The Long Beach East Village Arts District is starting to be known for its art activities, but it is also becoming a Mecca for coffee lovers and a good place to find a cozy shelter from the rain. Bring your guidebook, journal, or laptop, and spend a few hours on a comfy sofa or leather easy chair imbibing your favorite hot or cold coffee, tea or healthy alternative beverage. Five unique independent coffee houses within three blocks give the caffeine addict ample opportunities to find the perfect fix. They’re also a great place to meet the locals and learn about what else is happening in the neighborhood.
The Passport Coffee House
The heart of the East Village surrounds the intersections of Broadway and Linden and First Street and Linden. On the North-west corner of Broadway and Linden, the Passport Coffee House, occupies a location that has been a café under various owners for years. Vanessa and Michael Brooks took over the business in January 2005. Michael has a food and beverage background and Vanessa has a marketing and internet background. They have melded them in this internet café.
Vanessa has always had a passion for coffee. “When I blend the coffee and see the white swirls in the dark coffee, I think what a beautiful cup of coffee,” she says. “I am a coffee drinker myself, so I understand what a good cup of coffee means to people. It’s like a small cup of ‘good morning’.”
Her enthusiasm for her work shows in her descriptive language, “coffee beans are kind of like steaks,” she explains, “The beans should be roasted to bring out the coffee’s flavor. Guatemalan beans should be roasted lightly, for example, but French beans need a dark roast. We have light medium and dark roasted beans. Few people realize that dark roast has less caffeine than light roast,” she continues, “Some of the caffeine burns off with the longer roasting.”
The most popular beverage at the Passport is the Tall house Coffee, followed by the lattes. They have a good selection of blended coffees, teas and cold drinks. They also serve grilled paninis, pastries and desserts, adding salads to the menu when the weather is warm.
Wireless access has become de rigueur in East Village coffee houses, but the Passport is one of only two who, in addition to wireless, have computer terminals with printing capability for those who don’t happen to be traveling with a laptop. Their computers have Microsoft Office programs installed with both Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers.
The Passport Coffee House exhibits travel-related photography and artwork and is open late on the second Saturday of each month for the East Village Art Walk. Exhibits change monthly. Normal hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sundays.
Garden of Pan
Across the street at 510 E. Broadway is the newest kid on the block, Garden of Pan. You might expect to find the Cheshire cat sitting on a toadstool amidst the fairyland murals adorning the walls and ceiling of this nature den. More likely, you’ll find regulars relaxing in a corner of a cushy sofa with knitting or a book and artists and artisans crafting their original creations on the spot.
Kai Berke and Josie Santa Cruz opened Garden of Pan in December 2004. “We were driving by and saw this space,” says Kai, “It was like a dingy cave. We thought we could do something with it.” They have turned the cave into a woodland garden with paintings and sculptures incorporating nature and fantasy themes. “It’s like a concrete jungle around here,” Kai continues. “We wanted to bring some green where the nature spirits could come.”
And the spirits do come. They come for drum circles on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Garden of Pan is the only one of the East Village coffee houses open in the evening. In addition to weekly drum circles, they have live music Mondays and Saturdays and Open MIC night on Fridays. “We’re trying to bring the pulse of life back to the neighborhood with drumming, music and people doing their art,” explains Kai.
The murals were painted by Kai Berke and Steve Sullivan based on original work by Brian Froud and Allan Lee. Coves in the wall are filled with artist Paul Houg’s Pan altars of branches, leaves, rocks, shells and other elements of the natural realm. Kai and Josie’s personal library of books fill one wall and are available for patrons to read on the premises.
Garden of Pan specializes in organic coffees, fruit smoothies and vegan baked goods from 7:00 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. They also offer the occasional quiche and vegan soups. Free wireless internet access is also available.