Say what you want about evil chains but I just had a delightful experience at Caribou Coffee near the corner of Clark and Halsted, just south of Wrigleyville and Boystown. South Lakeview, as it were (are there any neighborhoods left without a directional modifier in front of them?)
I ordered a breakfast tea — they serve Irish breakfast — and plopped down in a comfortable leather chair to read a novel. Sure I live a life of leisure and slacking (two very different things, mind you), but someday you might, too.
The pleasant baristina who rang me up also gave me a little paper shot glass to hold my dripping tea bag, a nice touch. When I went up to the counter to ask for more hot water, a fellow with those African ear stretchers in his lobes asked if I wanted half a cup of water, or a whole cup — a thoughtful question. I told him half and he told me if I needed more to just come up later. This is a small point to make, but I can’t remember anyone ever saying a single word to me when I ask for more hot water at Starbucks. Not even, “There you go.”
So props to Caribou for having nice schleppers, comfy chairs, good tea, and a stream of cute girls walking past the cafe’s Clark Street picture windows. That makes for some slow reading.