As I sit at the Black Dog Cafe in Lowertown, I wonder: Why have I spent the last 5 months imprisoned in Dinkytown? While living kitty-corner to The Library would be a benefit to many, it was really isolating, not having a proper coffee shop to visit. Each free moment I had was spent watching cable television or researching American Idols on YouTube. I had no occasion to venture out of the apartment, except for in the evenings to spend time with friends. For as much as one can go out and have a good time, I thought that the most liberating thing one could do is to spend one’s free time productively. I find that one’s productivity increases with the increasing probability that one has a filled coffee mug at hand.
Coffee places are some of the best places to collect your thoughts and also get out of the living-indoors-and-never-seeing-the-sun routine. You may run into someone that you know, or you might discover a new coffee blend that you will be hooked on for the next few months. These are both plusses to anyone, barring those people who drink neither coffee nor tea.
There were two coffee places in the immediate vicinity of my Dinkytowner apartment: Bordertown Coffee and Caribou Coffee. I never dared venture into the Bordertown coffee place, since it was located directly behind Frat Row. On any given night after 10pm, swarms of college-aged students populated the surrounding area. I could only imagine that the ambiance inside of the Bordertown would be similarly infested.
The Black Dog Cafe and Wine Bar is probably the best place I have been in the past 6 months – coffee-wise. I think the Black Dog Cafe is better than Mudd Cafe and the Ambrosia Cafe, combined. A few minutes ago, there were some Asian tourists taking pictures of themselves next warehouse architecture, and the man was smelling the fresh flowers which were probably bought at the Farmer’s Market. The cafe turns into a wine bar during the evening hours, and every Friday there is a happy hour, where a DJ spins.
My dad is coming here on Friday, so I’ll get to have someone to take me around to the Farmer’s Market, Grand Old Parade, see a show, etc. Can’t wait!
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