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With it, your Mondays are full of life, excitement and enthusiasm (at least until lunchtime when the caffeine runs out). Without it, you are useless — inundated with headaches and less-than-stellar attitudes. Let's face it: the buzz is your friend, and without it you may never reach your full potential. But some people make it their life, as LAist found out this week when we visited...
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf #9
829 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Hours: Monday - Thursday 5:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday - Saturday 6:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Sunday 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM
What some (us) would dub the what-do-they-do-for-a-living-since-they-hang-out-here-all-day-and-know-everyone-who-comes-and-goes coffee shop, is located in a prime location just a few blocks from Ocean Boulevard and a few blocks south of the illustrious Montana Boulevard strip. With a glorious outdoor area with a firepit center, this location serves up a feeling of comradarie, warmth and familiarity and is furthered by regulars who know everyone by name.
For those who visit Los Angeles, most are often heard wondering aloud what all the people are doing out during the daylight hours. They fill up malls, outdoor eateries and coffee shops and appear to have no concrete profession even though they spend hours on their cell phones appearing as if they're negotiating highly-confidential business agreements. Well here, at the what-do-they-do-for-a-living Coffee Bean, there are many such people.
Our favorite, in particular, is Jeff (not his real name, but he looks like a Jeff so what the hell). In his late 30's/early 40's, Jeff is a well-read man who is always scanning today's world news section of the newspaper or reading a book that is often a biography about a well-known personality. Jeff likes to talk to strangers about said biographies, wondering aloud if they really knew the secrets behind so-and-so's successes. Jeff remembers if you just broke up with your boyfriend, if you're currently hoping to get a ring from your current one and if your parents are visiting. Jeff remembers the name of your dog, the tricks he can do, and the last time he saw you at said establishment.
It is, all at once, flattering, intriguing and disturbing.
Nonetheless, the Coffee Bean at Wilshire and 9th in Santa Monica is a great, relaxing location for those mid-day brainstorming sessions, those quiet afternoon reading spots or if you're looking for a friend like Jeff — a wonderful place to make friends with people who will never abandon you for someone more famous, more attractive, or more informed about the childhood of Howard Hughes.
