The new 21st century caffeine-fueled Cafe Society continues to hold us firmly in its grip. They say the working class used to drink beer as a way of life in the industrial era. Beer probably eased the pain of spending hours on the assembly line, fighting off monotony and the dreadful sounds of large machines pressing steel into products for 19th and 20th century industrial expansion. Consumer society developed out of the products of those factories. We've moved the factories to Asia. Now most people sit at desks in cubicles. They tap out a living on keyboards. Or maybe they work in restaurants or at hair salons. Coffee and conversation are the new fuel nourishing American enterprise. You may change your job every few months in the "gig economy," but one thing you can count on is your coffee house-- and the company of your friends.
Austin, Texas must be a key pixel of light, one of the epicenters for the New Economy. Lots of high tech in Austin. Dell Computers, now just Dell, flourishes down the road in Round Rock. Apple has a strong presence as does Samsung, Google and the video game industry. This is one of those places where Creatives move downtown or buy houses and refurb them into wonderful modern living spaces. Austin is bustling with energy and youthful passion and ideas. Idea City as one advertising firm had it. But back to the coffee.
Thunderbird Coffee, located at 1401 Koenig Lane in north central Austin, has a bright airy atmosphere, a downright cheery environment. Customers feel comfortable, singly or in groups of 2-3 to sit, study their laptops and/or engage in conversation for fairly long visits. The L-shaped parking lots handles about 10 spaces out front and 5 spaces on the side, and always seems to be filled. The capacity of the shop is decent and larger tables invite communal sharing of space. Thunderbird seems more geometric in its layout than even Monkey Nest (reviewed in previous blog). The tables line-up perfectly, one row backs up against the large bank of windows. The nearby tables are slightly raised and the contrast in height of the sitting areas adds charm to the orderly arrangement. A few more tables, closer to the barista bar area round out the indoor seating. There is a small outdoor area with comfortable bolsters on a wrap-around bench, very nice on comfortable days.
I ordered lattes on two separate visits to Thunderbird. I found them a little milkier, frothier than Monkey Nest lattes. Maybe a bit too milky on my second visit. First time I got the ceramic mug, offered to customers planning to stay, and it has the awesome leaf design arranger in milk resting on the coffee. The barista on the second visit gave me a slightly perfunctory vibe. She automatically poured my drink into the paper cup of the "to-go" customer, even though I planned to sit down and work on this article. On the first visit I noticed a chalk rendition of a breakfast muffin on the board above the barista area, very impressive with vibrant orange-yellow colors, a regular Picasso of the chalk board. These are the subtle pleasures of the modern cafe society.
All in all, I like Thunderbird. It's fun to overhear conversations from neighbors and a treat to be able to sit at a comfortable wooden table with your writing and/or reading. And, as a local, I know the derivation of the name. A pharmacy was the previous business located in the building, but as painters prepared for applying the new identity-- an early incarnation of the building made itself known... a car dealership. The dealership must have sold Ford cars as the name Thunderbird appeared, a ghost sign still visible on the edifice. Hence, the new name for the new business rose like a phoenix from the old.
And now the new cafe society rises again in Austin, Texas-- a town which probably served nothing much better than truck stop coffee from 1900-1980. Times have changed and the coffee has become much better.
