It’s all coffee and news at the Bulldog News.
One of the perks of living in a “Blue” state is that you can generally find better coffee than in say, any Red State. That’s just a fact.
Since we have our national elections right around the corner, Clint Eastwood talking to imaginary friends, and the Dems up to bat this week in North Carolina, I’d figure I’d re-engage myself by simply getting up to speed on what’s happening on our political front.
One of the best places in Seattle to do that is at the Bulldog News, a newsstand and espresso bar, right in the heart of Seattle’s University District. Here you can grab an amazing shot (or two) of Equal Exchange espresso – read the New York Times, Economist, and watch Chris Matthews… basically, it’s a news junkie’s dream.
Since coffee houses were first opened, from Constantinople to Paris, Vienna, and London – coffee and coffee houses have always played a role in politics and in the distribution of news.
That’s not surprising, right?
Coffee provides a stimulant not just for thinking, but good and substantive conversation, and gathering together. From the likes of the French philosopher Voltaire who wrote over 2,000 books drank up to 60 coffee cups a day, to Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, to Jazz great Miles Davis, coffee stimulates thoughts, ideas, action, and brings people together.
And while there may be no correlation between coffee and America’s blue states, it leads one to wonder…
Much of the American revolution may have been supported and rallied in taverns, the details were often sketched out with coffee in hand. Through the ages, governments – tyrannical or not – have been aware of the side effects that coffee and free-thinking can do, which is why at times, coffee and coffee houses were often banned.
And yet, the coffee and coffee house survived.
Bulldog Café is one of the last holdouts in Seattle where you can pull up a chair, watch and read the news, discuss a news story, and get a great cup of coffee. Since 1983 they have provided Seattle with its news from around the world and are a mainstay on the Ave. If you have lived in places like New York and Chicago, you’ve probably used coffee businesses like Bulldog Café. In Seattle, it’s not the norm, so we’re lucky to have them.
Now Bulldog Café has outside seating where you can enjoy your quality Americano with an almond croissant and a newspaper in your hands. The staff is friendly and helpful, and when the owner is there it’s always great to chat with him about coffee and business.
Bulldog Cafe: 4208 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington
Neighborhood: Seattle University District
