Monday, December 1, 2014

Where did all the cool Cafe spots go?

It's a sunny day and I woke up with a smile on my face and a skip in my step because it's Sunday. Sunday to me means after my Church and chores I get to do the thing I love the most... write. Writing for me has become my found joy. And each day I discover different ways to express the written word either by writing for the blogs or writing my 3 different novellas with the goal of one day becoming a published Author.
So on this particular Sunday I thought it might be a great idea to find a local Café, like the ones you see on TV, and eat croissant drink coffee with my computer in front of me ready to receive the words and thoughts filling my head. So I googled Cafés in Oakland and Berkeley. What I found on the internet was quite disturbing No Cafés were in the search results. Only Bars, Restaurants or Coffee houses. I wrote down a couple and ventured out to see what was what.
The first place was truly not the setting for me. First, they didn't have croissants only stale pastries,, but the cappuccino was made perfectly. The furniture on the website was very different than the actual furniture on site. They were dirty old couches that either needed to be reupholstered or recycled into something else. This place was definitely a local haunt for College students to let off steam before, during or after exams. Not a place to foster creative thinking for a writer. Even the sign outside the front door screamed, "Be QUIET!"

SoSo , what's a potential a writer to do? Walk to the next destination and hope for the best.  Happy to say, I wasn't disappointed. The Kitchen with it's mile high biscuits and freshly made summer jam was delicious and the quiche was warm, flaky crust and cheese that was to die for. Definitely a place to venture to again and again. The Restaurant name? Appropriately named The Kitchen at 388 Grand Avenue in Oakland, Did I ever find the Café to write? Nope...I did not. I fear the places that Jack London sat in for hours sipping coffee and staring out the windows for inspiration are long gone. But, the good news is the restaurant business in Oakland is booming with places that are worth investigating. Maybe one day I'll create a corner in our world designed for writers, readers and where food is a highlight not the main focus. Until then, I will continue to write, eat ... and do it all with love.

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