One of the unintended consequences of our bicyclists living in Central NE and generally riding 30-45 minutes to a shop where we can spend 45 minutes+ debriefing about the past week, is that we visit NE shops less frequently than those in other quadrants. Thus, though we really liked the Twenty-Six Cafe the one time we visited, it’s been three years + since we returned. What do we like? The way the owners laid out their narrow property to make it feel roomier; the sophisticated ambiance of the front room through chandeliers, soft furniture, wall art, wallpaper, and small round tables; and the covered more rustic-feeling back patio.

Today’s discussion was primarily in update mode, as many of us hadn’t seen each other in a while.   M and E were back from conferences on emergency preparedness and smart growth, each noting the increasing number of speakers from the Obama administration who now – all of a sudden – were easier to book than they were before Trump was sworn-in;   J’s still enjoying his ukelele lessons and jamming opportunities, as well as Smart Reading accomplishments at Rigler; and H ran through the 3 prongs of activities planned for his 70th b-day: morning hike with grandchildren; lunch with family and close friends; evening street party potluck/samba band/parade.

And where did we ride by for 30 minutes to end up at the Twenty-Six Cafe which was just over 2 miles from our starting point: Interesting new development projects that E was either personally working on, or that he was intrigued by like Camp Michigan in Mississippi, where the owners rent out detached single rooms without kitchens, to travelers.

http://26cafe.com/         2723 NE 7th Ave.