5 Coffee Shops in 5 Days: Cafe Tempo

It's stuck in the middle of a neighborhood I'd love to live in.  I see a couple duplexes and my mind starts to wander.  The sleepy bedrooms.  Inner lives hidden behind brick exteriors.  And smoke coming from a chimney reminding me that it's still winter.  As I look around the coffee shop I wonder if any of the six other people drove here.  My guess is they took a short walk from one of these houses to work on something or read the newspaper.  Or just to get out of the house.

This could be the rare coffee shop where the people without laptops out number those that have them.  And there's only two people with macs if I count myself, which is a far cry from most of the places I frequent.  Two 90's era bulky monitors offer Internet service for those who don't bring a laptop.  A middle aged guy is standing at one of them.

I wish I hadn't eaten lunch, as the prices are only slightly higher than the groceries I fixed for myself.  Sandwiches and soup at the prices you feel they should be.  Turkey sandwiches for $4.95.  Grilled Cheese for $3.95.  It's like they bought the computer monitors in 1996 at the same time they wrote their menu on the blackboard and haven't updated either since.

The coffee is strong, but flat.  There's no character to it.  Certain coffee roasts will instantly remind me why I drink the black stuff and put up with the occasional sleeplessness it provokes.  But this just feeds the need. 

Power outlets and strips are abundant near the tables.  I'm sitting by the front window, directly below the "Open" sign.  I know I should wrap up this post and get to writing my piece for my writing group, but I want to stall.  I'm not feeling that open yet myself.  Not ready to catch that inspiration wave and ride it.  The art on the walls isn't helping.  It's frilly and girlish.  The type of stuff people dabble with in college but abandon soon after.  

The music is equally uninspiring.  But it's not obtrusive either.  It's flat like the coffee.  Norah Jones light.  Cities 97 with every last remaining rough edge sanded down.  The walls are nice though.  Sky blue with an earthy green back room to accent them.  And there's space here.  It's sort of the ideal neighborhood coffee shop.  Not sure it's a destination or not, but with food this affordable, I'm certain I'll be back.

As for a place to work, I suppose it's time I give that a try.

Cafe Tempo

42nd and Grand, Minneapolis