Home > Duluth.Talk > Archives > 2007 > July > 03 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHave you found a place to hang out in Duluth?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was out with my girlfriend a couple weeks ago, tooling around Duluth. It was a Friday night. We’d finished dinner and were trying to think about what we should do.
I suggested going downtown to see what was going on in the burg. There was a concert going on, and we did some window shopping while we listened to music. I kind of felt old timey to me.
It was about 8:45, and we really didn’t want ice cream. I remembered my dad telling me about a new coffee shop in Duluth, so we set off to find it.
We soon came across the Main Street Coffee Shop. It was across the street from the theater, with the park behind it. The building itself was set off the sidewalk, a little away from the street, which left a little patio area in front of it, big enough for a gazebo and some tables. We went inside.
The folks there were really friendly. I had a latte with hazelnut syrup on it. The guy put some whipped cream in their, and shaped it so that it looked like a maple leaf. I thought that was really cool. The sign on the door said that they were closing at nine o’clock, but he said, “We’ll probably be here for awhile, so if you want some more just ask.”
We went outside and sat at one of the tables. There were several people on the patio, and a couple of people sitting on the bench is in the gazebo. All were drinking coffee, chatting, listening to the music coming from the park. I thought to myself that if we weren’t so American, this could almost be a scene from a street in Paris.
It would have been easy for me to miss had I been looking for the place. Main Street in Duluth is not easily accessible. There’s a lot of through traffic on Lawrenceville Street in the morning and in the evening, so it’s not an easy place for a commuter to stop in. In Norcross, parking is very accessible to the downtown. In Duluth, the traffic on Lawrenceville Street makes it very difficult to get in and out. It seems to me like this could be something that the city Council should be able to address one of these days.
I would have to say that my experience was a good one. I look forward to going there again, perhaps on a Sunday, when I can grab a cup, sit on the bench in the park, read a book, watch people, and enjoy the day.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Bill Allen
Comments
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By jais
July 5, 2007 2:51 PM | Link to this
This is a real looser, bill. How about bringing some of the deforestation and rampant, illegal development to light instead? Don’t tell me the ajc is on the construction mogul’s payroll, too…
By Russ W
July 6, 2007 4:45 PM | Link to this
Bill you experienced exactly what Historic Downtown Duluth is all about. We need more hometown places like that. Thank you!
By Random Barista
July 6, 2007 5:36 PM | Link to this
The maple leaf you referred to was not whip cream it was in fact what us baristas call latte art. A true sign of artisan and passion. I know I’ll be checking them out and i live in Buckhead. So, thanks for sharing your wonderful experience bill. And as for you Jais; how dare you not support the good things that tend to come out of the bad. What better way to change things then a coffee shop to bring culture and diversity to a small georgia town. You sound like an activist without a sense of community; the most dangerous kind. Anyway, keep filling the paper with something good about the world Bill, papers are getting to depressing these days.
By Sue
July 7, 2007 9:15 PM | Link to this
My family loves this place! More personality than a Starbucks, and true coffee lovers run the place. Check it out!
By KRP2
July 8, 2007 9:44 AM | Link to this
Many of the “community” blogs I read in this paper are filled with hatred and complaining. In this commentary Bill is asking us about positive aspects of our community. He is asking us if we have discovered places to meet members of our community, places where we can build community and few respond. This is a sad commentary on our community. If we want to build community and make our neighborhoods friendlier and more pleasant to live in we need to look for positives, not just focus on the negative.
Bill, there seem to have been few responses to this post, but I say keep writing the good news, I am happy to read it.
By jais
July 8, 2007 5:54 PM | Link to this
well I have lived here alot longer than you folks. I remember when gwinnet mall was built. They never stopped and now this place is a little mexico laden with bad streets, clear cutting and corrupt cops/ city government. Open up your eyes, people…there was a bust three days ago that two police officers were caught at. Was it in this paper? No. Records are available on county website.
You people can’t even call yourselves true residents of Duluth; you live on the new side. Take a look at what’s going on past the shopping malls. you’ll be scared to leave your car.