I grew up in the Northwest. Coffee culture in the NW is big. You know, we started Starbucks. We also started grunge and a few other movements but that is a story for another time. I remember when Starbucks was just at Northwest thing. We were all sure going National and then International would ruin it. Then Coffee People sold out and went corporate. It didn’t take long for me to find espresso in any airport I traveled through. Secretly I enjoyed the accessibility of one of my favorite treats.
It’s cloudy and rainy in the Northwest for a good portion of fall, most of the winter and most of the spring. All the mist and rain gives the land a lush green look. Everything smells earthy of growing things and rainforests. I love falling asleep to the sound of rain hitting the roofs and windows. It’s dark though, something that Californians don’t really understand. They tell me they’d love to live in the rain. I don’t think they get the heaviness of low clouds and rain that can last literally for months. It’s cozy, yes. It’s also one of the places with the greatest numbers of suicide in the country.
Coffee houses were a way that we escaped some of the monotony of the weather. They are community hubs filled with books, squishy chairs, sometimes live music and always always the rich think smell of espresso. My local Starbucks was a place where I had business meetings, met other moms, took my kids and sometimes escaped my kids. I knew the people behind the counter. It was a kind of home extension.
When we moved I didn’t need coffee as a stimulant to ward off the doom and gloom of the weather. I did miss the local coziness, that sense of place that comes with being a regular. I’ve been trying some local coffee spots around town. I thought you’d enjoy seeing the place I’ve been going to lately, “Momma’s”. Seating is outside year round. 
Figure 