Farewell To Honey Bear

Books new and used, wi-fi, sandwiches, coffee, and a fireplace: Third Place Books (in both locations) had for years held a perch high up on Seattlest's list of cozy, soul-nourishing morning destinations as the bearer of quite a few good things. When we moved south from our studio apartment on the Ave to a somewhat quieter, albeit shared, old house on Capitol Hill, Third Place's Ravenna location fell into that regrettable out-of-sight-out-of-mind zone. Our visits became rare. When we did remember, the Honey Bear Bakery was always there in the same building to greet us with bottomless cups of dark coffee, warm orange-pecan rolls, or a noon-time sandwich packed with sprouts and hummus.

Nudged by this Metblogs post over the weekend, we decided to journey back to our old stomping grounds. It took us twice as long to drive there as expected, due to the Seattle Marathon closures (every route! every route seemed to be closed, and we circled for twenty minutes), but once we arrived, we were saddened to discover that the Honey Bear is no longer. Yes, the bookstore is still there, but the Honey Bear was what made that corner building so near and dear to our hearts. And it's gone.

In its place, the Third Place website informed us when we returned from our fruitless and saddening journey, is Vios Cafe, which must have just opened today. They too will serve coffee and pastries (perhaps baklava?), and in the evening it looks like there will be plenty of delicious Greek food to purchase and consume while your newly purchased reading treasures sing to you impatiently from your bag. Apparently now there's a pub under the cafe and the bookstore, too. That's all well and good. Seattlest will probably go there again soon and eat Greek food, which we do love, but first we have to get over our disappointment about the loss of the Honey Bear.

That fireplace better still be there when we return, souvlaki or no.