Algiers Coffee House

A few photos from Brattle Square's Algiers Coffee House, one of my favorite cafes in the area.  It's exoticism-if you can call it that-feels natural and unforced; the teas are lovely and rest upon even lovelier tables and the staff are consistently pleasant. Algiers Coffee House always feels like an escape-a step within its walls and I feel far removed from the bustle of Cambridge and nearby Harvard. Be sure to sit on the second floor, where you can feel the full effect of the decor and architecture. 

North End Wanderings

This weekend was chock-full of reunions, meeting dear friends who were in town for a day and playing host to another for three. Jonathan, my friend visiting from D.C., and I have had mini adventures all across the city and its environs, from worshiping the Union Square donut  to battling the cold rain on the Common to mastering the art of the stroll in North End (see picture above: Jonathan has had to teach me-I treasure my all too practical brisk walking method). Naturally a trip to the North End was in the works, so he could hear the mutterings of the older Italians and taste one of Mike's pastries and note Paul Revere's still standing structure. I liked the peace I found there on a Sunday morning, before the crowds migrated and the twenty minute cannoli wait. It's always extra soothing to find quiet in a place you anticipate the opposite. For that, the stroll was perfect. 

Diesel Cafe

In two weeks time, I'll be moving my little life across the Charles and starting anew in Brookline/Allston. I LOVE Somerville and am quite sad to depart this area but circumstances have left little choice to stay put where I am-so I'm packing the few belongings I have here with me and getting ready for the change of scenery. Diesel Cafe is one place I will miss sorely-it is one of the beloved institutions on Elm Street in Davis Square, where students and hipsters and young families all gather for a reliable cup of coffee and the assurance that one will see a lot of flannel and backwards baseball caps. It is cool and sleek and nearly always packed (though the first picture suggests otherwise-a fluke of a moment, really). When I go on the weekends I make sure to go extra early if I want a seat to call my own. Unfortunately, the chances of doing so are dwindling-but whenever I return to Davis I'll surely stop at Diesel. And you should too.