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.:::