Saturday 9\/27 @ 3:30PM<\/p>\n
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- I almost walked straight past the whited-out gas station awning of Tandem Bakery<\/li>\n
- Walk in, immediately greeted with a friendly hello and enthusiastic conversation about their Malt Iced Coffee<\/li>\n
- I watch the guy make it with all these beautifully curated tools and cups<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s really good coffee<\/li>\n
- After sitting down in the more interesting corner bench area with low marble tables (impossibly small), I decide to move to the window counter with tall stools. I realize the whole place has really nice natural light, and feel pretty cool sitting in a former gas station store that is all bleached out and minimalist and stuff.<\/li>\n
- A couple pulls up their car and leaves it unlocked, idling in a random spot in front of the awning, like we\u2019re actually at a gas station. Nobody seems to mind at all. They come in, say some friendly hellos, and seem to order the usual. They are young, white, and clearly well off. They leave and get back in their little eco-friendly Toyota and zoom away happily<\/li>\n
- Somewhat hip guy rides bicycle past a big brick house that was clearly a mansion, but is now for sale by KW real estate<\/li>\n
- The music in here is solid and nostalgic<\/li>\n
- Woman in headscarf walks by, wearing very cool Nikes. If I were to make a snap judgment, I\u2019d say she belongs to an African refugee population here in Portland, but she is clearly integrated in terms of fashion.<\/li>\n
- The baristas are talking about umami and something with a ragout\u2026this town really cares about food.<\/li>\n
- The pastries are sitting behind me, pretty much staring at me. The sticky bun looks really good. Maine for real. Even though I feel like I\u2019m in Brooklyn.<\/li>\n
- Apparently what I\u2019m hearing are \u201crecords.\u201d Of course<\/li>\n
- Longboarding is happening in front of me. It\u2019s so nice out that I\u2019m not really surprised. This just doesn\u2019t happen in Brunswick so much.<\/li>\n
- I notice that the house across from me (that isn\u2019t made of brick) is really intricate and somewhat Victorian\/arts and crafts.<\/li>\n
- Portland police vehicles keep passing by<\/li>\n
- People really ride motorcycles on days like this too.<\/li>\n
- Wandering is a popular activity on a Saturday (for some)<\/li>\n
- Emily is sitting next to me. She has the impulse to write in this space. It is blank and therefore creatively open?<\/li>\n
- A blonde family on bikes stops by, boosting the Scandinavian quality of the space. Families happen in this neighborhood, and they hall have their own cute little bikes. Classically cute little girl says something about \u201ca long bike ride.\u201d Mainers take advantage of nice weather when they can.<\/li>\n
- Racial diversity out this window isn\u2019t on par with NYC, but it\u2019s noticeably better than Brunswick.<\/li>\n
- Barista checkup: . All hip. Having fun together.<\/li>\n
- Asian guy w\/ glasses, top bun, blue running nikes.<\/li>\n
- White guy with Red Sox cap and scraggly chinstrap beard.<\/li>\n
- Black woman with big braids, lip piercing, big earrings<\/li>\n
- The people who come in here are willing to spend $4 on a coffee. The caf\u00e9 is not always full, but they do have consistent business. Some people can afford this lifestyle. They are all seemingly under the age of 50, and are mostly white.People are jogging by occasionally.<\/li>\n
- The natural light is really doing its job.<\/li>\n
- Okay these buildings across the street from me are literally ivy-covered. Portland was\/is fancy. People on the street don\u2019t match the fanciness that much.<\/li>\n
- Portland seems very walkable, even though this street is clearly a feeder off some highway.<\/li>\n
- Baristas share a secret code of theirs about a \u201ccappuccino knife.\u201d You don\u2019t ever need a knife to make cappuccino, but you ask a coworker to pass you a cap knife when you\u2019re frustrated.<\/li>\n
- Like you are secretly pissed off and stabby<\/li>\n
- Good to know<\/li>\n
- Emily comes back from bathroom, comments on bathroom art and lemon verbena soap. Of course.<\/li>\n
- Bus passes by at 4:10. \u201cMetro Runs on Maine Natural Gas\u201d Holy frack.<\/li>\n
- It can get pretty calm in here. Just hearing the soundtrack and washing of dishes is kind of nice. I feel like I\u2019m doing my homework in a restaurant kitchen.<\/li>\n
- I don\u2019t see nearly as many elderly people walking on the street here as I do in Brunswick. This one I just saw has varicose veins like a lot. Poor guy. He\u2019s wearing a button-down though\u2026<\/li>\n
- Beginning to suspect that the African-American population here is more substantial than I thought before. Like just from who you see on the street.<\/li>\n
- A lot of kids skate on these cobblestone streets! That seems bumpy.<\/li>\n
- Some friends show up, as well as a carful of Bowdoin kids I didn\u2019t expect to see. They are ecstatic. Coincidentally, the barista says to a member of the cast of Girls: Portland Edition<\/em> that he is \u201cvery happy to be working here\u201d as he caresses his La Marzocco machine.<\/li>\n
- The place just smells really clean. Like water, alternately colored by the smell of espresso coming out of the machines. This is a bourgeois side of Maine that emulates many other styles. Most notably Scandinavia. It\u2019s all white, but in a warm way. White walls + wood + white tile + plants. Green still makes its way into here, but not the typical Maine green coniferous growth you\u2019d expect.<\/li>\n
- Asked for a glass of water and the barista said \u201cIt looks like you guys are hangin\u2019 out,\u201d and handed me a whole nice bottle of cold water with one of those pop off caps. Maine manners are alive and well.<\/li>\n
- Beanies n\u2019 bicycles outside. Fixies too.<\/li>\n
- Woman comes out of an apartment-looking building to smoke. What\u2019s the housing makeup of this neighborhood (West End)? I see a lot of former mansions, but they no longer seem to be single-family homes. Tree lined streets and low buildings. Kind of like Brooklyn.<\/li>\n
- A family comes in and the little boy wants a soda. Unfortunately, we are in hip Scandanavia, so all that ole\u2019 top bun can offer him is a sweetened sparkling water. Tandem. I really like you, but I can see how some local people would hate you; namely these grungy Dakine backpack skater looking kids walking by. They probably think your coffee shop\/bakery is bullshit.<\/li>\n
- This location has been open for one month. Redheaded mom of white family (+ chacos & ankle tattoo) says \u201cthis place is so nice.\u201d Barista says thanks, clearly having heard this sentiment all day.<\/li>\n
- J Crew catalog model walks by in his best photo shoot attire, aviators and all.<\/li>\n
- The bathroom has very interesting hanging practices. Portland strikes me as an aesthetically minded place, at least when people can afford to give a damn about that kind of stuff.<\/li>\n
- I feel the need to walk for two reasons. My parking meter is running out, and activity on the street and in the caf\u00e9 is slowing down considerably. As I exit, a man in a Bruins shirt and Red Sox cap with an absurdly small dog walks by. \u201cKeep Portland just slightly weird.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
Mental Maps<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"mentalmap002\"](\"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies-2430-fall-2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2014\/10\/mentalmap002-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Helen. Female, 51. Has taught Math at Casco Bay High School for 9 years as a commuter from York area. Lives on a sailboat, which she and her husband had just docked near Old Port. Living on the wharf, she wishes there were better waterfront access all over the city’s coastline.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"mentalmap003\"](\"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies-2430-fall-2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2014\/10\/mentalmap0031-1024x791.jpg\")
<\/a>Sam. Male, Age 33. Moved to East Bayside from Brooklyn almost two years ago to take over Bayside Variety from previous owner who skipped town. When asked about improving Portland, responded that the area has “no manners, ethics, or beauty.” To combat this problem, he suggested education reform and a new school. The nodes marked at the bottom are clubs and bars in Old Port, and the x is where Sam lives and works.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"mentalmap004\"](\"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies-2430-fall-2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2014\/10\/mentalmap004-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Kazeem. Male, 41. Owner of a high-end clothing store. Has lived in Portland for 6 years. Thinks that the city could improve multicultural life through public programs like movies in the parks (he started the Maine African Film Festival). Kazeem took a different\u00a0big\u00a0picture approach and marked a few Portland landmarks (like Whole Foods).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"mentalmap001\"](\"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies-2430-fall-2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2014\/10\/mentalmap0011-1024x791.jpg\")
<\/a>Sarah. Female, 34. Works at Find, a quirky clothing and trinkets store on Middle Street. Has another job near Marginal Way, but couldn’t situate it on her map. She thinks Portland could use better transportation options or parking; she lives kind of close to her job at Find, but would rather not have to drive in winter because parking is impossible in the Old Port area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Simultaneous perception was a challenge in conducting my caf\u00e9 ethnography. Instead of going about my business and taking notes every ten minutes, I found myself hyperaware of everything going on both inside the caf\u00e9 and outside the gigantic window. In terms of housing, the location of Tandem brought up many questions about neighborhood, weekend wandering\/flanerie, … Continue reading A Sunny Day on Congress Street and Alternative Living Situations<\/span>
![\"mentalmap002\"](\"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/digital-computational-studies-2430-fall-2014\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2014\/10\/mentalmap002.jpg\")
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