Won't you take me to Stumptown

During our apartment hunt we found ourselves in the nether region around the late 20s/early 30s between 7th & 5th Avenuess which the apartment buildings love to call Chelsea, isn't quite Flatiron/Gramercy, but also isn't midtown. It is here that we found the famous Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the lobby of the Ace Hotel. It was love at first site. Both the hotel and the coffee bar are meticulously decorated to achieve a charming old-timey feel, down to the baristas clothes and jaunty hats. A lot of the reviews off-handedly refer to them as just being 'hipsters', which yes, I am sure they are, but look closer. Their outfits are carefully crafted to match the decor and each other, I am certain that these are their uniforms which are picked or approved by management.

There was a bit of a line, but it moved very quickly. Especially since we were fascinated by watching the making of the coffee. Now, I'm no expert, but they were much more precise than the baristas at your typical chain. The piece de resistance were the foam designs which they quickly did with expert little flicks of the wrist as they added the milk. Amazing, I always assumed these were done post pour with add of a coffee stirrer or other such instrument.

I heard they have an amazing Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding, but unfortunately they didn't have that variety on this day. Instead, it was a nut & fruit variety, still very yum. Stumptown was a little trip to a magical place and left us energized and refreshed for the day ahead.