Turning to more cycling-focused things for Fall.

Dollop

Apr 14 2008

The weather’s in flux lately — ups and downs, downs and ups. We had a brief reminder of winter this past weekend as a few snow showers passed over the city, their thickness a surreal unpleasant memory. It’s officially Spring™ no?

We found ourselves trapped at home all day Saturday. A mix of extra work, overcast and cold skies and a general lethargy providing a game plan for staying in.

Sunday was a different day — cabin fever galore and the sun was out. It was still very brisk out but as I showered in the morning, that usual nostalgia for times past (moments I call London Moments, to be explained at a future date) crept up on me and I got the idea to venture out to a coffee shop. The Girl™ was amenable to this and so I looked up free wifi close by and found a coffee shop I’d never heard of before but looked like just the place I’d like. Dollop. How could you not get on board with a coffee shop that uses Tumblr for their site?

It’s located in Buena Park, Uptown. Not too far away from here, perhaps a little over a mile and a half. The space is eclectic and a mixed bag in the way I like coffee shops — a mish-mash of furniture and pieces from mid-century modern and thrift. The staff visually identifies as hipster but without the pretense. They seem to be a mellow crowd. I like any coffee shop thats not about getting people in and out — laptops galore and people who are settled in for the long haul.

I had my Field Notes and she had her MacBook. I powered through the outline and talking points for my upcoming presentation (as well as dipping into Embrocation, Bon Appetit and Paste) and she worked through the chicken scratches of plumbers and the verbosity of interior designers in usability testing notes.

The hot chocolate was crap (but made so much better with a lot of cinnamon) as we’ve found many coffee shops to be, but the water was plentiful and free and the spicy hummus and tabouleh wrap was tasty and they were serious when they meant spicy. It was warm, relatively quiet, cozy and comfortable.

I’ll likely be back when the home studio feels a little too cold.

Notes (6)


Posted in

City Life, Miscellany, Personal, Work


6 Notes

Apr 14 2008
10:47am

Andrew

Did you get any pie? You should next time — they’re from Hoosier Mama, and they’re delish.

I agree, Dollop’s a nice, cozy coffeeshop. I wish it was more convenient for me; I’m only nearby in a car these days, and there’s never any nearby parking.


Apr 14 2008
11:07am

Ben

Maybe it is just me, but I feel like there is a shift in the feel of coffee shops as you travel South to North. Down here near my place they seem to be larger, more spacious and have a hectic and rushed vibe. The further North I go, I find that the coffee shops get more cozy, inviting and quiet. I am going to force a ride up to Metropolis now that the weather is starting to turn.


Apr 14 2008
01:31pm

Naz

Andrew – no. I wanted to but pie wasn’t calling my name at 10:30am. I really do need to try out some Hoosier Mama at some point. I guess Metropolis is always a good substitute though given your locale — though I think the new Uncommon Ground would be good too no?

Ben – Interesting. The only “southern” coffee shop I’ve ever been to was the Grind in Wicker Park — I can’t think of any coffee shops I’ve been to in the UIC or loop area. But perhaps I’d agree with you — the Grind was always too hectic for me and I like the smaller coffee shops that not everyone knows about in neighbourhoods that aren’t considered “popular”. Metropolis, of course is an excellent coffee shop. I lived in the building next door for a year and in that general one block radius for almost four years. Rogers Park was my first Chicago neighbourhood.


Apr 14 2008
01:40pm

Andrew

Uncommon Ground isn’t a coffeeshop anymore; the Devon location is all restaurant/bar, all the time. I do go to Metropolis when I’ve got a jones, though.


Apr 15 2008
01:30pm

Rachel

I wrote 95% of my grad school applications at Dollop. The bathrooms smell less now (no correlation to my presence).


Apr 16 2008
07:48am

Naz

Rachel – I noticed no presence of smell in the bathrooms, a good thing I take it.



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