Being introduced to this place this year pleased me beyond all expectations. If I found this place anywhere in any town on any road trip, I would have been so completely proud and happy with myself. So, to be taken here, right in San Jose, on 4th street, where I had never been… well, it blew me away.
First, I should say that I find Diners and Coffee Shops to be one of humanity’s special places. And, I love to enjoy them, to eat, drink coffee, and basque in the humanity and time within them.
This one, right in San Jose at 4th Street Bowl, is quite special. Let me share some of the beautiful highlights about this coffee shop. Plenty of energy with customers and staff. Lots of windows. A looooong counter and a bunch of booths. A big menu. A glass door and windows that connect and look into the bowling alley. The alley is not updated. There is a cocktail lounge, a pool hall, a few video games, and of course, the coffee shop, all connected to the alley. Despite the simplicity of my words, the reality is a poetry of place and presence. It is a block of time and a splash of nostalgia whipped with distraction and covered in coffee. It is a treasure.
Oh, this post makes me smile. There is a diner in Rhode Island where we lived for the last 3 years of our military service…it’s placed in an old railroad diner car….we went every single Sunday for breakfast for the entire 3 years. They get to know you almost right away…food was basic diner food and soooooo good. Coffee was hot, fresh, and plentiful. You make me nostalgic for Bishop’s Fourth Street Diner in Newport, RI.
That is awesome. These places are magical.