In the last five years, my neighborhood has gone from a pretty cool spot to box-store hell. A pivotal moment in this descent into Blandsville was the excremental Starbucks effectively closing down the Safari Coffee House on Southport by opening a giant carbon-burning outlet next door. As a writer, this was particularly distressing, as a good coffee shop is an important local amenity. Therefore I’ve been delighted since the Two Hearted Queen opened its welcoming doors on Roscoe at Racine. It basically has three rooms; one where you can relax and read, another with tables where you can write, and a kind of bar area at the counter, where you can chat to friendly staff and other customers. I’ve written in coffee shops all over the world over the last twenty years; Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam, San Francisco, LA and New York, and this is the best spot I’ve found. So thank you Sally and Cassandra, and I hope you’re here forever.
