[guinnessjim]

Originally Posted by ackackack

Buzz, the place you were describing, Cafe Espresso Roma, is gone. It packed up many years ago. It was one of the best parts of Las Vegas. Lots of great regional music acts, and an interesting place to sit and have a great cup of whatever and listen to and meet some interesting people. Now it is a Greek restaurant (decent food, but poor use of atmosphere. The beer pong, I mean ping pong table in the middle of the place was distracting).

I know we've established in the past that Las Vegas is not transient (I still disagree, but concede the point), but why don't we have more independent places like coffee shops? (I argue it's the transient nature of the residents here.) Go visit any large city and you will find plenty of them (independent coffee shops). I was in Portland recently where finding a Starbucks is not as easy. Loads of independent coffee houses there. I noticed the same thing (not quite as many though) on recent trips to San Francisco and Seattle.

i'd be willing to argue that a coffee shop has a hard time anywhere that has summers like we do here (hard to encourage people to drink a hot beverage when the temp is over 100 ). don't recall many of them in LA either (aside form the chains...they are everywhere).

a comparison against the pacific NW (even NorCal) is kinda unfair as the weather is cool-cold for a lot of the year...much more conducive to coffee drinking.

just a guess though.

[toyojo]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Chicken AND waffles? What kind of combination is that? Sounds yucky.

lol you dont know what your missing ! in all seriousness, its actually pretty good. the environment is pretty awesome too. they make you feel at home.

[Chest Rockwell]

Portland has a different philosophy. They cherish their independent businesses and many people go out of their way to avoid national chains as a matter of principle.

I was a big fan of the independent cafes, all of which are now gone, because they hosted art exhibits, open mics, live music and other cultural events. Starbucks by comparison hosts a bunch of jerks with laptops running pyramid scams.

For Henderson folk, I noticed a place on Horizon Ridge just north of Horizon called Saxby's, but it struck me as a Sbux clone, much like Java Detour and It's A Grind

[Chest Rockwell]

You can't make this stuff up!

Sexxpresso! The new erotic coffee shop!

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by Chest Rockwell

You can't make this stuff up!

Sexxpresso! The new erotic coffee shop!

I wonder what they use for a stirrer!

[Chest Rockwell]

and creamer!

[ackackack]

[quote=Chest Rockwell;1944396
I was a big fan of the independent cafes, all of which are now gone, because they hosted art exhibits, open mics, live music and other cultural events. Starbucks by comparison hosts a bunch of jerks with laptops running pyramid scams.[/QUOTE]

Chest, very funny. That may be the best description of the Starbucks crowd I've ever read. I love it. As for Sexxpresso, at this point, I don't know why anything in this place surprises me, but it still does. Leave it to Las Vegas: our bars can't compete without gaming and smoking, and now our coffee shops can't compete without sex? Classic.

[guinnessjim]

Originally Posted by ackackack

Chest, very funny. That may be the best description of the Starbucks crowd I've ever read. I love it. As for Sexxpresso, at this point, I don't know why anything in this place surprises me, but it still does. Leave it to Las Vegas: our bars can't compete without gaming and smoking, and now our coffee shops can't compete without sex? Classic.

no true, man, not true.

head to the downtown area sometime to see bars doing just fine w/o smoking or gambling. that may have been a true statement a couple years ago, but i don't know that it still holds (i guess we need to give these bars a few years and see if they are still flourishing, though....i will be doing my part to ensure they stay open )

*as for the smoking thing, that is endemic to many places....there were at least 5 no smoking bars that tried to make it in milwaukee while i was there...all failed miserably.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by ackackack

Chest, very funny. That may be the best description of the Starbucks crowd I've ever read. I love it. As for Sexxpresso, at this point, I don't know why anything in this place surprises me, but it still does. Leave it to Las Vegas: our bars can't compete without gaming and smoking, and now our coffee shops can't compete without sex? Classic.

It is a franchise from Seattle...where there are a number of them.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by olecapt

It is a franchise from Seattle...where there are a number of them.

I was waiting for Vegas to get the blame for that one. But the fact is, they were in Dallas and Seattle first. I wonder what the girls wear in those cold climates in the wintertime?