Le Télescope

Hello again from Paris, but really, I'm in San Francisco. Going to Paris for a week really helps with rolling out the blogs though. I'm in no way at a loss for words or images! One of the highlights of my trip was stumbling upon what many hail as the best coffee in Paris. I say stumbled because you can look and search and hunt for a spot you've heard about, you can turn a map every which way, you can ask directions in broken French/English, but sometimes you go cross-eyed and your feet can't always get you there. 

I was about at the end of my rope when I finally found Télescope, a small, intimate coffee shop in the 2nd. This place, which I'd call a hole in the wall, may have never come into my world had it not been for my beautiful friend Joanna, who, in preparation for my trip to Paris, sent me this link. Cool friends read about cool people who like cool things, apparently.

I spoke a bit with Nicholas, who co-runs Télescope with his craftsman-in-crime David. He was very chatty and made me the best drink in the house: a Cappuccino.

I love drinking coffee in Paris and it's rare that I'll go to an actual coffee shop. Though they had a few sweet treats out for the taking, this place was all about the coffee. No distractions here, just roasty, toasty, delicious brew.

I admired all of the unique traits of this charming spot, which, by the way, would fit in just fine in San Francisco. I'm hesitant to use the word "hipster" while describing Télescope but I will anyway. Hipster.

After learning that they had completely renovated the space, I had a new found appreciation for the design. For example, the ceiling and light fixtures...

...and the small intimate details -- like the baby sized water glasses. Nicholas gave me a list of his favorite restaurants, bars, and patisseries in Paris, but had to cut our talk short because they were, in that very moment, receiving a delivery of 600 kilos (!!!) of coffee! Their 3rd delivery in 4 months of being open.

It was a holy moment, so I sat back and enjoyed my delicious cup of coffee. A few locals popped in and out...

Quite well dressed I may add. It's official: I've named 5 rue Villedo the friendliest spot in Paris. Thanks to Nicholas and David for making the afternoon so charmingly caffeinated!