Peaceful co-existence

Well geesh, I went to Greta's this morning before heading down to Gloucester and the latte function of their espresso machine was broken! Luckily Caffe Di Siena is right across the street.

Which made me wonder about the clientele of these two establishments. A couple of years ago I wrote a story about the independent cafes in town, all of which I'm happy to say are still in business, and I think I concluded that some people patronize one and some, the other.

I guess if you really want to sit for a while and sip espresso or coffee and chat or work on your laptop, Caffe Di Siena is the place. A lot of people with whom I was scheduling an interview said to meet them there. The owners appear unconcerned with how long people linger over one coffee-based drink and perhaps a pastry.

Not that Greta minds. Whereas CDS is modeled on an Italian cafe, Greta has a more Austrian-German vibe going on in her place. CDS, while I think more pricey, stays open later, though - a definite advantage after those long City Council meetings.

I like both of them: they have both been around for a while, and they are seemingly both well-patronized. The hot chocolate (with whipped cream on top, of course) at CDS is to die for.