Portland

A good coffee shop will give you just that: coffee. You go in, order, and get exactly what you asked for. Patrons recline in chairs and at tables, newspapers rustle, and fingers tap on laptops while inoffensive to good music plays. A really good coffee shop, though, will give you a sense of place. The opposite of a generic Starbucks or Peet's, a really good coffee place tells you something about the city and neighborhood you're in. Jazzkat's is precisely like that. Two blocks away from Portland's iconic Hollywood Theater, Jazzkat's walls and shelves are strewn with local art and 'zines, respectively. The coffee is excellent, and Portland's art and literary scene surrounds you while imbibing the world's most popular stimulant in comfy, high-backed retro chairs. Get buzzed. Buy a 'zine. Have a look at the local art, and forget about chain coffee.

Photo:  Joseph Streckert