TBA
Urth Caffe
Random brunch at Urth Caffe with Dan. I'd known they were gentrifying Skid Row, but to find the Barker Block Lofts-- looks like a surprisingly "modern" conversion of an old cinder block warehouse, or maybe an all new building done in "stylish" concrete-- I can say I was surprised. Urth Caffe also retains their classic look of a clock tower, wrought iron, and brick as well.
Drinks are good if a little too hippy organic fancy, food is the same (excellent, overpriced, although my sausage and potato omlette was oddly bland), same chairs and tables for outside seating. About the only different thing for this Urth Caffe compared to the others, aside from the location, was the crowd. When we arrived around 11am it was mostly 20 and 30-somethings, by 11:30am the crowd had gotten younger, feeling more like college kids and 20-somethings, by the time we left at 12:30 or so a lot of families (with older kids, some in college or high school?) had drifted in.
(and holy crap, the crowd had a LOT of Asians in it. In this area? Who knew. Crazy! I see why certain friends with yellow fever come here. ;-) )
Down to Long Beach afterwards for the pre-race expo. Felt much like last year, smaller than previous years due to the bad economy. t'was a bit windy, but still a lovely day.