Inside Zocalo Coffeehouse, San Leandro, CA
As you can tell from my list of Coffee places I’ve written at, I’ve developed a sense of where I feel more at home in writing a play. I’m separating this entry from where I can work (emails, admin, outside hustles, etc) and where I can disappear into a world I’m trying to put on stage. This subject came about because I’ve been going to a place called Zocalo Coffeehouse. But there are two of them, one in San Leandro, CA and the other is in Oakland. One of the reasons I love going here is because of their Chai Lattes! They use Bhakti Chai with Fresh Ginger and if there’s another place that uses this, I haven’t found it yet. But yeah, that Chai keeps me coming back.
But this is where the difference lies, I feel more at home at the San Leandro location. Although the Oakland location is newer (opened this year), the San Leandro location has served their neighborhood for 25 years. And it kinda feels like it. They’ve recently gone through a remodel of sorts with new tables and chairs, and redesigned an area in the back as a children’s area, but the walls, kitchen, and cash wrap (I don’t know what else to call the area where you order drinks and food) are still the same. The walls are wooden and as you can see in the photo above, it looks… lived in.
So, when I settle in to do something creative, I can feel the “lived in” vibes. Prior to the remodel, the walls were adorned with paintings of many regulars who patronized the joint. I’ve always believed in the art muses that take up a space. So maybe in a way, this place and other “lived in” places like it, have muses who are just hanging out just waiting for someone who needs them to help out.
