Friday night on Cuba

A full day at home, wet and windy, necessitated an outing tonight so I jump into Bella and on to Cuba Street, which just can't go wrong on a Friday night. Parking is simple on this end, where I sneak a legal park around the corner from Cuba and venture in to a buzzing and near-full Laundry at only five thirty. The atmosphere here is like the photos, dusky, but not with smoke, but with subtle lighting from old lamps which have certainly seen better days, but here are reincarnated to great effect. It is after all, lighting  which creates atmosphere, ask any theatre maven. And in the Laundry, it is pure theatre. I order the basic hamburger, as I've seen them being cooked and there is little oil used. It is only eight dollars and comes quite quickly, sans frites, as I didn't want to go that way on a Friday night before my Satsang in Kilbirnie at 7 pm.

The burger is great, like we used to have forty years ago in Oz, but here they didn't toast the buns, which for me, is a ruination of a hamburger. Next time I will request 'toasted buns please', or no hamburger at all. Soft chewy buns, nearly as bad as Maccas, is no the way to go for a burgeoning hip cafe in Cuba Street. i hope they take my advice.

For heating here they have a woodfired stove, which functions quite well,  set in the lounge area where old, very old, vinyl lounge chairs from the fifties and sixties are casually thrown around an old carpet, with  random games of Scrabble and such, evident on the coffee tables. It is, indeed, a home away from home for most of the customers, who love the retro feel of the cafe. There is not a new thing in sight, and the service is excellent, and the music cool, modern electronic jazz, just perfect for the evening.

This is the perfect way to escape the problems of housemate hunting, but I should be say, pleasures, as it's really quite fun. To-morrow up at six for a seven thirty flight to Auckland to represent Body Positive Wellington at the national level. May be quite interesting, or not, but I am having dinner up there, before retuning tomorrow night, with my old housemate Pam, which will make it all worth while.

Setting the scene...

...having fun...

Even an outside courtyard for the smokers of course, where the kitchen is housed in an old caravan!

Retro light fittings with log stove fire ...

Young families at home...