“Helloooo, we already know about Peet’s, you S’mug Bitch!”
Ha. You thought I couldn’t hear you. I know you’ve been to Peet’s before. Obviously. You are interested in Berkeley cafes, and Peet’s is everywhere. That’s why I’m not bothering with The Nitty Gritty this time, because you already know.
BUT. Have you been to this Peet’s? This is the original Peet’s. There’s a big, old-looking wooden sign inside to prove it. This place has recently been renovated, so now half of it is a combined café/museum/memorial to Peet. You can sit on bar stools at a little counter facing a wall full of old photos from the café as it was originally.
All of that is cute, but it’s not why I want to plug this café. I walked in with an instrument, and people started asking me about it, one after the other. I ended up sharing a table with a woman who is a local visual artist. She talked my ear off about a guitarist she knows, who has won the “Andrés Segovia” International Classical Guitar Competition. Oddly enough, he walked in about five minutes later and chatted with us for a while.
He then pointed out a couple of banjo players across the room, and called them over to join our little conversational hootenanny. I had a lovely afternoon, and walked away with some new contacts, a list of artists and new tunes to look up (this one seemed to be a local favorite), and an invite to come play on the corner sometime. I’m told there’s often live music right there, and if it’s good, the baristas prop open the door and turn off their sound system.
Here's something else cool. S'Bitch just picked up her MA diploma yesterday, and guess whose signature is on it? Arnold. The Governator. Sweet! Even though the acquisition of this piece of paper was entirely without ceremony - I waited in line in a stuffy room, handed over my ID, was asked if my name was spelled correctly, signed for the certificate, and left with an envelope - it was somehow more satisfying than the commencement ceremony last May. Maybe even more satisfying than passing my exams in April. Why is it that accomplishment feels so much realer when we have some physical marker to show for it?
PS-Pumpkin spice lattes. Love them. Skipped class to go get one. Anybody know of other places that serve them? Leave a comment so I can go check it out!