Aaron Jorgensen, senior director for network student affairs, recommends a groundbreaking coffee shop next to a lush, outdoor spot to sip a latte.
Ten years ago, Aaron Jorgensen and his new husband made a cross-country move to Seattle. He’d spent his life to that point on the East Coast, but the Pacific Northwest hub had always “called” to him.
“I knew people who lived out here, and they agreed it would be my vibe,” says Jorgensen, who serves as senior director for student affairs across Northeastern University’s network campuses.
One of the many things Jorgensen loves about his adopted hometown is the coffee culture. For decades, the birthplace of Starbucks has been at the cutting edge of how people take their morning brew; cafés there serve up concoctions that tend to go nationwide later on, from specialty espresso drinks to iced coffee seltzers.
To taste a bit of that coffee history, he recommends Espresso Vivace, a 10-minute walk from Northeastern’s Seattle campus. Founded in 1988, it’s famous as the first U.S. coffee shop to serve latte art — the milk foam flowers and leaves that decorate the top of espresso drinks and are now a routine feature of high-end coffee establishments across the country.
“I think it’s really cool that you can get this piece of Seattle history,” he says. “It’s one of the older cafés in the city, and it’s renowned as a barista favorite.”
An added selling point: Café Vivace is right next to the flagship store for outdoor retailer REI, which boasts a lush, miniature park complete with a waterfall right in Seattle’s bustling Pioneer Square.
“It feels like you’re in the woods, so you can have a nice little mini retreat while you drink your coffee,” says Jorgensen.