Chairs dangling from the ceiling at Jones Coffee Roasters in South Pasadena (Photo – Garrett Rowlan)
Going to the new Jones Coffee Roasters in South Pasadena, on Mission Street, were chairs dangling from the ceiling, as if space were inverted, or thoughts floated up, landing upside-down.
By Garrett Rowlan
Past these chairs, hanging like sleeping bats, I climbed to the second floor. As I do, I recalled when this place was Buster’s back in the 1980’s. After playing Sunday softball at Orange Grove Park, down the street, we would come here and rehash the game—myself and others. Some gone, moved away, and some still here.
Don’t play much softball anymore. My knees can’t take it, and the climb from the first to the second floor is a process of resource allocation and even pain management.
Upstairs, I find a seat by the window and look down. The view from the second-floor window is largely unchanged, and the brick building across the street is the same warren of small businesses: antique shops, a yoga studio, and a restaurant or two.
The view of Mission Street shops from Jones Coffee in South Pasadena (Garrett Rowlan)
I love this view. It disorients me. With the tracks of the Gold Line nearby, there is a faint hint of drama, or intrigue, as if a mysterious traveler might be stepping off the train with a suitcase and a private agenda.
A fanciful thought, perhaps, but give a writer a pen, enough coffee, and the sort of view that invites speculation, and you never know what thoughts will come.
For the record, Jones Coffee is located 1006 Mission Street, South Pasadena. Its hours are generally 6 am to 6 pm, hours slightly different on weekends.
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