Where Time Stands Still

Downtown Petaluma has changed, from the quiet and peaceful town I knew so well just a few years ago to a hustling and bustling downtown, similar to that of New York City. Walking down the few charming and historic blocks of downtown Petaluma, one notices that time seems to be rushed: business men and women are rushing from their cars to their offices for their next appointments, car after car whizzes by on the busy boulevard, half a dozen restaurants serve food to hungry customers while waiters and waitresses put up with them in order to earn a living, and window after window passes you stating "For Lease", only reminding you that Petaluma is just like any other town in the United States, hit hard by the horrible economy. But as you walk down Petaluma Boulevard, the main street, you may stop at a newly painted, olive green building nuzzled between the lively 24-Hour Fitness and the delicious deli, Cordoza's. Walking through the glass doors of this shop brings you into Peet's Coffee and Tea, a little café, where time seems to stop.

Upon entering the coffee shop, the savory smell of ground coffee beans will reach your nose. The room welcomes you with open arms as the warm air overpowers the cool fifty four degree weather you would have just left. It is a skinny and long rectangle, spacious yet comfy, welcoming everyone who enters to sit down, relax, and enjoy their little treat. All four walls are painted cream white, the same color as the frothy cream which sits on so many of the drinks Peet's serves. The sound of coffee beans being ground and the man's fingers typing on his laptop in the corner never seems to stop. Laughter and murmurs from all conversations in the room bounce off the walls and hit your ears. The ground is a dark green tile, giving the room a calming effect that is almost always necessary for any café to have.

Straight through the entrance are two cash registers. Today only one is in use, as there is no long line snaking out the door. The Barista who calls "next in line" is a young girl with shoulder length, dark, brown, wavy hair. She is very pretty, and is able to show a unique yet welcoming character bearing her required black t-shirt with her two arms filled with artistic-looking tattoos. She asks how your day has been and also what you would like to drink. If you don't know what you would like already, there are two wooden framed, dark and bold printed boards allowing you to read every possible drink Peet's Coffee and Tea can serve to you: teas for those who like to keep away from caffeine, hot chocolate for the kids, regular black coffee for the caffeine lovers, and espresso beverages and blended iced coffees for everyone in between. Along with your drink, are the possibilities of the savory muffins, delicious scones, and scrumptious cookies calling your name in the window display next to the register. Not only has the display called your attention, but also the attention of the seven year-old boy waiting behind you in line with his father. He has walked up to the window, placed his small dirty hands on the glass, and is peering wishfully at the treats he has yet to devour.

After ordering, you may wait two or three minutes before your drink is called by another barista making the drinks perfectly. You can then head over to the station near the door to add more milk and more sugar and more cinnamon and more cream in order to customize your drink even further. And now, you can finally sit down and relax, either at one of the many wooden tables found in the middle of the coffee house, or along the granite counter looking out the enormous picture windows facing onto the street. The windows let all the sunlight seep into the room, giving it both light and warmth, a welcome feeling on a cold winter afternoon. Most likely, all the tables are taken by customers, so you find an empty chair on the counter and sit down.

Sitting at the counter, peacefully drinking a cup of coffee, one is able to view what the world looks like when they are sitting still, when they are relaxed, and when they are not worried about where they have to be next or what to do when they get home. Car after car rushes by on the boulevard, a young mother with a toddler in one arm and pushing a stroller with a baby in the other rushes by the window and looks wishfully at the sign above the building, a young man runs by, most likely on his way to work out at the gym down the street, a couple wanders past, towing their tired-looking Golden Retriever with them. It is these kind of moments where a cup of hot coffee- making the body tingle with warmth and the brain lively from the caffeine- is at its best; a time where one does not need to worry about life happening outside of the little coffee shop.

Yet, most importantly, Peet's can play more than the role of a coffee and tea shop. Peet's is a meeting spot, where today, two old friends who are both home from college for the weekend, sit and talk for hours, even though their coffee cups have been empty. Peet's is a study room, where high school and college students can come and study for the Biology test the next day or write their English essay. Peet's is a dating spot, where the older couple sits and quietly and enjoy each other's company; the old man enjoying the daily newspaper and his wife devouring her latest novel. Peet's, for me, is a thinking spot, where I can go, buy my favorite drink- the calorie filled White Chocolate Mocha- and have a quite place outside of my own little room where I can think about my life and the important occurrences that are going on. But ultimately, Peet's is a coffee spot, where caffeine addicts can get their daily fixing with their drinks, allowing them to wake up in the morning, get through their stressful days at work or at school, and stay up late to write an essay or finish last minute work.

Peet's Coffee and Tea is a hub of diversity while the customers and the employees are the spokes which holds it all together. Peet's opens its arms wide to all types of people; it does not matter who you are or where you come from. This simple coffee shop is an oasis- on a hot summer day it offers the perfect cold drink like an iced mocha or a jasmine iced tea, on a cold winter morning the savory taste of the vanilla latte warming your tongue and body and spirit is a welcome feeling, on a lovely spring afternoon the perfect sized muffins and cookies are a perfect snack- Pete's is a welcomed hangout. Whether you are a traveler looking for a wake-up call early in the morning, a rushed commuter on a Monday morning snatching a cup of coffee on their way to work, or just a simple coffee lover, the little coffee shop is always there. No matter what, Peet's is one of the few things in our lives which we can always rely on for a good drink, a calming room, and a place where we can escape from the crazy thing we call life.

--Gabbie