Seattle Coffee Shops

One of my favorite anecdotes from Lewis Black is the one where he talks about a Starbucks being directly across from another Starbucks, which he then surmises must mean he has reached the end of the universe. Obviously I am not doing justice to his rant - here is the quote:

Victrola Coffee in Capitol Hill

"There sits a Starbucks and directly across the street from that exact same building as that Starbucks there is another Starbucks. There is a Starbucks across the street from another Starbucks. And ladies and gentleman that, is the end of the universe. People have asked me "How do you know this?" Well go there. Stand between those two Starbucks, and when you look at your watch, time stands still. And what's truly amazing, if you turn and look just at one Starbucks immediately you think "You know when I turn around, there can't possibly be a Starbucks behind me." If there's a just and loving god how could he allow that to happen? So you turn slowly think maybe there's a McDonald's there or possibly an Exxon station or maybe a Gap but there's another Starbucks! many people have asked are there too many Starbucks? Well now we know. YES. When you build a Starbucks across the road from another Starbucks, the game is over. You can build no more."

The end of the universe - nope. It's Seattle.  I have never seen so many coffee shops on one block as I have in Seattle. The surprising part of it all is that they survive. Yes, even in this shitty economy - a coffee shop nestled between two different coffee shops will survive. We take our coffee THAT seriously here. But not only do we enjoy a cup or two or three a day, we tend to gravitate to the shop that "fits" us. There are the "quiet - no talking coffee shops" with head phone wearing customers busily tapping away upon their laptops. There is bustling coffee shop that caters to those in the need of a quick fix while on their way to work. Then there are the quaint little neighborhood bakery/coffee shops where neighbors meet and greet. If you drink coffee, there is a place for you here in Seattle. My mother is far from a woman of wisdom, but she did instill this little nugget while I still was impressionable - "never trust someone who doesn't drink coffee". I'm not sure why exactly, but I do have to say that when I meet a person who doesn't drink coffee - they do seem a wee bit, well...weird.

Here is a selection of Coffee Shops in Seattle. I will be adding more and more as time goes by.