Coffee shops brew relaxed atmosphere
Best places to study in Park
September 8, 2017
1. Caribou Coffee
Located on Minnetonka Blvd and Lake street, Caribou Coffee is a hot-spot for Park students. Since it’s a 5 minute drive and 10 minute walk from the high school, many students can choose to study at Caribou after school and before sport games.The layout of the parking lot makes it difficult to pull out of any parking space, and when the
lot is full it is very difficult to try and find street parking. Caribou Coffee’s menu caters to various student essentials throughout the school year.
During the long winter months, the coffee shop offers a multitude of hot drinks. Although a bit pricey, any hot tea or coffee will satisfy most customers. I would recommend a Chai Tea Latte for any student who doesn’t drink coffee but is looking for a hot drink. Once the weather warms up, students flock to Caribou for their cold drinks, such as iced coffee, sparkling tea, and smoothies. The coffee shop offers many snacks such as cakes, fruit, and bars, but many snack boxes seem too expensive for the food given. Caribou Coffee offers many options for students to study.
To the left of the main entrance lies a circle of lounge chairs for avid readers, or just for those who like to sink into comfy chairs. Small tables are arranged around the lounge chairs for small notebooks and coffee to rest on. Around the snug chairs, tables and chairs at set up around the coffee shop. Outlets are available for students who need to charge their electronic devices. To the right of the main entrance, tall chairs are available next to large windows, providing lots of natural light for long study-sessions.
2.Corner Coffee
Corner Coffee, located on 28th and Hennepin, is a great study spot for students of any age. Upon entering, students are greeted by a friendly barista and smell of in-house roasted coffee. If a real cup of joe is what one is after, put down the Starbucks and head over to the corner of 28th and Hennepin for some coffee fresh from places around the world, including Colombia and Mexico.
Corner Coffee provides the perfect environment for just about anyone. Located in the heart of uptown, this establishment looks like a hipster’s dream: the walls are filled with art of local artists, the leather sofas a
re comfortably worn in, there’s industrial lights strung all around and one’s beverage is often served in a mason jar.
This Coffee house doesn’t offer many food options, but to be fair, it is a coffee shop, not a deli. Corner Coffee offers a variety of tasty sandwiches and breakfast options all priced at around $7, and bagels and muffins for about $3.
Corner Coffee is very well lit and usually pretty quiet, making it a decent environment to study and work. Corner Coffee has a small room that students can use if they need some extra peace and quiet. Overall, Corner Coffee is a great place to study.
3.Starbucks
If students are looking for the classic coffee experience, Starbucks is the place to go. This Starbucks location caters to various
students’ accessibility needs, offering both parking and bike racks for customers. One of the nicer and friendlier Starbucks
locations, the shop offers drinks like coffee, tea and delicious snacks like toasted sandwiches and chips. Starbucks also offers a wide selection of baked goods, including cake pops, brownies and coffee cake.
The atmosphere in this Starbucks is pretty nice. The coffee shop has a homey feel and the staff always have a smile on their face. The shop also has a fireplace with armchairs around it for winter days, as well as with outdoor seating for sunny weather. Overall, the shop offers a peaceful atmosphere for students, making it a great place to meet up with friends or cram for finals.
4.Rustica
Rustica is a coffee shop and bakery located in Calhoun Commons between Barnes and Noble and Punch Pizza .
Rustica isn’t very rustic, but its baked goods are something everyone should check out. Fro
m fresh baked breads to pastries, Rustica has everything to satisfy your sweet and savory needs.
For students looking for a place to hard-core study, Rustica may not be the perfect fit. . Although the shop provides a great environment to converse with friends and eat pastries, there is not much room to spread out, and the shop is quite busy during most hours of the day.
The space is very inviting, making it a great place to grab a cup of coffee and or a pastry. Overall, Rustica is a great spot but not perfect for studying.
5.Honey and Rye Bakehouse
The Honey and Rye Bakehouse off of Excelsior and West 36th Street is home to good smelling food and happy employees. The small coffee shop is about a 5 to 10 minute drive from St. Louis Park High School, depending of traffic, and it offers a large parking lot for customers.
Unfortunately, Honey and Rye is only open from 7:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m., so any homework done at this coffee shop must be during the weekends or early mornings. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that a study space will be available, due to its size.
With approximately only six tables, finding an open seat often poses as a challenge. The tables are located next to large windows letting lots of natural light into the shop. However, because Honey and Rye is a smaller coffee shop, other customer’s conversations carry through the store and it can be hard to concentrate.
Next to the cash register, a card with the shops wifi username and password is posted for customers. When using the Wi-Fi on a cell phone, it worked perfectly, but my Lenovo computer was not able to connect, making it impossible to access google drive or any other internet browser.
The food and drinks at honey and rye are outstanding. The hot cocoa comes out at a perfect temperature for drinking, not too hot but not warm. The breakfast sandwich is excellent with toasted bread, cheese, egg and an option for ham. The cheese is gooey and melted on the egg and the flavors mixed together for a delightful sandwich.
Overall Honey and Rye is a cute coffee shop with amazing flavors, but an extended study stay is not recommended.
