any great coffee shops for just people watching and book readin' in DC?
 

Hi all<BR><BR>does anyone have any good ideas about nice coffee shops to peacefully hang out and read, and people watch? The burbs can get to be a bit boring - especially that whole strip mall thing. Any DC residents have any favorites? (preferably not Starbux as that is so overdone, but it's OK if it is a good location...)<BR><BR>thanks<BR><BR>

Just head over to the DuPont Circle area...

DeeDee is right, head to Dupont Circle, try Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe.

There are quite a few great Starbucks in DC. What do you mean by overdone? Is that synonymous with "successful"? I dig Starbucks.

Kramer's is nice but there's nowhere to sit down and read a book. I'd recommend heading up to Tryst in Adam's Morgan. As a former San Francisco resident, this is the only "coffee" place I can go and get that same vibe. Very laid back, great decord, good for watching the people go by.

I agree with Tryst above as best, then maybe Soho near Dupont Circle or a couple Cosi (used to be Xando), one just south of Dupont Circle south metro entrance, one a few blocks north of the circle on east side of Connecticut (they have a good location and space). Kramerbooks is a good bookstore and has a decent cafe, but I don't think of it as that great for people watching -- it's not on the main street, for one thing, the cafe is in the rear and borders NH Ave which isn't really that scenic IMO. The Starbucks just south of there on east side of Conn Ave (corner of COnn and NH) is a pretty good one, actually, for people watching, they have a great location and windows and a lot of people do hang out in there. The other Starbucks a few blocks north on the west side of street doesn't have such good windows or ambience. I realize you can people watch inside a cafe, but that one doesn't cut it for me.<BR><BR>I like to hang out and people watch in Bistro du Coin which is a French bistro on Conn Ave (yet a few more blocks north on the west side, near corner of S St, I think) which does have a fairly authentic French cafe hang out with one drink, read, etc, ambience as in France and a decent bar. They have a good front space that does open to the street, also, so if you want to hang out with a glass of wine instead of coffee, that might be a choice. Cosi's are unusual for coffee shops in that they are sort of a bar, also.

I've been having problems finding a good place myself, anon. One place I like is the Borders Cafe in Friendship Heights. It's on the second floor, but you can sit by the picture window and see the street. Also Madaleine in Georgetown is nice. Not on a coffeeshop, but right on Dupont Circle at the benches around the fountain on a nice day.<BR><BR>I find Kramers generally to noisy and Cosi in DuPont too crowded.

How about Georgetown, especially at corner of M & wisconsin?

I second Bistro du Coin on Connecticut Avenue. Nice menu, too. :o)