It isn’t that hard to find a good cup of coffee in California.  In Los Angeles, it’s rather ridiculously easy, because everyone is super-driven out here, and there’s not much time to sleep.  We depend on the bean to help us get through the days, and it is one of those things that makes life worth living.  There’s been a lot more education lately about coffee, and information available pretty widely about fair trade coffee.  Even the bigger chains have completely changed the way they do things so that they can at least position themselves toward serving fair trade, if they don’t already.

It’s a fantastic day when you can wake up in a hotel in Santa Monica, and head out to the beach with the one you love, stopping for a coffee along the way.  With places like the 18th Street Coffee House, there are lots of options here.  This place is particularly wonderful because of the atmosphere and ambience.  The wifi is a bit spotty, but that kind of makes it nice, because people sometimes get tempted into talking to other people.  This morning, we almost saw the beginning of a community starting here.

Someone there told us that Co-Opportunity is the local co-op (duh), and that’s where you can also buy free trade coffee for your house, and lots of other things as well.  There’s something about being in places like this, where there’s a genuine sensitivity and honest effort toward taking care of the planet.  It just feels so, so very California.  Maybe later on in the day, we’ll take in a yoga class, and then have dinner at an organic restaurant, where they serve side dishes with shredded carrot and ginger.  Or maybe, if we’re feeling more daring, we’ll have burgers and even take responsibility for it.