Coffee, Tea, Baby?

Sometimes in order to get out of the house, I need to offer myself a reward.  A good cup of coffee will be enough.  So I loaded the baby into the stroller for yet another adventure downtown…this time to Steel City Coffeehouse.  I’ve always loved Steel City, but I think I love it more now under new management.  They threw a new coat of fun colored paints on the walls; rearranged the tables to add more (yet it still seems like there is more room than before); and finally cooked up a new menu that includes my favorite meal: dessert.  The coolest thing about the new menu is that they have Klondike bars now.  I want a photo of my daughter in her bear suit crawling toward the Klondike bar; it would be Facebook worthy.

I digress.  Steel City Coffeehouse also offers musical shows.  I have yet to take a baby to one of these....but I’m considering it (much to the chagrin of fellow concert goers).  If you have taken a baby to one of these shows, please let me know how it went.  I remember it getting pretty packed in there during concerts, I’d like to know if it would be a total disaster to bring my little one. 

Stroller Accessibility   4  There are no stairs to navigate getting into the café; and you can get the stroller up to the counter.  However, you won’t be able to get the stroller past the main aisle, so expect your seating to be more limited.

Dirty Diaper Changing  3 There is no diaper changing station, but you do have two private unisex bathrooms to choose from.  You can throw a changing pad on the floor and get the diaper changed in private.

Family Friendliness  3  There’s a kid’s menu with healthy options, but I haven’t seen a high chair around.  The place attracts a fair amount of teenagers, that could be both good and bad.

Nursing Possibilities  3  There are some comfy seats in the place, but they aren’t really in private places to nurse.  I think I would take a bottle instead. 

Overall, I think Steel City is baby friendly during the day when it’s incredibly mellow in there.  So enjoy your cup of java, my fellow mamas! 

The Things That I Used to Do....

The hardest part of becoming a parent so far has been trying to adapt an old life (free of diapers, strollers, and bottles) with a new life that includes all the above.  One of my favorite loves of Phoenixville is it's coffee shops.  Yesterday, my husband and I attempted to merge our love of a good latte with our love of our daughter. 

After waiting three hours for our baby to eat, sleep, and poop we finally got her bundled up and ready to go to Artisan's Gallery and Cafe.  Since we live in town, we decided to make this a stroller day and walked down a few blocks to the coffee shop.  Of course, she falls asleep almost instantly once we hit the rocky terrain called a sidewalk. It's easy to take a sleeping baby around town.

Now I've debated how I should "review" businesses for new parents, and I'm going to base it on certain criteria that every parent needs to know on a scale of 1-5. (1 = poor and 5 = awesome)

Stroller Accessibility:  4 There are no stairs leading into the establishment, which is a bonus, but if it's packed with customers forget about getting the stroller to the counter past all the tables and chairs.

Dirty Diaper Changing (DDC): 4 While there is no changing table, the bathroom is a clean room with a lockable door.  If you put a changing mat on the floor, you could change the baby in peace. 

Family-Friendly Ambience: 3 The place doesn't scream "Welcome Babies," as clientelle tends to be the 20-something crowd connected to a laptop.  I wouldn't take a toddler in as there are too many pieces of pottery to potentially break.  But for a baby confined to a stroller or parents' arms, it's a not overly stimulating place to chill for a while. 

Nursing Possibilities:  3 Now, I'm not big on public breastfeeding...I'll bring a bottle of milk before I whip out a boob, but if I absolutely had to nurse I would say that the space is a little small and intimate.  There are some comfy chairs that would make nursing easier, but you might be sitting a mere foot away from a stranger with your nipple exposed.  However, that person might be so engrossed in his/her laptop they'd never notice!  There are not many places to descreetly "hide" and feed (like a back of the store table), but again the bathroom might work in a pinch if you don't mind sitting on the toilet. 

Overall the experience at Artisan's was quite enjoyable.  We enjoyed a little piece of our old lives combined with a little piece of our new one.  Of course, our conversation wasn't as much about politics as it was about how cute our daughter is, but that's to be expected: we're new parents!