Saturday, May 26, 2007

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: Venice Grind

This WFWH is easy to find if you're driving or riding down Venice Boulevard in Culver City near Bundy -- it's between Bundy and Grand View, and sports an enormous red "COFFEE" marquee reminiscent of the '30's or '40's. Inside, you'll find an enormous fiberglass-and-aluminum sculpture behind the counter of a phoenix, with a coffee cup instead of a head. Not only is there the typical local-artist art on the walls, but there are galleries on either side. The location is particularly bicycle-friendly, with Venice's generous bike lanes on either side of the street and a bikerack nearby on the sidewalk. The espresso drinks are pretty good, as is the chai; and it has a nice selection of teas. There's a sectional sofa and a bunch of hassocks in front, under the front window -- a substitute for the mis-matched living room furniture one often finds in coffee- houses. There's also a back porch with tables -- a nice feature for SoCal when the weather's nice. They also have thoughtfully placed electrical outlets liberally next to the tables.

One minus is that the wi-fi signal could be faster and stronger -- Blogger is occasionally choking as I type this. The hours are both a blessing and a curse: It opens earlier than most WFWHs (7 am on Sunday, 6 am every other day) but closes earlier than many (10 pm each day).

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