Marine Biology, Retail Therapy, and the Allure of Espresso Vivace.

http://www.espressovivace.com/gallery2/main.php

There comes a day in every girl's life when she just needs to go buy something. Sometimes this need stems from stress. Sometimes it is due to the sense that she has been putting a lot of effort into the day-to-day of things and deserves a small reward. Sometimes, it results from a previous shopping trip on which she really wanted to purchase a particular item, but convinced herself not to and has been regretting it ever since. Sometimes, let's face it, there is no explanation; she just likes to shop.

For me, today was that day. And I wanted a hat. Not just any hat, mind you, but this hat. As a result, I went on an expedition, and am now sitting with my spiffy new Burton hat, enjoying coffee at a coffee shop I generally avoid, and feeling proud of myself because I went to buy a hat, I bought a hat, AND (since they didn't have the shoes I wanted in my size, or the dress I wanted in the right color) a hat was all I bought. ...Unless you count the two packs of Sharkies, the Raw Revolution food bar, the ClifKids fruit rope, and the coffee. Which I don't.

Espresso Vivace on Yale Ave N is fast becoming one of my favorite coffee shops in this area of the city, and it is paramount to any explanation of it that I say right off: the reason I avoid it is because it's across from REI, and it is impossible for me to sit across from REI for any amount of time without "accidentally" ending up browsing the store.

As a kid, my greatest dream was to become a really famous marine biologist. I will therefore tell you that, within the ocean's aphotic zone, what we think of as "normal" fish predation ("I see you, therefore I will eat you") is defunct. Aphotic means no light, and no light means no seeing dinner swim by. Consequently, fish living in aphotic neighborhoods have different means of catching food. One of the coolest methods belongs to the deep sea anglerfish, which appears to have a little light hanging from a fishing pole that grows out of its head. This little light irresistibly attracts edible fellow-deep-sea-dwellers toward the angler, making them unwittingly easy prey.

To a NorthWesterner living on a grad-student budget (a metaphorically aphotic region of life), REI qualifies as a similar type of glowing (but fatal) attractant. A labyrinthine arrangement of items you never even dreamed you needed, but soon become so lost in that... well, you have to purchase the compass to escape. And it would of course be irresponsible to spend money on a compass without buying a protective case for it. And since it's only $20 more expensive, but comes with a compass and 15 other functions, you really feel you ought to get the Swiss Army tool instead. And before you know it, you're ready to backpack your way through a mountain range you've never even heard of before, and which might have a cute, romantic town somewhere deep within it, which means you'll also be needing that wrinkle-free, multi-purpose, jersey-knit "little black dress." (Just in case there are any emergencies involving wine, and handsome, inexplicably English-speaking foreigners.)

But I digress. Precisely why I avoid this location. With that artful and completely intentional illustration out of the way now, let me explain also why I like it.

Espresso Vivace is local, consistent, and creative, sure. You know there is a respectable level of training and consideration going into your beverage, no matter what you order. It has decent music, exceptionally unreliable WiFi (that doesn't belong on the "likes" list, you're right), great people/pet watching, plenty of room to study, a separate room for special meetings, and it's open late. All great things. All available many places. What I love, what's unique about this location, is the staff. And the amazing, gluten-free/vegan pastries. But mostly the staff.

I like feeling liked when I go for coffee. I don't know a single person who works here, and I'm certainly not a regular, but without fail, regardless of how busy they are, I am treated like a friend. Without fail, I get "special" treatment, whether that means somebody went to rummage through the fridge for a fresher, "prettier" pastry for me (when I was perfectly happy with the one in the case), or means somebody took time out in managing a line of customers to explain something I was curious about. Don't get me wrong, these folks are as pretentious as anything. More pretentious than I think their espresso itself particularly warrants. But the unique blend of "pretentious" with "exceptional customer orientation" is a rather incredible art form that serves, ultimately, to make you feel like you're somebody important since you seem to be worth their time.

If you're in need of something different from your usual cup of coffee, and in need of feeling like what you're drinking matters to someone, you should check out Espresso Vivace's "Cafe Nico": espresso with vanilla, orange peel, breve, and cinnamon. Interesting and adventurous, which is refreshing today since I left REI with nothing but a new hat and plans to write yet another paper for school. The good news is, I am not depressed about all this paper writing. YouTube reminded me today that, no matter how many papers I have to write, my life is much better than the life of an anglerfish.

Need encouragement for the week ahead?

Mhmm. Thanks for that, YouTube.