Swork|COFFEE AND COMING OF AGE

Fashionably Late Tour of Eagle Rock, part 3

And yet, another entry about coffee - but Swork is more than just an average java joint, it's a landmark of comfort.

Scene: Crying babies in Sworkland make their presence known from time to time, and those that are quietly playing are just as fearless about unleashing a screeching wail upon a Lego or plushie snatching by another pair of small hands. Jazz from the likes of Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong softens the room, while the tip-tapping of keyboards and light conversations fill in the gaps, and the breeze of traffic and foot steps enter consciousness as the wood framed glass door swings open and closed.

Tell me something, where can you order and take home a strong, tall, dark trucker driver? (Wrong answer if you say a gas station in the south of Missouri at 2 am during a cross-country trip). At Swork's, of course! And where there's good coffee there's home.

"Two large truck drivers with room, please."

Ah, home-sweet-home. On May 26th we held the keys to our first home. It's been about two weeks since we officially moved from our Silver Lake apartment, and just over a month since we officially bought this hilltop nest with a view. Though it's a modern beauty, it longs for some updates and TLC despite it's quarter of a centruy old construction. We moved from a historic art deco red brick building with all its nooks and original amenities intact - I'm talking the very bare essentials - but it was decorated with a lot of character and occupied a lot characters. There wasn't much in the sense of privacy but the beautiful exterior, a lush and fragrant garden landscape with a six feet tall double-bowl stone fountain, an eclectic party-mix of people, and access to all things for a girl who loves coffee, pink, breakfast foods, and 99 cents household items was enough for me to develop strong loyalties to Silver Lake - and mixed feelings about our departure to Eagle Rock. Yes, I was very attached to Silver Lake, like a girl attached to her first pair of Via Spiga leather ankle boots, but given that we had found a gem of a place to call home the entire month we spent moving from point A to point B began a painless 30 day weaning process...and sooner than later I had a change of heart and began to develop an affection for Eagle Rock.

Over the years my heart strings became invested in the colorful neighborhood of Silver Lake. So the time it took to graduate from renters to owners was just enough to get me use to the idea of leaving behind Sunset Junction's flourishing community and planting my roots elsewhere.

I once looked forward to the colorful and tastey Saturday morning farmers' market. Sunday mornings offered a refreshing sight to see a gathering of young adult graffiti artists who would set up shop of blank canvases propped in a circle at the island of a park across the street from our building. With spray cans at work to the beats of a VJ through amplified rhythmic lyrics as friends and family members gathered for support. And last but not least, I would miss the sight of Casbah Cafe, the coffee shop that opened my heart to Silver Lake when I first had coffee there with Matthias the summer we began dating in 2003 (a story this lifetime that goes back to 2001).

Like all the milestones in life - turning 18 and moving into my very first place (a condo in Pasadena just blocks from Matthias, though we were strangers then), buying my first car (a 4-door white Toyota Corolla), turning 21 (alcohol was so yesterday by then), graduating from college then having an epiphany that led me to become a massage therapist and bodyworker, and then, buying a house (yippeeeee!) - these rights of passage filled me with a growing sense of accomplishment.

And the opportunity couldn't have come at a better time, for there were other events that we took as signs that now was the time to move on. Tough all I know is what I have lived, the lives of others sometimes seems like reality T.V. There are such significant events in life that have an affect, profound or not, on the direction I take and how soon I make it happen. Death, for instance, the end, the begining, however it is perceived comes in many forms: it is the passing of a person or the end of a cycle, behavior, a letting go of something familiar. And this year, in our Sunset Junction neighborhood it was the passing of our favorite street performer, and Silver Lake legend, "El Tony Loco" aka "The Silver Lake Dancer", nearly two months ago; followed by the flames that burned Julie's Morning|Nights Cafe out-of-business leaving behind an unfamiliar emptiness covered in the smell of melted plastic, charred walls and restaurant equipment that once steamed our lattes, brewed our coffees, and toasted our sandwiches; which now lay broken and hidden behind boarded windows. The message was getting louder: it was time for us to move out of 1525 and move on with our lives.

About six months of searching on and off for real estate, going back and forth with the idea of building a Flatpak house on a parcel of land in Silver Lake, and touring the burgeoning eastside neighborhoods just to test the waters, in May we found our new home; in June we began collecting boxes and packaging supplies, discarding old items we had saved from our previous studio apartment but never used (behavior of a typical pack rat); stocking up on home improvement and design magazines; clearing out the fridge by eating at home more but still not often; and investing less energy into the apartment by not doing things like cleaning it when we should. We were letting go and moving forward. It was easy to move most of our things [which wasn't much to begin with] and we began our informal good-byes. We thought we would have a proper hug-hug-kiss-kiss-final-adios-amigo parting with the characters of 1525, but our good-byes were in passing with whomever we happen to see going in or out of the building toward the end of that month. So as our apartment emptied, and the date neared the 30th we finally arranged for movers in true Catherine style, at the very last minute.

What we did manage to take care of prior to the move, was getting to know our new neighborhood. Coincidentally we have a couple of friends, a couple, who in recent years purchased a major - as in close to demolition - fixer upper just southwest of our nest. I'm talking a cat urine infested structure that once housed 50 cats - and that's no exaggeration - and an elderly woman who, by the sound of it, didn't believe in taking out the trash. What our friends purchased at $350,000 two years ago is now worth twice its 2004 value. So when we mentioned toying with the idea of moving to Eagle Rock they took us on a tour that weaved through the hills of Eagle Rock and opened our eyes to an entirely new Eagle Rock. That night we concluded our tour with dinner at Mia Sushi and that's when I began warming up to the area. It wasn't long after that day that we had won the bid for this house.

Later that weekend we were back in Eagle Rock and exploring our soon-to-be neighborhood with a little tour of our own. One Saturday afternoon instead of having an Omega-3 crepe from the farmers' market, we drove to Eagle Rock for brunch and explored the flourishing business area on Colorado Blvd, what I refer to as "Colorado Junction": a growing stretch of boutiques, restaurants, and beauty salons between Eagle Rock Blvd and Townsend Ave. That's when we first stepped foot in to Swork to fuel up and make our rounds. It was comforting to be there, and the service was friendly. Take the cost of our friends' home of $350,000 and move the decimal over five places to the left and $3.50 at Swork is about what you can expect to pay for a large drip plus a little something in the tip jar.

A month later we moved in and immediately became accustomed to having Swork on a daily basis. It is our morning ritual to have it's coffee everyday (except the days we quit coffee) and an almond croissant. The red t-shirt and black pant uniformed staff is not only very friendly, but very qualified.

Did you know that a light roast coffee has more caffeine than a dark roast? I didn't know that until recently. And if you already knew that then consider getting a job at Swork's. ;)

This above average coffee house is home away from home for many Eagle Rock dwellers at least three generations deep. You are just as likely to spot several young mommies and daddies pushing baby strollers as you are lap-top totting coffee drinking singles. There's a play area for children to mingle (aka fighting over toys); but adults have more freedom to enjoy their java, chat, work or play either inside where it's nice and cool on any given day, or soak up the San Gabriel Valle heat along the sidewalks at Colorado and Eagle Rock Boulevards while cooling down with an ice-blended Sworkuccino or scoop of gelato. Believe me when I say Swork is on a mission to provide a unique coffee inspired experience to this community.

1) Bring coffee to the public in a warm and inviting setting. Check!
2) Serve a variety of coffee drinks from hot pot or blender. Check!
3) Fresh pastries delivered daily! Check!
4) Provide a space for people to drink, chat, read, work, and play (don't forget the diaper changer table in the restroom). Check! Check! Check! Check! And check!
5) And why not throw gelato into the mix - make that a Gelatoccino or do you take that with a spoon? Spoon and a straw? Check!

Still looking for a good reason to visit Swork? Why don't you just go there already and decide for yourself. :)

Swork
coffee.people.love
2160 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323.258.5600
www.swork.com

Food & Drink| Coffee | Eagle Rock | Los Angeles | 90041 | Restaurant Review