Adventures in the World of Mobile Knowledge Workers

Bloom Cafe - between Curson & Sierra Bonita

Bloom is a tranquil environment. It's actually two storefronts side to side. I've only sat on the right side (don't ask me why) so that's the space that I'm going to describe. Pale primary colored chairs (pistachio green, Dijon mustard yellow, pale orange) live in harmony with light wood tabletops. Brightly colored balls, like marbles, of hot orange, cream with an amber swirl and lime green dangle from the ceiling. Sleek track lighting adds to the modern, spare look. I love the "From La Brea to Fairfax on Pico" photo series on the wall. In one photo, a guy stands in front of a wall of skateboards. He's wearing large black sunglasses and is clad entirely in black, down to the black Chucks on his feet. In another a woman, who looks as though she could be a model, is caught mid-pose in front of the High Fashion $5.99 Clothing Store.

Welcome to My Home: Pasquale's Cafe @San Vicente and Hauser

I've been here twice, most recently yesterday. Each time it feels as though I've entered the Land that Time Forgot -- in a very,very good way. 

The first thing to say is that I like the space. The colors are warm: a brick red wall, wood-beamed ceilings, creamy gauzy cafe curtains at the windows. Crisp white paper covers the wooden tables.The walls are decorated with a mix of paintings, vintage posters and photos (from a panorama of the  Bay of Naples to very stylized Marilyn Monroe portraits). The whole thing works. 

The set-up is a little unusual, but I like unusual. The cafe is on one side and an upscale shoe repair (owned by the same people) on the other side.