Spot Coffee, Elmwood and Cleveland (Buffalo, NY!)

Hello, all.

Last Monday I woke up to the usual Shapiro family voicemail message:

"Justin, it's [family member's name]. Call me."

First, I absolutely hate when people leave voicemails. It's not like I can ignore the little gray bar at the bottom of my screen, and when I attempt to delete the message I'm forced to listen to the same instructions I've heard for the past three years. It's a lot like the SATs; being fond of cheating the system I wouldn't read the directions aloud when the proctor read them to me!

And another brick in the Berlin Wall of academic bureaucracy tumbles!

My point is that it's a huge process for such a pointless message. It's much like traveling hundreds of miles into an evil domain just to destroy a little gold ring! In fact, it's exactly like that, except all the physical exertion is channeled into fingers pressing tiny buttons.

In an age of globalization, is there room for an all-powerful evil ruler? Stay tuned as downtotheground goes Tolkien!

Kidding, unfortunately. Sorry to let you down, me.

Anyway, I called [family member's name] and was told that my mother, father, brother, and sister would be traveling to Florida for a week while I had impending biology and Indian history tests. [family member's name] went on to say that they needed a ride home from the airport Saturday night. I responded:

"Okay."

Of course, I was chosen to pick them up- and not the good kind of chosen, Chiam, but the type of chosen that necessitates finding a ride to the Rochester Greyhound station, taking the bus to Buffalo, and then taking the metro to my house. To make a meta-reference, I now find myself sitting alone in my house, drowning my troubles in coffee and MGMT, wishing I was in my dorm room, drowning my troubles in lesser-quality coffee and MGMT.

So, where is this coffee from? Why it's Buffalo's own Spot Coffee! Ay, there's his point!

Spot (or the oft-typed SPoT) is a local chain, with locations in Buffalo, Rochester, Toronto, and weirdly enough: Delray Beach, Florida. The interior of these local coffee shops resemble the interior of most Urban Outfitters, in that there appears to be an intentional disarray. Various draperies and stacks of local newspapers and magazines (generally dedicated to the art scene of the locale) lend a degree of comfort and familiarity.

Continuing with the Urban Outfitters theme, the furniture is almost definitely second-hand, without the distinctive marking of couches and armchairs built to look decrepit (as can be found in the hipster's hangout that is Urban). Despite the wear and tear that years of loft lifestyles wrecked on these seats, they are quite comfortable (albeit I can't speak for the Spots yet unvisited).

If the reader couldn't tell from the preceding two paragraphs, Spot most definitely caters to a specific clientele; those that wear tight red pants and cardigans are most welcome, yet Spot does its best to accommodate those that may not be down with Passion Pit. Spot's roots are on a community level in that they actively promote the art and culture of the city in which they are located, an all-important facet of coffee shops in Rust Belt America. Everyone, from the elderly couple who have lived on Cleveland since the 1950s to the person whose presence provides the most handy example of gentrification, is welcome in Spot. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the author) it has been branded with a sense of hipsterdom.

The coffee itself... rates a seven out of ten. Since I've apparently adopted arbitrary scales, it ranks closer to Sweetness 7, far from Au Bon Pain (continuing the theme!). It's by no means exceptional, but is more than adequate. Unfortunately, I didn't ask whether the coffee was free trade or who the distributor was, but 'twould be a good question for my return, which I expect will occur tomorrow night.

But fear not, readers! With a wide variety of food and drink choices this cafe more than makes up for its mediocre coffee. I shudder to think of cafes becoming so "hipsterized" that the actual coffee is done away with for weird drinks (albeit this would eventually result in coffee becoming ironic, thus kitsch and welcomed into the beverage fold as "retro") but most of them are actually quite delicious. If I may make a recommendation, the cinco shake is refreshing, from what I hear (it's only coffee for me, otherwise what kind of blogger would I be?).

And the sandwiches! I would highly recommend the spicy tuna focaccia, seeing as it's the only sandwich I ever order. It goes really well with the only drink I ever order, a grande house with no room for cream (in the same vein as Colonel Aureliano Buendia... I'm really digging for these annoying references). The sandwiches are delicious though- much better than the Geneseo campus focaccias, but so is play-dough.

This blogger definitely thinks Spot is worth checking out. The coffee requires some sort of accoutrement, but overlooking that Spot has an exceptional amount to offer. It's beneficial for both extended encounters and a quick bite. Yes, if one were to stay until midnight on a Sunday, one may meet a fair number of fixed-gear cycle enthusiasts, but Spot does maintain a core dedication to each and every customer, much like Sauron maintained a dedication to finding his ring before Kay Jewelers closed.

One day people may realize I try to add lots of filler. Oh, wait...