I heart the Waypost

My morning ritual consists of getting up, doing a few yoga stretches, and then stumbling on over to The Waypost, the best undiscovered coffee shop in North Portland ( and therefore the world).

Today I have been here for an hour, and hardly a soul has come in, which is part of why I love this place. The most popular espresso destination in NoPo is The Freshpot , which I've gone to for years. Sure, they got good coffee, but it is usually so packed I can never get any work done because there are too many people to talk to. For a long time the Freshpot let you take dogs inside which was cool, but after a run-in with the health department over this they banned all four-legged creatures. So me and my dawg have re-located.

The Waypost ( 3120 N Williams - a block south of Pizza a go go) is dog friendly, people friendly and work friendly. They serve great coffee, eclectic music, and it's quiet enough to actually put your nose to the grind stone and get into the book you're reading, or the ibook your toting, whatever. It is very laid-back, they have a piano in the front that customers are encouraged to play. At night the cafe transforms into a wine and beer hang-out with a full calendar of music and a motley assortment of talks on everything from a weekly Spanish class to a bookbinding presentation.

Micheal the owner says he wants to keep the place from ever getting too packed, so it is always a little under the radar.