An Bui, Spelled An With 1 N

Belltown, from flickr user faeryboots

Tonight I spoke with a restaurant manager at a hip, hot restaurant in Belltown. Our conversation revolved around the weather, sleep (or lack thereof) and he said to me: 

I just need seven days in the desert. I don’t want a fancy hotel or anything like that - one of those motels, with an orange bedspread, tv with knobs, rabbit ears and woodgrain paneling. I don’t know why, but that’s what I want.

That discussion turned into possible reasons why someone with a very public, customer experience and service oriented role would want something that’s a very different experience from that which he strives to provide to his patrons. 

I think it goes back to expectations. For a high-end restaurant, customer expectations are high. The margin for error slim or non-existent. For a dive, the expectatons are at an entirely different level, ones that approach no real expectation. 

You’re free to relax, enjoy, or introspect. You take what’s offered, knowing up front that you signed up for the orange bedspread, tv with knobs, rabbit ears and woodgrain paneling. Disappointing you would be hard. 

What are your thoughts? Am I way off base?

A member of one of the Seattle area email lists I subscribe to asked an interesting question: “Best coffee shops for networking and just general working?”

Since coffee is a subject near and dear to my heart, I a) have an opinion; b)have a reasonable basis of comparison for my opinion. I’m partial to quite a few coffee shops here in Seattle. Some of the coffee shops I like have to do with the location of my apartment of the month and others have to do with where I work. Without further ado…

In Lower Queen Anne:
Caffe Ladro, at Queen Anne Avenue N & Roy, has friendly staff and a great ambiance in the summer. It’s a great place to work if work entails people watching.
Caffe Vita at 5th Avenue North provided me with a quiet place to sit and work when I worked remotely for Access to Justice Institute at Seattle University during my first summer in Seattle.
Caffe Zingaro on Mercer has plenty of outlets to plug your laptop into when the battery dies. I’ve worked there, met cute guys there (Call me, Shawn!), and conducted alumni admissions interviews there for Swarthmore College.

In Pioneer Square:
Zeitgeist Coffee at 2nd Avenue South and Jackson keeps me functional. The startup I work for is strategically located mere feet away from Zeitgeist. The coffee is a solid part of my routine, and the tomato gorgonzola soup gets me going through the busy days. We often have impromptu meetings while waiting for our lattes, but Zeitgeist can get crowded and loud when the line gets long as it often does.
Grand Central Bakery on First Avenue South has fantastic coffee and oversized, flaky pastries, unlimited refills, friendly and personable staff, unlimited refills… did I mention unlimited refills? I’ve never used them for wi-fi access, just as a meeting location. The blazing fire in the mornings goes well with that first cup of morning coffee.
Trabant Coffee & Chai at 2nd and James makes a soy latte to die for. They don’t take credit cards which makes it less convenient for those of us (like me) who rarely carry cash, but the creamy sweet goodness of the latte more than makes up for the inconvenience.

In Belltown:
Uptown Espresso in Belltown has lots of space and big tables for spreading out and hacking away. It’s good for groups as well as individuals. The Lower Queen Anne location isn’t as open as the Belltown location, but the lattes are just as good.

In Capitol Hill:
B&O Espresso in Capitol Hill has very accommodating staff, free Wi-Fi, and I always get a lot done when I’m there.

Others that make the list of Top Coffee Shops to Work and Network - Seattle:

• Top Pot on 5th Ave
• Zoka in the U District
• Café Vita on Pike in Capitol Hill
• Victrola Coffee on 15th between Harrison and Republican
• Tougo Coffee on 18th between Union and Pike
• Caffe Umbria in Pioneer Square
• Cherry Street Coffee House, on Cherry Street in Downtown
• Essential Bakery at Madison/MLK in Madison Valley
• Fuel in Montlake
• Caffe Verite in either location: Madrona or Ballard
• Louisa’s on Eastlake

Thanks to Sam Tingleff for a Google Map of the above mentioned Coffee Shops: Top Coffee Shops to Work and Network – Seattle