Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Chinatown Coffee Company


So Chinatown Coffee Company opened up at 475 H Street NW on Monday. After ready the Daily Candy review, I hopped over there yesterday to check it out myself because Lord knows I miss me some Murky Coffee!

First impression walking up is of the cute and unassuming store front - a little more polished than I had actually hoped for - I miss the grunge a la Murky. The interior has the cool urban industrial feel of the exposed brick wall, cement floors, and slick counters. They kept all of the old rickety tables and chairs from Murky which fulfilled some of my yearning for my old "third place" (Hat tip: Mr. McKelvey for this sociological reference). I walk right up and order my usual - Medium Skim White Mocha. She says they don't do White Mocha. Uh! At Murky, the White Mocha was so popular that they often ran out. Just another attempt to shun the yuppies. So I order a regular Mocha. It was a frothy dream and just the caffienated sustenance I've been missing for months on end. The only bummer? My "medium" is now a dainty 12 oz for $4.20 instead of the old 16 oz. for $4.95.

I took a seat in the one and only window seat - locals should note that there are now only about 40 seats at this location with no outside benches or backroom to accomodate spillover. I faced West toward the Chinatown Friendship Gate - lovely view - too bad only one or two people can have it at a time. I could see myself getting there early on a Saturday morning and camping out in the window with a good book. But I do miss my ten minute walks every Saturday morning to my grungy, hipster coffee shangri la.



Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Blogging is a cold weather activity

So I've realized that I'm outdoors and way too active in the summer months to keep up with this blog. More when I feel like it...

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Fourth of July

I'm in Colorado right now celebrating a wedding, but before I left I came across this speech by Frederick Douglass originally given on the Fifth of July, 1852. Some highlights to ponder on this Fourth of July:
I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.ÑThe rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me....

Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? How should I look to-day, in the presence of Amercans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.
Click here for the full text of this magnificent and moving speech.

May we all say a prayer of gratitude today for the liberties that ALL Americans now enjoy.