Regulus Coffee House Co. [Chicago]
Weather: 40°, Rainy
Coffee Shop: Regulus Coffee House Co • 6032 W Irving Park Rd • Chicago • First Time
Drink: Chicolátl ($3.50)
Book: No Book
Coffee Shop: Regulus Coffee House Co • 6032 W Irving Park Rd • Chicago • First Time
Drink: Chicolátl ($3.50)
Book: No Book
Coffee
Special vacation post! That's right, not to be deterred from my Sunday coffee I talked my friend Abbie into grabbing a drink with me while we were in Chicago this past weekend. If there's anything I love more than trying new coffee shops in Minneapolis, it's trying new coffee shops while on vacation.
We were staying in Norwood Park so I tried to find something not too far away 1) so that we wouldn't have to drive too far, and 2) so that I could curl up with a coffee ASAP. I used my trusty Yelp app to direct me based on highly reviewed places and the chosen spot was Regulus. The only bad thing: the wi-fi was out, which Abbie wanted to use. They had a sign posted on the front door, so it was fair warning, but we didn't feel like finding another place, so we just dealt with it.
Everything else about Regulus made me super happy. I kept saying to my Abbie, "This is such a perfect coffee shop," and I meant it. I ordered the Chicolátl which is a mocha with cinnamon & cayenne (I love coffee with cayenne, especially when I'm kicking a cold). I wished the drink would've lasted all day, it was all I could do not to chug it. Needing a snack, (and since it was a vacation), I ordered a chocolate chip scone which was deliciously fresh and was a perfect dunking partner with the coffee. I did not leave Abbie out; I treated her to a hot cocoa with plenty of whip in appreciation of letting me drag her to a coffee shop.
The atmosphere here was great, albeit a little chilly. The service was super friendly, and everything about the visit was cozy and comfortable. I found the Sunday crossword in a pile of newspapers and worked studiously on it while Abbie did real work. It was the perfect hideaway on a rainy Sunday in February.
This is the kind of place I'd want in my neighborhood.
People Watching
The only person I bothered to note was this very adorable hipster boy working on his Mac. He had a sticker around the Apple logo that was a juice box and said "Juice" under the apple. It was chuckleworthy. There was a painting on the wall of a colorful tree and I took a picture of it because it inspired me. They had no bus tub and it confused me - Chicago, so foreign.
The first section of the book kept me in mind of the way I felt reading the short stories in Salinger's Nine Stories. This is another author whose novels I love but whose short stories leave me wanting. Fortunately, the subsequent sections of Happy To Be Here were far more satisfying for me. There were quite a few stories I actually enjoyed, which was more than I could say for The Book of Guys. He has an interesting way of creating real-life pictures that end up being absolutely ridiculous. His subtle wit shows through in a lot of the pieces in this book, that same wit which causes so many people I know to say "I don't like A Prairie Home Companion...I don't get it, it's not funny." My favorite piece from the book was probably "How It Was in America a Week Ago Tuesday" - I found it endearing and amazing, and had to constantly remind myself "this isn't REAL, he's just making up numbers!" but found that whole circle of realizations amusing.
Boiler Room is somewhat hidden on 3rd Ave in Steven's Square. It's on the garden level (a la "Cheers") of one of the large brick apartment buildings that permeate the Steven's Square neighborhood. It's small and large at the same time. The space is small, but the natural light, the bright colors, the ample seating, and the open space make it feel much larger than it is. On a day like today, where the temperatures have plumetted below zero, it felt cozy to retreat into a sunny basement filled with bright colors and the smells of coffee.
I was just starting the book today, so there's not a lot that I can say about it. It's all about changing the way we meet (or "convene") with others and how we can be leaders for creating a more intentional, meaningful, open, and purposeful space for the gathering of ideas and people. Why should meetings be seen as boring and tiresome and useless? Shouldn't every moment that we spend with others be filled with creativity, openness, ideas, and real results? Yes, of course. But how do we do that? That's what the book tries to teach. Most of what is being said makes sense to me, and I like it. It reminds me of a lot of the things Brene Brown talked about in Daring Greatly, but with a more specific focus. Each chapter leads you through an aspect you should consider when gathering people together, why that consideration is important, and specific exercises to reinforce the idea. I particularly like the real-life examples injected into the writing. Because it's a fairly deep and intangible topic that can be hard to understand, the example stories give some concrete images of what these ideas look like in practice.
A Nation of Farmers was published in 2009, so it's a few years old (which often matters in such volatile topics as climate change, food security, etc). I say it's dense because, aside from the fact that it is physically a thick book, it is written in a very reportive style: facts, figures, numbers, stats. There's nothing (so far) that's flowery or fun. That doesn't make it bad or uninteresting though; it's very interesting. The premise overall is talking about how we need more farmers in the US if we're going to survive. To get to that point there's a lot of background needed. So what I've been reading so far is a lot about climate change, peak oil, and industrial agriculture. Things I am very interested in, but also things that are pretty heavy to read about. The information about climate change is extremely sobering, especially when you remember that it was published in 2009—things have changed rapidly since then. I guess a good word to describe everything I've read so far would be "astounding." Even when you know the information in general, the specific numbers and examples are always a little mind-blowing. The authors do a lot of interviews in the book and right now I'm reading the first interview with Richard Heinberg (an expert on peak energy and author of multiple books, also the person who claimed we need "50 million more farmers"). It's really interesting to hear him talking about how many Americans were and are involved in food production, and where we need to go from where we are. In a nutshell, we need to get ourselves out of the industrial agriculture lifestyle that our grandparents worked so hard to create if we want any hope of sustaining life. The worst part is, even though to people who are actively involved in learning about these things the path just seems obvious and dire, that is not the majority view/knowledge. As a whole, we are ignorant, and there is no hope of saving our lifestyle as it is—
Now that I've got that out of the way, I'll give you a quick extended version. Daring Greatly is a transformative book about how important vulnerability is in our lives, and how the courage to be vulnerable opens up opportunities, pathways, and hearts. It informs us how shame, and all of its variants, are the biggest enemies of creating an open and vulnerability-safe culture (and thus the enemies of creativity, innovation, and ultimately happiness). Brown gives suggestions that light a path toward developing what she calls shame-resilience, and toward fostering vulnerability in ourselves, in others, and in our workplaces, schools, organizations, and families. If you're thinking, "ha, vulnerability, that's just weakness!" then this book definitely for you. If you're thinking, "vulnerability, that's scary," or "this is wishy-washy self-help bullshit," or "I want to be happier," then this book is for you. In short, this book is for everyone. For years I've used "Show up" as a mantra to push myself into situations, to stop watching life and start living life. I don't remember where I first heard the phrase, but it truly made a difference and continues to keep me in the right direction on a regular basis. Brown repeats this phrase in Daring Greatly and the book, in essence, is about showing up. If we don't find the courage to show up we're willingly depriving the world of our unique and wonderful gifts, the gifts that we all offer just by being who we are.
This is another very neighborhood-centric feeling coffee shop and is very bright and full of life. The shop is split into two seating areas: the front area, being right next to the counter, is buzzing with life, and the back area is a little more mellow with comfy couches and armchairs and a couple large tables that you could sit up to 8+ people at. Even though it's a bit quieter in the back, noise seems to reverberate a lot, so it's never very quiet.
The koan that I read (the first in the book) was Bodhidharma's Vast Emptiness. The best part about this book is that with each koan the author writes an introduction to help you have a little foothold before you read the koan, and a follow-up titled "Working with the Koan" that the author uses to help explain his understanding of the koan and bring it into modern life. Without these sections the average reader might not bother to think much about the koan if it's too confusing. For each section the author has written a title that explains the purpose of the koan, and this one was Forgetting Who You Are and Making Use of Nothing. It taught about the acceptance of letting go, emptiness, and nothingness. Admitting that you don't know. Letting go of the need to know and of expectations. Not doing things for want of praise or recognition. Some other sections include "The Secret of Changing Your Heart," "The Heaven That's Already Here," "Friendship," "On Avoiding Bad Art," and "Finding Your Song."
Cafe SouthSide is nestled in the Powderhorn neighborhood on Chicago Avenue, just two blocks from Powderhorn Park. The cafe shares the building with a second-hand store and is covered in beautiful murals on the south facing side, which is next to a community garden that the cafe facilitates. The cafe seems to be very neighborhood focused and you can feel that just by spending more than five minutes inside. The inside is so cheerful that it's hard not to smile regardless of how you walk in feeling. All of the signage (of which there is a lot!) is artistically hand drawn. There are murals on some walls, and framed art on others. There's a computer with internet and a shelf full of board games. There are a few normal tables, two squishy armchairs, and a window seat (the huge west-facing window lets in great afternoon sun).
The most notable part of Cafe SouthSide was the staff. The woman and guy behind the counter were thoroughly entertaining and beyond friendly. The woman answered my questions about the community garden while she finished off my espresso, and encouraged my desire to dance throughout our visit. This desire was spurred by the music on the PA. The radio was initially tuned to KDWB (Top 40 music) and had me and the male worker, Jonathan, belting out "Call Me Maybe" and "Somebody That I Used To Know." However, when he needed motivation to sweep the floor he turned on some dance music...and by the time Gangam Style came on he was in the back dancing with a broom and I was ropin' it up in the front of the store. May I also clarify that my mother and I were the only ones in the coffee shop (other people had come and gone before and after the dance party episode). As my mom and I left, Jonathan yelled out "HAPPY HOLIDAYS!" It was by far the most fun I've ever had with cafe workers, and I can imagine they enjoyed it on such a slow day.
The author, Cheryl Strayed, grew up in Minnesota, lived in Minneapolis, and now lives in Portland, Oregon. It is her memoir of hiking the Pacific Crest trail from Mojave to the Oregon/Washington border in the mid-1990s. As an avid hiker I've been looking forward to reading this book. Although I would prefer to have a companion (Strayed did the trip solo), a long-term hiking trip is an exciting option of mine (I wouldn't say it's a goal or dream, but I would definitely love to do it if I decided it was the right time).