Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Permanent Vacation/ Caffe' Lieto

I haven't quite gotten over the feeling I'm on holiday since moving downtown. There are such a wide variety of things to do within a four block radius of my apartment that it is sometimes overwhelming! Today, I decided to create this blog and consolidate all my networking sites and links into my google account. No need to get showered or dressed up for that. I threw on some wrinkled pants, a shirt and scarf, smoothed down my bedhead and grabbed a clean coffee cup out of the cupboard. Took the stairs down to my favorite coffee shop, Caffe' Lieto*, ordered the best Cafe Americano in Seattle from the proprietess, Rena, and stepped outside to light up a smoke.

The sidewalk had a steady stream of commuters and my crazy appearance didn't rate a second look from any of them. Saw a guy with 1960's polyester Beatle's-style pants, a striped cable knit sweater and a hipster briefcase (a manpurse that holds your laptop); the homeless dude that stands in the phone booth across the street all day was at his post; a man was observing his unleashed pitbull pee on the corner of the building; a pair of tourists were looking confusedly at the "pay to park" machine. Good morning, Seattle.
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*Caffe' Lieto is near the corner of 1st and Stewart. Local art is displayed (and for sale) on the walls and there is a comfy sofa and window seats with pillows so you can sit and people watch onto 1st Avenue. Outdoor seating is available on the 1st Ave. sidewalk. There are several computers with internet access available for 15 minutes free with purchase and a small fee thereafter, or you can use the wi-fi. Espresso is the specialty, I don't believe I've ever seen a drip coffee sold here although I'm sure it's delicious also. Rena offers all the traditional espresso drinks at more affordable prices (12 oz Americano- $1.80) than the chain coffee shops and with a more personal touch. Introduce yourself and she'll greet you by name next time you stop in. Bakery items from a local bakery are delivered daily- try the humongous Banana Blueberry Vegan Cookie- a meal in itself that tastes like dense banana bread with fresh blueberries baked on top. Yummy! Rena offers a variety of ready-made sandwiches: Turkey, Tuna Melt, Club, Caprese, Reuben, etc.($6.90) that can be grilled on the panini press for a quick lunch option. Salads are a winner too; fresh, generously sized and priced right at $5 or less.

Caffé Lieto on Urbanspoon

1 comment:

  1. Your first posts just appeared on Urbanspoon! Check it out:

    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/1/242/restaurant/Downtown/Le-Pichet-Seattle
    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/1/182191/restaurant/South-Lake-Union/Skillet-Seattle
    http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/1/1416551/restaurant/Downtown/Caffe-Lieto-Seattle

    You can also add a picture for your blog. This blog photo shows up next to your posts wherever they appear on Urbanspoon. Just head on over to your blog page on Urbanspoon to claim it:

    http://www.urbanspoon.com/br/1/897/Seattle/Cityfolk.html

    You'll find some interesting badges and widgets there. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

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