Patrons do homework and read papers at round wood tables tucked beneath enough giant palms to start a plantation. Adding to the visual appeal is a beautiful counter of deep-blue glazed tile. Listen to light jazz, munch a nonfat muffin or indulge in one of Grandma Hansen's wee olallieberry pies. These locally roasted beans underlie espressos made by top coffeehouses all over the county. A couple of tables outside provide seating for those who favor sun and nicotine or just want a view of Santa Cruz's wild and zany streetlife.
Students stake out study space in the back rooms, where many a seminar has been conducted.
The sprawl of alfresco seating practically cries out for intense existential debate. The Perg prides itself on being downtown's original coffeehouse, and the Dr. Miller Victorian in which it resides is a vintage gem. Thanks to a sea of tables hugging those historic brick walls, an enclosed courtyard for loud philosophical discussions and the largest bathrooms in town, this is a haven for the bookish and the studious. A required downtown pit stop, this long, narrow coffeehouse that fronts Bookshop Santa Cruz spills happily out into one of the top sidewalk cafe scenes in the area. Goddesses and mortals alike have taken to this bastion of matriarchal funque, where you're treated well, fed well and provided with that all-important caffeine jolt to boot.