LA Stays Calm - without Caffeine

October 20, 2016

Culver City was the destination for today, Day 3 of my caffeine-less crawl through coffee shops of LA.

Conservatory Coffee - decaf double espresso
I was excited to finally see the cafe owned and run by AJ Barish. One of Artisan's earliest customers. He is passionate about offering taste in all of his coffees, even the decaf. I love the crowd at this cafe in Culver City! It was the most diverse population I

AJ Barish - Conservatory Coffee

had seen in any cafe in LA so far. People of different races, all different ages, very posch and proper, to sweat pants and a t-shirt. And LOTS of people. It was mid-morning on a sunny, warm Friday and it seemed like everyone was stopping in. All the tiny round tables were taken the whole time I was there. I was lucky to grab one, and I was luck AJ could break away for a few minutes to talk to me! The espresso was great!

Relaxed vibe at Conservatory Coffee

Cognoscenti
After Conservatory, I popped in at Cognoscenti. What a complete 180 degree difference in ambiance!Conservatory is like the old TV hit, "Cheers." When I arrived in Cognoscenti I was the only one in the store except for the baristas. This was great, as I got to learn a lot about Cognoscenti, but it was eerie, too. Eventually other customers were coming in at what seemed like more of a 'normal' pace for a cafe on a busy LA street.

Cognoscenti baristas

Cognoscenti sign

Bar Nine is in a space that is a converted warehouse kind of look and feel. They have done a good job preserving the bare, roomy feel in the loft. The baristas were super friendly - both with ties to Michigan (again!)  My friends and I took our drinks to one of the many open bar areas, that were all light and airy, usually looking over a lake or mountains.

Bar Nine Outside

Bar Nine Inside

Airport... long waits, crowds, Starbucks on the plane.