Next Door Cafe

I recently discovered this coffeeshop, Next Door, presumably whilst wasting time on Yelp. People (including myself) seem confused about this place because it is owned by State Farm and is in a large space, yet seems to give off a small, community feel. Multiple vibes leading to confusion=fair enough. I'm not here to end the confusion, only to suggest that they make delicious lattes (depending on who's making it, one of the best I've had) and chili caliente. They attempt to build a sense of community by offering free classes (mostly financial- and yoga-based), as well as things like Super Bowl viewings. These things are all displayed prominently on a huge chalkboard. In my eyes, such a chalkboard is getting pretty close to living the dream.

Also, these huge moving cubicles are awesome if you need a private space. Overall, the vibe isn't my favorite because there is so much white. But I like that it is airy and spacious. And did I mention the amazing coffee? It is really good. As in, impossible that it is from State Farm unless they hired some sort of coffee expert to handle this, good.

We are, however, not a huge fan of the hot chocolate. Saad, whose caffeine of choice is in the form of energy drinks, usually tries hot chocolate wherever we go. We have a running list of good hot chocolate places. Unfortunately, Next Door probably is at the bottom of the list.

The above is Saad's political statement. He was a very good sport in letting me take this picture when I noticed the bottom of the mugs.

My favorite moment was when the barista asked how the grilled cheese was. When we (truthfully) answered that they were amazing (at times, I'm prone to hyperbole; this is not), he responded totally deadpan "Oh, that's because I put crack in them." So smooth Saad didn't even hear what he actually said and, following my cue, pretended to laugh and only when the barista was out of earshot did he say, "Wait, what did he say?"

Conclusion: go here to study and enjoy delicious food and drink. Not the coziest place, but definitely a nice spot, especially to go meet people who are interested in exchanging ideas.

i met somebody, flirtatious socialite

I started out writing this as, "The past two weeks felt like..." and a bunch of words popped into my head. Words like "hell," "I got sucked into a gauntlet," "I was kicked to the ground and then was kicked some more (by someone wearing steel-toed shoes)," and "I was toyed with physically and emotionally. Repeatedly." All of these statements are not gross exaggerations and are completely factual. However, I think what feeling expresses the post-exams feeling best is that it was a little bit life-changing. In a perspective-shifting way. The other thought that comes to mind is "I have re-emerged!" But then I realize I should probably stop being so annoying.

The thing is, I realized that I could do it. Taking six exams in genetics, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and gross anatomy has a way of breaking people down. I think I best understood that I was on the verge of having an emotional breakdown when I was in the midst of telling my brother that the reason I treat him like crap was because I was trying to help him be a better person. I laugh at it now, but that was pretty much as low as it got. And then I studied. And succeeded.

Last night, I had a horrifying nightmare about trying to drive to a coffeeshop to study with my friend Ashley in a car that had brakes that didn't quite work. But if you pressed them really hard, and ridiculously early, like 50 yards before the stop sign, you would probably stop on time. So the effects of extreme testing are lasting and we do not escape completely unscathed. But many things helped get me through these few weeks.

Not low on the list would be coffee. About two or three years ago, I decided to go discover independent Chicago coffeeshops. I had nothing against Starbucks (at the time), but I had this idea that it would be fun to see what else was out there. What ensued pretty much opened my view of what Chicago had to offer. Before that, I thought there were a lot of places downtown, but I started taking buses and trains and had people drive with me when necessary. This process resulted in what I consider to be a very comprehensive outlook on what was going on in the coffee world. But at the same time, it also helped me discover the city that had always seemed big, almost too big.

Particularly, I got to explore the neighborhoods that I ventured into. I definitely have had a lot of adventures and formed many opinions along the way about where the nice baristas work, what spaces are conducive to studying and which to socializing. The best is running into a barista from one shop who is relaxing at another shop who tells me that the only reason that it's okay I'm there is because the other shop is closed. The thought of missing out on all the characters, ideas, and conversations I've come across is staggering. I'm possibly just waxing nostalgic because before today, I hadn't had coffee in 3 whole days.

I haven't been able to find a good resource for all the coffeeshops I've visited in Chicago. Most of them seem to have big gaping holes in them or perhaps I just haven't come across any, but I thought it'd be nice to have a good compilation of places and also to help me remember some things I've done. And I seriously need to make use of my obsessive Yelp-ing. That's my number one answer when people ask me how I found such random places. They don't seem random to me; they seem all interconnected somehow. But I know that can be hard to see. So I think I'll post my first look at tomorrow. Although it may be less useful in a practical sense to non-Chicagoans, hopefully it'll still be fun to see these interesting places.

P.S. I made some changes with the appearance of things around here. I liked the previous format because it was easy for me, but there were a lot of limitations to what I had control over in terms of how everything looked and it was starting to bother me. The picture I used in the banner is one that I took at Next Door Cafe. I thought this particular barista had brilliant designs in the lattes he made.

P.P.S. Phew, that was a lot of words.