Real coffee houses in DC metro area

Hey all,

I just joined this forum and I live in the Washington D.C. metro area. I work in D.C. near Chinatown and there's a nice Starbucks there with a lounge on the 2nd floor. But It's kinda commercial like other Starbucks. Does anyone here know of any real coffee house in the area, so I can experience the real Beat-coffee house experience?

There used to be a nice one in College Park called the Planet X. There's a new one there now called the College Perk, but It's inconvinient to get to. I need something closer to Montgomery County or in DC.

This site seems like a great place to meet beat and hippie type friends in the area. Even if just to talk here. Not looking for a date mind you, just some friends.

Peace,
JazzHippie

 

I live about 30 mins. from DC. I've done some searching in the past and never found anything worth going to. Mabey some one knows something though.

 

I would love to have a real Coffee House near me. A place to sit; write; smoke; listen to Jazz...I hate living in the UK...

 

check out jammin java in vienna, va

 

I just looked that Coffee House up on the net...It looks amazing! I fucking wish there was something like that around my area.

 

Start one-

 

Perhaps I will in the future.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I think I've heard of Jammin Java, maybe I saw it on the web. It's a little out of the way for me, but if it's on the metro line, then maybe I'll try it. I hope they have live jazz.

Thanks again,
Peace.

 

Man, they have spoken word gigs! That's fuck capital! I must admit, I envy some of the things you American's have...

 

Maybe so, but don't forget, you folks in the UK have all of Europe next door, way more liberal than here. You have Amsterdam, which I went to last spring and don't forget Paris, bound to be a bohemian coffee house there. Except for the west coast and New York, most of our country is pretty damn conservative.
So just take the train through the chunnel and enjoy all of socialist Europe, where the French and the Hungarians demonstrate and riot when the government does something wrong and usually changes the government. Wish America was like that, we were in the 60's.

Ohh and you won't need a car. Most of Europe is accessable by rail and other public transit, again, wish America was like that.

 

I heard about one in that area-It 's kinda big and white-I can;t remeber the name but it's something house-and it's run by this real liberal beatnik guy named George-he plays bongos and reads poetry on open-mike night-check it out-He usually hangs out there with his buddy called Rummy-great open minded people!

 

theres a metro station in vienna, you would have to take a cab from there though

 

Good point! I may actually do that. I hear the Vienna Coffee Houses are legendary.

 

Hey all,

Thanks again for more replies. I love this site. It's so hip and opened minded. If I can't find a coffee house to go to then I can at least talk to people here about the beats and jazz and stuff. Did you all know that the City Lights bookstore still exists in San Francisco. I just ordered a cool poster of Jack and Dean from there. I can't wait to hang it up.

 

Ah, that's wonderful! Yes, City Lights is still around and they're celebrating 50 years of Howl! this year. It was founded by the Beats, for the Beats, by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin.

I think that poster you're talking about is actually Jack and Neal Cassady.

 

Yeah! that's the poster, sill waiting on it. Ohh yeah, his name is Neil, I was quoting the name for him in "On The Road" which is celebrating it's 50th next year with a new uncensored release, that's right the original was censored by the book company, but no more, they plan to release it the way Jack wrote it, but still not including the stuff Jack crossed out. They say it will have alot more sex and drugs. Cool!

The City Lights Bookstore is also near the Bohemian hotel and a club that still has some old beats reciting poetry there. I hope I can see these places soon.

 

Same here. Same here...

 

Hey all,



Just got my Jack and Neil poster and promptly hung it up. It's got the name of the City Lights Bookstore on the bottom and their logo too. The pic. was taken in San Francisco back in the 50's, probably near the bookstore or in that neighborhood.

Now their spirits will always be with me as well as a bit of the west coast.

 

Hey all,



Just went to a new coffee house in Damascus Maryland called the Music Cafe. It has live jazz there every Friday and Saturday nights with no cover charge. It has great food and coffee and the atmosphere is pure bohemian, so check it out man.

Peace.

 

I wish I could.