Week 22: Public Square Coffee House

Week 22: May 28th-June 3rd, 2023

A long week of work, clouds, and trip-planning meant I needed coffee. Finding my way to this said coffee was harder than expected because the streets were all closed off. There were no signs explaining the closure, but I saw a bunch of boy-scout-type folks gathering from their cars. My immediate thought was, "I hope the Girl Scouts are here so I can get more cookies..."

Road closure this morning

With the help of a Maps app and my expert navigation skills, I found some street parking nearby. While I walked from my lucky parking spot a block away, I Googled "La Mesa Events today," and apparently a "Flag Day Parade" occurs every first Saturday of June. I have never heard of a Flag Day or parades for one. I'll admit my nose immediately scrunched up and I rolled my eyes when I saw the early birds setting up their lawn chairs along the street. Okay, it is looking like there will be no cookies today.

The evidence I found online

Anything American-flag related is a big of a... red flag... I understand that for some people the American flag represents "freedom" or whatever, but its association with oppressive groups and use in discriminatory politics just makes the whole thing yucky to me. The likelihood of someone sporting an American flag also having a T**** flag or Blue Lives Matter flag is very high.

Ignoring the rah-rah patriots lining up long the street, I made my way to Public Square Coffee House. I definitely needed caffeine after thinking about the state of this country. The coffee shop was the liveliest spot on the block, with the line almost out the door. Bonus, no flags in sight except for a rainbow one! Happy Pride Month!

The space itself was trendy, industrial, and filled with plants. I immediately thought of my sister, who has become quite a plant connoisseur.

Inside of Public Square Coffee

Tons of plants and art for decor

A large shelf along the wall near the order line hosted a variety of artisan coffees, teas, and goods to purchase.

Peruvian Coffee and Conversation Cards

Stickers and Pins

The two women in front of me agreed to split the avocado toast and ordered some incredibly caffeinated beverages. A classic mark of true millennials. I love to see it.

I ordered the breakfast sandwich and an iced brown sugar cinnamon latte (with oat milk, of course...) from a very cheery server. Both items were pretty good, and I remembered how fun it can be to do this type of thing alone. The people-watching, quiet reflection, and uninterrupted time to scroll through Twitter and get past level 7417 in Candy Crush - all are nice things for a cloudy Saturday morning.

Breakfast Sandwich

Rarely do I not get drinks "to-go," so this was a nice change.

Another plus was that I got three different compliments on the pants I was wearing. Each compliment took me by surprise. This reminded me to take the time to compliment strangers more, because even though these interactions were brief, they really uplifted me. Doing that for other people, uplifting them, and bringing positivity to their days, are important aspects of human connection that we've lost a little in this digital age.

Even the note on the table was uplifting!

Thankfully, I made it out of the area before the Flag Day Parade actually started. Not sure I wanted to spend the rest of my Saturday morning around the patriots of La Mesa.

Next week, I'll have a lot more to report since I'll be back from my girls' trip to Cabo. It's going to be a much-needed vacation. I leave later today and come back on Wednesday. Hopefully next time I go to Public Square Coffee, there will be more rainbow flags than American ones.

Stay tuned, see you next week.