Where Was I?

There I am, a coffeehouse miner in the dark cave of Portland, toiling away to find the hidden gems of coffeehouses long forgotten. And after weeks and weeks of running around the same ol' tunnels, lo' and behold there is a coffeehouse that has apparently been around since 2004, right there in plain sight on NW 21st. It's Coffeetime!

I don't know how I managed to overlook this one, but here it is.

This place has so much working against it, aesthetically speaking. Not-so-great decor, downright ugly murals, cigarette smoke wafting in from the tables outside. But it is what cannot be designed or forced that drew me in and had me sticking around for a couple of hours.

It's that over-used cliche, "community", that makes this place so homey and inviting. People both seem to know each other and leave each other alone.

Somehow it seems that a city will not function if not for these small spaces that serve coffee at all hours. We need more.