Posted 2 years, 1 month ago mid-afternoon by oso
At the City Council meeting when I stood up in front of all who had gathered and pleaded my case to not allow some jackass corporate developer tear down Miracles Cafe and put up a two-story business complex in its place, said jackass corporate developer assured everyone that the development would still be a community meeting place just like Miracles. Of course, I knew then that he was full of shit. Miracles was something special. It was one of the few spaces where people of all generations and all types – hipsters, skaters, surfers, jocks, and everything in between – felt comfortable getting together, watching the sunset, shooting the breeze. It was a place worth fighting for, but there weren’t enough people willing to fight for it.
Now I’m back in Cardiff after years of being away. I’m at the library. I need to get work done. But first I needed a cup of coffee. That 30 minute early afternoon coffee break is an important time for me. A time to relax, recharge, flip through the local paper, overhear locals’ conversations, and feel part of the community. But now there’s no place to do that here. No more Miracles. Just a thin hallway of a Starbucks that was perfectly designed to get as many customers in and as many customers out as quickly as possible. At least the girl behind the register was cute.
― Hi there, what can I get for you?
― Hi. A double espresso poured long please.
― Poured … long?
― Yeah, if you could just keep the water running a couple extra seconds.
― Um, actually, we just press a button. Everything is in pods.
So depressing. At least she didn’t try to correct me and say doppio instead of double. So I take my wimpy little one and a half shots with me and walk silently pass the crowds of soccer moms and soccer dads with their starbucks cup in one hand and cell phone in the other.
The Save Miracles Cafe petition is still online, with almost 1,000 signatures. Here are a few:
Miracles cafe has been very friendly not only to locals but also to people from all over the world. And these people from different parts of the world often have created beautiful friendships with locals – Americans. Getting to know Americans over the coffee is much more real and nicer than though the World news. Don’t you think so, too?
miracles is the only soul of cardiff; everyone i know loves miracles and would be terribly upset if it were removed
I’d lived on Manchester Ave. from ‘87 to ‘91. Used to walk to Miracles and sit and enjoy my Espresso while gazing over the beautiful surf. I’ve taken my NYC wife to Miracles several times when we’ve visited. It’s exactly the kind of place that says “California” to visitors. What’s California left with if it loses its culture?
I surfed Cardiff Reef for 5 years while active in the Marine Corps, after each of my 3 combat tours in Iraq, I found comfort in arriving at Miracles after a morning session. I now live in Wisconsin and study forestry yet I long for my next surf trip to Cardiff and lunch at Miracles…please dont take this therapudic tool from an old combat Vet…..
Miracles Cafe offers a unique place in this world. It is not just a location but a home away from home for many of different ages, working classes, ethnic groups and friends. Miracles has given Cardiff its quaint down-to-earth feel in the midst of the fast-paced commercial development. I would not want to imply that I am against change, but rather that I support the preservation of a home that has brought me such warm feelings, strong friendships and fond memories. I believe Cardiff would suffer in character and charm without this cafe that’s been a part of it for so long. It would be a shame to deprive the people of such a place.
Miracles Cafe is one of the reasons that I love the Cardiff / Encinitas beach area. It’s one of the few areas in all of San Diego that still has a sense of community, and Miracles is a very strong part of that. It would be a shame to contribute to the de-flavoring of a city that already has been plagued with too much of that already.
