So, with my home base being 2nd avenue and 7th street, I figured that I wouldn’t get to over-zealous and stretch too far for my first review! Please feel free to let me know if you need any additional information from me to really paint a picture of any of the establishments that I’ll be venturing to!

Let me just say this place is cool. Mismatched tables and chairs, Christmas lights strung from the ceiling, and the staff is as friendly as possible. This might also be a good time to mention that this place is owned by the same couple who own “Orlogio” a cute and cheap ($7 brunch, hello!) Italian place up on 10th and A. Cafe Pick Me Up has a very relaxed and mellow vibe. No one expects you to suck down your drip and roll on out in a hurry. It has a more chill European vibe.

The crowd here is a hodgepodge of the young and unemployed pounding away on screenplays and accounting homework (don’t worry, college kids) on their laptops, and an older crowd reading newspapers and books talking about Siddartha and some Bodi Tree. While the atmosphere is AWESOME, it’s just not practical from a “work on a project for 15 hours” perspective. There is NO FREE INTERNET at this place, which is really tradgic. Being an interactive designer (where internet access is a necessity…) it’s like flipping on a kill switch.

It’s like a desert mirage, “Look water, trees, an OASIS in a dreary desert of futility!” You run to it, only to find sand…

This is the street shot, Cafe Pick Me Up is located on East 9th and Avenue A.

This all being said, Cafe Pick Me Up is a wonderful place to sit and read and not be bothered, not so much for working. The atmosphere is contagious, the coffee is awesome, and the tea is top-notch. The whole “no free internet” thing really, REALLY leaves a bad taste in my mouth. A large iced coffee will run you about $3.

It's cool, but the "no free WiFi" sucks.