KOFFEE SHOP KWEST

Yesterday I was freaking out about what I would work on during Writers’ Group today, but then some stuff happened that I could write about and as that stuff was occurring, I came up with a the blog revelation to end all other blog revelations. (Or, actually start all blog revelations because I’m not sure I’ve ever had a blog revelation before…).

Nothing really happened after my SOS writing crisis post, but stuff happened this morning. It’s all related to writers’ group, so writing about it now feels apropos.

Actually, first let me complain/express my confusion that I got better WiFi at the train station than I do in my apartment. How is that a thing? But, I digress.

There is actually that much to write about, perhaps the fact that if I knew a thing about sports, I wouldn’t have found myself in the situation that I ended up in. The group I’m a part of has meetings all over the city. I previously attended the one in Logan Square because that’s where I live, so it makes a lot of sense, and that’s basically the concept – that you go to the group in your hood, but you’re welcome to go to any of the other ones if you have the time in your schedule and are willing to travel. This Sunday’s meet-up is a little different because it’s a coffee shop that the group does not normally visit – “we’re exploring and writing.” That’s literally the event title on the page. Apparently the group has a tradition in the fall of finding new coffee shops to meet, so we’re all new to Two Hearted Queen today. It is in Lakeview, which isn’t too much of a hike from my place, so I was game to go! I had a few options of how to get there – I was going to take the 74 Bus to the Fullerton train station (the 74 and I are going to be pals, I can tell) and then I could take the red line for two stops and walk 15 minutes or the brown line for four stops and walk five minutes. The brown line option seemed much better to me, except the brown line train just didn’t come. It said it was coming and due but then there wasn’t a train… So that was weird and while I was checking to see how long it would be before the next one, the red line came. I am capable of walking a mile (I’m in training for a 5K, duh!) so I jumped on board (well, no, I didn’t jump, I stepped on like a normal person).

Noticed how I mentioned that I was game to go in the last paragraph? (I bolded and underlined it for you, just in case you missed it). Well, there was another game that people were going to today. A Cubs game to be specific and unbeknownst to me, the subway stop I would be disembarking from was the one for Wrigley Field (you would think they’d name it that but NOOOoooOOO, they stick with the street name. Go figure). So suddenly, I was in the middle of the royal blue and red mass of baseball fans and I needed to be walking in the opposite direction of them. It was a bit overwhelming. And by a bit, I mean, I think I’m lucky to be alive. Once I was a block or two away, I was fine. I did see an occasional baseball fan wearing a backwards cap or jersey walking in the direction of the field but I was no longer in danger of being trampled or dying of suffocation (or being trampled and them dying of suffocation).

And then, I was at Two Hearted Queen, which at first glance, can’t avoid Alice and Wonderland parallels (not that I think they’re trying to). I feel like the best way to describe the atmosphere would be to say that someone let the Mad Hatter be in charge of the interior design but instead of suffering from the brain addling effects of mercury poisoning, he was born in the 60s and smoking a lot of you-know-what. But then he also did some LSD in the 70s, cocaine in the 80s and then got his coffee fix in Seattle or Portland in the 90s. It’s like a coffee shop for angsty, artistic stoners to come and write. Not that I’m a stoner. Or even angsty or artistic. I’m not into labels, people. What it lacks in butt paintings, it makes up for in snarky artwork that has expressions like “I like big cups and I cannot lie” and “Behind every successful person is a substantial amount of coffee.” I don’t agree with that last one because I like to believe I am successful and there is absolutely zero coffee behind me, but I understand why it would be hanging in a coffee shop.

Anyway, all of this is leading up to my big revelation. I have visited three coffee shops for writing/business meetings since I’ve been here (four if you include the Capitol One Café where I had that interview but didn’t get anything – they did give me a card for a free drink, so I guess I have to go back now and it should be noted that none of them were Starbucks because blech) and even though I despise coffee, I’ve enjoyed visiting each of them. This idea came to me somewhere between the bus and the train station; since I plan on continuing to write about my experience in the city, I have set up a new little challenge for myself. I’ve done Pizza Paths and Milkshake Marathons and eaten a lot of cupcakes just because, so now I’m going to start my Coffee Shop Quest! Now, writing that out looks a little weird, but it sounds good because you get the consonance in “coffee” and “quest” which both start like they sound with a K, so *drumroll* KOFFEE SHOP KWEST!

I am going to continue to visiting independent coffee shops and will rank them (rules and criteria are still being dreamt up – I’ll detail what I have in a minute) so by the end of my first year in Chicago (meaning next August, not January 2017), I will know where my absolute favorite coffee shop. Obviously some coffee shops are going to have an advantage – i.e. I’m more likely to visit the ones in Logan Square and visit them more than once because they’re closer, but distance will not be a judging factor, because it’s mainly going to be about first impressions and what sparks my interest. This blog will help me keep track of where I go, but I’m going to start another document for myself with all of my notes so that at the end of this, I can lay it all out for you kind readers when the time comes.

Now, there is obviously a slight hitch in this plan, because it is well documented that I hate coffee. To me, it tastes like garbage bean water and I’d rather drink from the toilet. I also don’t really like tea either. It’s hot, soggy leaves. That isn’t appetizing!

But, luckily, coffee shops are diversifying. Some serve food or pastries or non-coffee beverages! So, obviously part of this Kwest will be purchasing/rating these items. I sense a lot of hot chocolate in my future (NOT COMPLAINING).

So, I’ve made a little template for my notes and this is it:

Date:

Coffee Shop:

Location:

Reason for visit (if any specific reason):

Purchased:

Vibe:

Stand outs:

Downsides:

Subsequent visits:

Pretty straight forward. I’m not going to try to do any five star rating or anything. I will obviously take pictures for my records, but this is the official start of the Koffee Shop Kwest!

So, what did I order here? Well, it was lunchtime when I arrived so I got one of The Queen breakfast panini and a hot chocolate. The Queen was made of egg, spinach, avocado and hummus AND came is the shape of a heart! So they definitely get points for presentation. I didn’t taste any hummus, just spinach, eggs and avocado, but it was still good. They also had free cucumber water, which is a pretty classy thing to have. They had a deck of cards and you got to pick a card when you ordered and if you got the Queen of Hearts, you got 50% off your drink (I got the 4 of Diamonds).

Also, in case you’re wondering, the name is NOT Alice in Wonderland inspired. The shop was created by two women who combined their passions for coffee and giving back and created the name based on their mission “the union of two or more individuals, fueled by a common dream, who go on to find themselves in the midst of a much more magnificent community than they could have ever imagined on their own.” So, perhaps that does sound a little bit like what Lewis Carroll envisioned for Alice when he dropped her down the rabbit hole or through the looking glass, but I like it as I am here to join a new community of writers.

Below, you’ll see my picture collage of what I found here and my plans for after group including meeting Mandy and getting some drinks (not coffee tonight). Happy Labor Day!