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.
06 10 / 2010
I just ordered my 2011 planner. 2011!
There’s a method to this madness, and here it is: this is the best planner available. I’ll give you four reasons:
- Hard cover
- Perfect size
- One weeks calendar on the left, lined page for notes on the right
- Made by Moleskine, meaning it’s the most intuitive, thoughtful, useful analog device available. It also comes with stickers. Just sayin’.
You should get one. Like, soon. If you wait, by the end of the year it will cost at least $40. Here’s a link on Amazon: Moleskine Weekly Planner.
And here’s another link: 12 months - Weekly Notebook - Red hard cover - Large - Moleskine ® English
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.:::
