Back in July I moved from the Queen Anne neighborhood to Greenlake. Back when I lived in Queen Anne, one of the first places I discovered after hoofing up the Galer St. steps from 10th Ave. W, was a little place called Caffè Fiore. It came be my weekend routine, to wake up and walk up to Fiore for coffee. As you do in any cafe, I become familiar with some of the regulars, and had the opportunity to get in some interesting conversations. In fact, it was a conversation with someone I met at Fiore about the Integrative Institute for Nutrition that ultimately led me to enrolling this last September.
When I moved to Greenlake I was forced to find a new coffee shop. I was pointed to Revolution Coffee by a friend. It's mere blocks from my apartment, and just tucked away enough that it doesn't get overran by the masses. Since I've been there I've had some fun little coversations with the baristas, and patrons. There is a running group there every Saturday, and because they don't know I have a walking blog, we get along okay. I personally enjoy that Revolution is a pet friendly place, but I know that's not for everyone.
Neighborhood coffee shops are a great way to meet people, when you're the new person. I like coffee shops because the investment is low. For $3 or less (depending on what you drink) you can sit, read, meet new people, and find yourself in a random conversation about anything from the last movie someone saw, to what's happening Saturday night. For me (wherever I've lived in Seattle), finding a neighborhood coffee shop has always been a great tool for meeting new people, and becoming more invested in my neighborhood through community socializing.