12 10 / 2010
Step into my office: Heart
Heart Coffee Roasters - 2211 E Burnside, Portland, OR Website
(Another installment of my Office Away From Home Series…)
Wifi - Yes. But, BUT, just one outlet. Full laptop batteries only, please.
Coffee - Consistently awesome.
Pastry - Small selection of gems. Try the homemade “oreos”. The GF poppy seed muffin has truly perfect crumb.
Noise - Perfect.
Location - Hard to get more central than Burnside…
Bonus points - Excellent taste in music, fab interior design & genuinely friendly baristas.
Minus points - The banquette seat closest to the windows gets BLAZING hot if you sit for more than 15 minutes. Aforementioned single outlet.
Overall - A My platonic ideal of a coffee shop. The chic vibe and central location make it easily my favorite place for meetings. Slightly less so for computer-type work.
04 10 / 2010
Step into my office (a review): Albina Press
I have a tendency to think of the city at large as my office. My work takes me all over Portland, to all five quadrants (even the ‘burbs once in a while). I don’t spend a lot of time at my actual office on NE Alberta, though it’s quite lovely and I’m so glad it’s there when I do stop in. I have a pretty sweet home office, too, but I often crave a change of scenery to get certain kinds of projects moving.
What makes a great home office away from home?
- Free wifi, obvs
- Adequate quality coffee
- A craveworthy item in the pastry case
- Not too quiet, not too loud. Music that doesn’t make me want to jab my pen in my own eye.
- Somewhat central location & free parking within a block
- Bonus points for being stylish, friendly and having better than average coffee
Albina Press - 4637 N Albina Ave, Portland, OR
Wifi - Yes
Coffee - Above average, sometimes excellent
Pastry - Hit or miss, nothing is consistently in stock. I believe they use Nuvrei.
Noise - Perfect
Location - Perfect, plus easy parking without a time limit
Bonus points - the aformentioned overacheiving coffee, plus copious outlets if you need them for the laptop.
Overall - A- I work here all the time. Hits all the critical notes. I like it best when they’re friendly or I need to be nearby.
:::Disclaimer: These are like, just my opinions, dude. Your experience may vary.:::
11 9 / 2010
Oh, hey! I’m on the radio!
My dear friend Lelo invited me over to chat with her about pickling on her lovely podcast, Lelo Homemade. Click on over to learn about the weirdest thing I’ve ever pickled.
Update: the audio is acting a bit wonky. Here’s a link.
05 8 / 2010
Summer Coffee Walk…
Simple pleasures are the foundation of a contented life.
Smell the roses.
Walk the dog.
Savor the coffee.
Come on a summer coffee walk with me.
This is Lucy. She can hardly contain her excitement.
This is Kevin. My partner in crime.
An essential element of any coffee walk.
Here we go!
The park is deserted.
Oops! Someone forgot their shopping cart. I’m sure they’ll come back for it.
Oh hey, Llama! How you doin’?
And…home again.
