Coffeeneuring trip #2 Bridge Coffee House and Shoreline News

    A cloudy Saturday and we set off to coffeeneur to The Bridge Coffee House, near Haller Lake and close to Northacre Park. I'd set off to find this coffee shop before, but because its more or less in the same building as a church, I missed it. The Bridge is only 2.5 miles from our place, and so close to the dog park that I felt another attempt had to be made.
https://www.facebook.com/TheBridgeCoffeeHouse98133
     I set out with my little dog Mac and my best friend Ben, to find this elsuive server of Sumptown coffee, previously sampled at a shop near Nickerson Street Saloon. Or maybe it was in the saloon. That was a crazy day, but I did remember thinking Sumptown coffee was a bit overrated, but so was Alaska Coffee Roasters if I'm going to be completely honest.
    The ride there was a typical 1st Ave. ride, cars in far too much of a hurry for suburban streets raced close by as we made our way up the sloping climb. Meridian has more sharrow markings, but its far steeper than 1st so we prefer it when heading south on the east side. Passing Roosevelt we hit the lovely six way intersection that baffles cars and cyclists with its faded paint. Always a pleasure the guess where you're supposed to stop.
   When we arrived at the shop we circled around searching for a bike rack. Perhaps we missed it, but I doubt it. So we ended up locking up to a rusty fence:

MacCloud Daventry is just as displeased by the lack of rack

     I was disappointed. The building didn't just have a church and a coffee shop, but some other organization attached. I have to admit at this point I wanted to turn around and find another shop, I hate locking up like this. Ben had a hard time getting his U-lock firmly attached, but eventually years of puzzle solving adventure games played off and he was able to secure his ride.

    The Bridge was playing Frank Sinatra when we entered, which I only dislike slightly less than Elvis, but more than Bing Crosby. We ordered, I got a pumpkin spice latte, enchanted by the early morning fall, and examined the available board games. Bonus points for having Settlers of Catan, and watched the passing announcements on the flat screen. 

The latte was exactly how a pumpkin spice latte should be, just enough of everything

"A vanilla latte, and a view"

Nice to have a cup with my little buddy 

    We sat in a corner where the window let us keep an eye on our poorly secured rides. The music abruptly changed to a twany folk country music, completely jarring with the art deco atmosphere the shop otherwise exuded. There was a biscuit cup and a water dish, with fresh water. The sun came out and the barrista, Laurel, opened the doors to let in the air and sunlight.

    Finishing our drinks we didn't linger except to examine the bulletin board. Plenty of community events listed, and the flat screen announced other events at the shop. It seemed a great place for writers to get together, especially in the evenings. I doubt, however, I will ever return without a rack. There was nothing that special about the place to make me endure risking tetanus each time I lock up.  

     With the return of sunshine we couldn't bear to end the ride, so we rolled over to Northacre Park to the off leash area (also, no bike racks, I like to make a statement by locking up on the "NO PARKING" sign). 

     Speaking of Northacre, there's a Volunteer Day next Saturday for those who want to help maintain the park. It starts at 10am. Also, a COLA meeting (www.coladog.org) for those interested in the Off-Leash events and news on October 22nd at 6:30 in the board room of the Seattle Parks and Rec, address 100 Dexter Ave. North. Seattle, WA 98109

    Shoreline also had its Monster Mash Dash today, if you missed it the photos are on City of Shoreline's flicker account. 

    Shoreline also had a meeting recently about the upcoming light rail coming to 145th. If you missed it there's a meeting every 4th Thursday at City Hall (that's on Midvale) In room 301. You can contact 145SCC@gmail.com for more information. I missed the last meeting due to an accident on E line when a car decided it didn't need to yield in the bus lane. Another passenger was injured and it was some time before I made it home. I hope to make it to the next one. 

Riding home from coffeeneuring and dog park fun, we encountered someone on a motorcycle angrily screaming. He didn't know the rules for cyclists on the road and became enraged. This happens, there's quite the education gap in what it takes to operate a motor vehicle vs a non motor vehicle on the road. Before you yell at someone for what they are doing on the road please consult the laws governing your state, city, or county regarding cycling and operating a motor vehicle. Even if your motor is electric you should know the laws about operation. I'm not going to link it here because I have faith you know how to operate a search engine. 

Next update will include communication with myself and SDOT regarding the 3rd and Union intersection (notoriously an unsafe place) and won't have as much Shoreline news, but I promise a full blown rack attack rant is coming. If you're interested in seeing bike racks in more places in Shoreline I'd love to talk to you, shoot me an email or message me via the usual social media places (twitter @hyperboreanwolf,sorry not on ello yet). 

The next coffeeneuring stop is The Highlands Coffee Co, watch twitter for specific day and time announcement. 

Until then, keep drinking coffee and keep riding. Cheers!


UPDATE! I contacted Bridge House Coffee and they are talking about installing a bike rack! I hope this means one is installed soon as I would come back if I didn't have to lock up on a fence.