Coffee in Chicago

In my few days that I have been in Chicago I have had generally a good impression of the place save for one aspect: its coffee shops. It's not a defect which would bother a lot of people but it is one which, to me, is the most damning defect of a city. Because to me, the non-existence of good coffee shops is not a coincidence but is linked inextricably with the spirit of the place. While walking around Chicago's beautiful tree lined streets and its many vibrant neighborhoods the only coffee shops that I come across are either chains or ones which appear highly pretentious. Chain coffee shops can be pretty good, an example of which is Peet's on the West coast but the ones that I find here are generic and appear to lack that soul which separates a good coffee place from one which would merely do. While I don't have anything against coffee places which are owned by big conglomerates, I absolutely cannot stand places which are pretentious. This general dislike for most things smug has seen me move towards the center and a little right on all issues in life. I have found myself liking things and ideas which have no coolness attached to them, which try to make no statement beyond their own utility, and which have completely missed the fashionable bus. From the vantage point which occupy these ideas I look in at the nuts which occupy the fringes on either side and feel grateful for the fact that I'm not adding to the general noise by being too passionate about things which I don't possess the intelligence to place in their proper contexts.

Anyway, that's a digression for another day. A pretentious coffee place can be easily spotted by its exorbitant prices and a disconcerting presence of too many Apple products. French sounding pastries is another dead giveaway as is the presence of coffee making apparatus which is better suited to a chemistry laboratory. Additionally if a place is named Intelligentsia you don't have to enter it to figure out the level of pretentiousness involved. That's the kind of thing that I am finding here. San Diego, on the other hand, had tons of great middle of the road coffee places with their own distinctive character serving solid coffee in great laid back ambiances. Perhaps it was the nature of the city which was reflected in its cafes. It is a city which has no beefs with anyone and which cannot be bothered by anything because life at the beach and below the ever-shining Sun is just too good. Other places have to do great things and 'succeed' and make statements and appear different and grind their axes. San Diego cannot be bothered by any of these high octane ideas. It's not going anywhere and it doesn't want to go anywhere. It just lounges about with the salty wind in its hair wondering why others have gotten so worked up. It has cafes which exude a similar modest sort of vibe, slowing you down, asking you to stay for a little longer for there is nowhere you must rush to.