Java City Cafe

I admit it: I'm nutty about coffee shops with wireless Internet access. In the United States, that usually means a Starbucks or, in California, a Coffee Bean. I'm not sure about Caribou Coffee out in the Midwest, but still, at best, there are a few chains, and try as they might with the occasional gingerbread latte, they aren't anything special. They smell of java but reek of sameness.

Enter Korea. I'm in a shameless state of bliss. I type this entry at a Java City Cafe with about 1500 square feet of room, plump pinstriped chairs, cherrywood tables that don't look like they could be dragged onto the patio at a patron's whim. There are ten other chains with equal attention to detail. About half of them imitate Starbucks, but the others transcend it.

I hope they stay in business. But I look around and this enormous cafe is empty. The perfect lighting falls on my laptop, one man reading a book, and two couples. That might be enough to fill the corner Coffee Bean, but here, we're so far apart we could fit additional coffee kiosks between us.

And yes, Korea has those too. I photographed a few today in a futile quest for the Chinese embassy. I'll post them at the fotki site soon.