Coffee shops… The place with the pretentious, tattooed barista mocking casuals when they order a small black coffee with cream.
Maybe back in 2004Today’s coffee shops are more like diners from the olden days. A Waffle House, with less violence, but the same amount of goofy teenagers, and a guy named Gus.
Each coffee house has its own vibe. There’s nothing wrong with corporate stores, but I prefer local businesses.
My usual places have enough noise and activity to keep me from being bored, but not enough to be distracting. Imagine a noise level between the crowd reaction to *CUTTHROAT ISLAND and Andrew Garfield showing up in SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. It’s my space, but I don’t feel alone, and I don’t feel pressured to connect with people around me. I can think, create, read, or just chill out.
I have a time limit on how long I’ll hang out, and I tip the barista. Don’t be the jerk who buys one cup of coffee and hogs a table for hours! I’m looking at you, Mister-My-Screenplay-Is-Too-Real-For-Hollywood. Also, realtors, salespeople, and pyramid-scheming stay-at-home-moms.
My local favorites are White Tail Coffee and Bikes in Milton, and Bizarre Coffee in Canton, Woodstock, and Roswell. White Tail is subdued and Bizarre is funky. I also enjoy The Sweet Read in Woodstock because of the tasty coffee, fantastic treats, and it’s a used bookstore! I’ve only been to Alma Coffee in Canton a few times, but the coffee is good. It’s a little loud because the cafe is inside the roaster area, which is its own thing.
Right now, I am writing this sitting in my current favorite corporate coffee shop. It’s Jean-Philippe’s Chocolate and Cafe. It just happens to be on an MSC cruise ship. Jan and Eve know my name, they know my drink, and they assure me that stopping in twice a day is “totally” normal. Iced Americanos and ocean views, does it get any better than that? No, no, it doesn’t.
*CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995) was so bad it killed a movie studio.
*Andrew Garfield, the best Spider-Man, has an epic return in SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021).