5 Coffee Shops in 5 Days: Dunn Bros.

Spring forward/Fall back. That's how it's supposed to go. Every Spring we set our clocks forward an hour to allow for more daylight so our inner farmers can get out there and harvest whatever it is we feel the need to harvest. Then in the Fall we set our clocks back as much out of tradition as the desire to send our proverbial kids off to wait for the bus in the daylight instead of darkness.

No act of former, and I do love saying former, President George W. Bush was without controversy, but his extension of Daylight Savings Time just may be his greatest (only?) accomplishment. It's certainly the only time he really "enlightened" any intelligent minds out there. Bush and light, by any definition, hardly go together.

I'm starting to think that there isn't any realm of the physical world that is immune from being Bush-whacked. What if by setting our clocks forward an hour last Sunday morning we confused the hell out of Mother Nature and now she doesn't know what to do. So she throws us back a month weather wise. You thought you could tame Mother Nature by prescribing time and order to everything under the sun. Well take this. Single temps. Snowy weather. Across the region well organized girls reach back into their closets to get out their winter wear once again.

I finally bought a new battery for my laptop, and it's paying off today. A three block walk in 2 degree Minneapolis temps (with wind chills far below that) just begs for some time next to a fire, and Dunn Bros. never disappoints with their gas fireplace and the well worn, but comfortable stuffed chairs that surround it. I usually have to shy away from sitting here in search of a power outlet. But not today. I can type on my lap while my feet get toasty warm. Around me is a sea of laptops, mostly Macs but a few Dells and HPs are out there too. Across from me a guy has his laptop open and his cell phone lies next to it, but he's ignoring both, putting technology momentarily aside so he can focus instead on his knitting.

It's really hard to find a better cup of coffee than Dunn Bros. They roast it right on the spot daily. It's robust. Strong. Full of flavor, like a fine wine. While I've heard some people compare the smell of their roasting process to that of a dirty diaper, I rather like it. If this is what baby poo smells like then maybe I ought to get busy raising some children.

I like the community of faces here. The employees are cool, and I got the guy who fills my cup to the brim when I pass on the cream, which always starts me off right. I haven't talked to many people, but I do recognize several, although I'm here a couple hours later than I normally am. I blame Daylight Savings Time for that too.

This year, this season, this month, this week, we have sprung forward, but also fallen back. And in the pursuit of finding a new coffee shop to shake up the surroundings a little bit, I'm back at my old standby. And you really can't beat it. Great coffee. Warm fireplace. On a busy street which provides some great people watching. Across the street from a casual restaurant. A few blocks from home and apparently smelling like poopy diapers. Ah, the comforts of a home away from home.


Dunn Bros.
Bryant Avenue and Lake Street, Minneapolis