As so many, I was and am speechless about the horrible news from Paris and yet another unbelievable terrorist attack on innocent people by fanatics. Having just arrived in Seattle yesterday, I decided not to go out in the evening, it just didn’t feel right to this francophone and avid traveler.
However, waking up on East Coast time on another rainy day in the Pacific Northwest, the one thing I could not skip was getting my coffee(s) to tackle this very sad day after when more and more details are being released about the tragedy not just for France, but all of us who believe that this world should and could be a much better place. Starbucks would have been the obvious choice, or Seattle’s Best, but since I am all about those off the beaten path local places, I checked what google maps suggested. “Storyville Coffee Company” was among the top places within walking distance from my hotel, the Kimpton Alexis, and with this boutique coffee shop announcing that it opens at 6:59 am and not 7 am like some of the others, this little quirky aspect (plus the many good comments from especially local fans) put the first smile on my face since the sad breaking news of 11/13/15.
So with an umbrella in hand, as yes, it does rain a lot in Seattle, off I went to Storyville just across from Pike Place Market and I could not have found a better place!
My Instagram collage sums it up in pictures, but here is the caption, too: “I LOVE everything about this place from the look to the people, from the coffee to the unique breakfast items, the music that plays just loud enough to tone out the other conversations, to the fireplace and most of all being greeted by the motto that one should love everybody and never ever hurt anybody!”
I am pretty sure the memory of where I was during the Paris attacks will remain just as vivid as where I was on 9/11 and – while much more trivial – the days when Princess Diana and Freddy Mercury died. I feel blessed that my daughter is still too young to know how much cruelty happens everyday in our world and that she is enjoying a happy worry free day back home. I am not sure how to ever explain all this hatred and horrible terrorist attacks to her as she grows up.
Well, before my second coffee – I had a Cortado after the delicious Latte – gets cold, I better enjoy it. I hope this unbelievable crime that took so many innocent lives does not stop people from wanting to travel not just to Paris and France, but to anywhere in our beautiful world as personally I believe strongly that going to foreign places and learning about each other’s small differences yet so many similarities is just of many ways to contribute to a much more peaceful society. #unitedwestand #prayforParis #keepontraveling
P.S. Check out Storyville Coffee Company online and make sure to visit on your next trip to Seattle. It is a very special and travelicious place! And their wifi password is a great one, too: “LoveEverybody”!