chai or a cappuccino and some Vonnegut. But guess what? I'm in Denver and there really isn't anything cozy about Denver. (Unless you want to huddle with the panhandlers.) All I can do is implore you, Downtown Boulder readers, to let me live vicariously through you, lounging in some warm, hustling bustling downtown location, frittering the day away...

Come on, give it up--where are you spending your rainy day, and with what book?

--Stacy

So a Girl Goes Into a Coffee Shop, and the Barista Says...

I love coffee. I need coffee. I also love attention, and being spoiled, and that's why I go to The Cup. There are plenty of great coffee places, but The Cup has got it right in so many ways. And since they just celebrated an anniversary, I'd like to give a little testimonial and shout-out to the prettiest cappuccinos I've ever had.

I remember it like yesterday...I wandered into The Cup almost three years ago for the first time. It was freezing and I was broke from a job I was pouring my heart, soul, and wallet into. I just wanted a little pick-me-up and a place to read some Capote, so I didn't have high expectations. But that's what you get from years of Starbucks coffee, I guess. Anyway, what I found was a warm crew of baristas, a friendly atmosphere, and a heart made of milk foam atop a perfect little cappuccino. I settled into my book and felt comfortable enough to stay there for over two hours. Refreshing, rejuvenating...it was what I needed to snap out of my funk.

Then, what started as a weekly tradition turned into an almost daily occurrence, during which the staff at The Cup began to introduce themselves and remember my order for next time. Pretty soon I found myself finishing one book and starting a new one in one sitting, ordering a drink or a turkey bagel sandwich with jalapeno habanero cream cheese (yum) just to prolong my time spent there. Now I take my crocheting or a crossword along too, or stop by on my way back from the Farmers Market to sit in the sun and people watch. Always relaxing and never taxing.

To The Cup: Thank you for providing an awesome venue to just be a Boulderite! And of course, for chocolate-covered espresso beans...

--Stacy

Melting Snow & a Cup of Joe

There's something about a cup of good coffee: a richness, a boldness and a taste that makes you close your eyes and just inhale the aroma; The quality and the feeling of that tan ambrosia as it fills your mouth with life. This morning's brew is from Unseen Bean (2052 Broadway), whose proprietor, Gerry Leary, although sightless, roasts his coffee with care and precision that is adamantly evident in every cup of joe. It's making my morning full of dripping snow and mile-high sunshine get rolling in just the right way.

Of course Downtown Boulder is full of coffee shops and coffeehouses: ones that sell tea, smoothies, breakfast, panninis, cupcakes, t-shirts and a hundred varieties of coffee. In fact there are 18 coffee shops in our 49 square blocks of Downtown Boulder, offering no shortage of destinations for java seekers of any ilk. In the upcoming edition of Downtown: Local Shops Local Stories Magazine, find out our readers' top five choices for their favorite coffee shop, and any time visit BoulderDowntown.com to view all of our coffee listing. Viva Caffeine!

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