The Unemployment Files: Episodes II and III

waiting for Tim outside Barista (NW 13th & Hoyt)

Pretty surreal to be sleeping in these days. When I write "sleeping in", I should clarify that this means that I have been waking up later than normal, which to me really does feel like sleeping in, but to many of you out there my 5:30 am or 6:00 am wake up times still might seem a tad early.

getting juiced at Coffeehouse Northwest

Though there are so many various aspects of daily cafe life that I already miss, I can say that the opportunity to be out on my bike early in the morning has proven to be quite liberating. Saturday morning I headed into the city. It was a fairly quick descent from North Portland, and I was reminded how pleasant this trip can be when it doesn't coincide with the weekday grind that brings thousands of cars into downtown. When I rode over the Broadway Bridge around 6:30 am not a single car passed me in either direction. Bliss.

the Red E in all of its quiet Sunday morning glory

Our dear friend Tim was my coffee companion on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Having both worked in the coffee/restaurant world for the past few years, it's always special when we are able to convene without a service counter between us. We began our Saturday morning at Barista in NW, followed by a short ride up to Coffeehouse Northwest where we sat and sipped coffee for half an hour. By the time I began to make my way home the sun had already begun its daily duty of warming up the world around me. I couldn't help but grin as the first bead of sweat rolled down my forehead and off my nose while I climbed back into North Portland. Summer has arrived in the Pacific Northwest.

ready to make a day of it at Barista (NE Alberta)

Sunday morning's ride/meet up had a much more economical theme as far as time and distance are concerned. Tim made his way up north to visit a couple of our neighborhood spots. My time Sunday morning was limited given that we had planned to take our LRBC staff out to brunch at Tasty n Sons. After a missed connection at the Red E (where I enjoyed a wonderful double shot of Coava's magical Ardi, Ethiopia Sidama), I rode up to Barista (NE Alberta) where I was eventually greeted by a spandex clad Tim, who was in preparation for a more substantial day of riding that would later take him to Sauvie Island and back.

Can't really fathom that I have weeks of this ahead of me. I look forward to visiting different spots, and bringing other friends along with me (ahem, this means you Justin). There are miles and miles of territory to cover, not to mention a wealth of cafes that I was never able to make the time to visit on a regular basis while we were running our own shop. A few highlights to look forward to this summer if you're a coffee junkie like me:

1. Coava Coffee Roasters will be opening their new cafe sometime this week!

2. Courier Coffee Roasters is slated to open sometime mid-late July. Check out their blog for the latest info.

I had hoped to visit to Courier Coffee roastery early this morning, however with all of this new found freedom we got bit by the travel bug and rushed to split town. Can't wait to get out to see Joel and Alex. Despite being our oldest coffee friends and missing being able to drink their coffee on a daily basis, I am also excited to learn the exact routes they utilized to get from the roastery to our shop in North Portland. Also worth mentioning is that fact that our beloved espresso machine has found a temporary home for itself at the roastery while we scout out a permanent residence. Strange how much a person (myself) can miss a machine, but trust me, it's real.

Until next time, stay caffeinated (and jobless) Portland!