augustgarage

If you are visiting from the Pacific Northwest, Europe, Morocco, etc., you will soon discover that “coffee” in Southern California is prepared and consumed like any other over-sized sugary fast food in the region. There are a few exceptions, such as the Red Cat Theatre Cafe in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, or a few other independent cafés in LA or Orange county who happen to have one or two properly trained baristas. Even at these places though, it has been difficult to obtain a drink that isn’t served up in a rushed manner in a paper cup (complete with ads plastered on the side of the card-board drink holder).

Recently, this situation has started to improve. There are supposedly a couple proper cafés in Silverlake (I have yet to try those) – and if you are near Santa Monica I urge you to make your way to Caffee Luxxe on Montana. Educated, experienced, attentive baristas; great well maintained grinders and machines; fresh properly (though not locally) roasted beans; conservative portions (at least by American standards) served up in warmed ceramic cups, just as it should be.

It isn’t Stumptown, but it is excellent and probably the best available in the region.

I work about a block away from here. Funny I rarely go there…

Some of the best day hikes in the Southland are in the hills above Malibu.

I have never seen such an overly polluted, populated, and managed stretch of “wilderness.” If you think of it as an amusement park, you wouldn’t be in the minority of visitors.

a crappy suburb hidden in trees

I’ll likely be buried here.