Day By Day Cafe

I've wanted to try out this place for a long time and we finally did today. It is adorable--pine paneling covering the walls of the back room; built in book cases filled with books and toys; lots of cozy booths and great windows. I bet that it's awesome in the summer when you can eat in the outdoor seating area. My food was good too and it is totally family friendly. We'll definitely be back!

Day by Day Cafe--West 7th Street @ Goodrich in St. Paul.

Neighborhood Cafes: The Great Third Place

The "third place" (i.e. the place that is neither your home nor your job, but a gathering spot where you like to hang out) was popularized in Ray Oldenburg's 1999, The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community.

Cafes are surely my favorite third place since I love coffee, like to freeload WiFi, and enjoy a change of scenery every now and again. Since moving to St. Paul, I've discovered some great little cafes tucked right into residential neighborhoods. My current favorites include:

J & S Bean Factory
-- Hamline Midway location @ Thomas and Hamline
-- Highland location on Randolph just off of Snelling

Java Train-- in the Como Park neighborhood on Pascal, just north of Midway Parkway.

Swede Hollow Cafe -- in the Swede Hollow/Dayton's Bluff neighborhood on East 7th.

Nina's Coffee Cafe (pictured above)--in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood on Selby @ Western.

Jerabek's on the Westside is on my list to check out ASAP-- but I haven't made it there yet. Readers, what are your favorite St. Paul and Minneapolis coffee shops?

Image: Allen Zumach photo art.