So I went to the Sound View Cafe<\/strong> in Seattle\u2019s Pike Place Market today, where I have spent many afternoons over the last decade sipping coffee, eating desserts, and writing in my journal, or on my laptop. In the past, the dining has been mediocre, but the ambiance and view have been worth it.<\/p>\n Not anymore.<\/p>\n Today, I ordered a piece of chocolate mousse, and I couldn\u2019t eat it. It smelled like mildew. I immediately lost my appetite.<\/p>\n So, rather than complain to hard-working folks and disrupt my afternoon, I scraped the rest of the dessert into the trash and contented myself to stay. sip the coffee, and write. I had work to do, so I didn\u2019t want to stir up trouble.<\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t been there ten minutes before my waiter, an agreeable young fellow, approached and said, \u201cI see you\u2019re going to be getting some work done. Since you\u2019re going to be here a while, let me get you a better table.\u201d He moved me from the back corner to a perfect spot beside the window with that fabulous, panoramic view.<\/p>\n I was impressed, and planned to leave a big tip when I went back to order a different dessert.<\/p>\n Another waitress suddenly approached me and said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry sir, but I\u2019ll have to ask you to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n I was stunned. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t allow laptops in here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026 your friendly co-worker just gave me the table where he thought I could work most comfortably.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy manager just stepped in,\u201d she said. \u201cHe saw you, and informed me that I\u2019d have to ask you to leave.\u201d Then she leaned in and said, \u201cPlease don\u2019t blame me. It\u2019s my manager.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t allow laptops?!\u201d I wanted to shout. \u201cLast I checked, this was a Seattle cafe! I came downtown to spend the afternoon here!. And I just spent almost ten bucks for the privilege, as I have so many times before. Heck, I have photographs of my friends and I working at this very table!\u201d (I didn\u2019t say this. I was still too surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take your coffee,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can go.\u201d<\/p>\n Too thunderstruck for words, I packed my bag and left.<\/p>\n So, for what it\u2019s worth: The Sound View Cafe has lost the calm, cool, casual ambience that once made it enjoyable for me. The manager, whoever he is, has made that clear.<\/p>\n And the chocolate mousse smells like moldy bread.<\/p>\n It makes me sad, but I won\u2019t ever step through that door again. There are about a zillion other places on Seattle\u2019s waterfront that welcome folks who want to sit, sip coffee, and write. I encourage you to try any of them instead.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So I went to the Sound View Cafe in Seattle\u2019s Pike Place Market today, where I have spent many afternoons over the last decade sipping coffee, eating desserts, and writing in my journal, or on my laptop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1051,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[2556],"class_list":["post-37532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journal","tag-sound-view-cafe"],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nIt\u2019s a fantastic spot with a beautiful view. And they have convenient electrical outlets along the wall\u2026 good for plugging in laptops.<\/p>\n