When I first moved to Phoenix, I was looking for a coffeehouse that was open late. I searched online and saw that the CounterCulture Cafe was just a couple miles down the road from my apartment and was open 24 hours to boot. Free Wi-Fi? Added bonus.
So I headed down there. I didn't really know which side to enter from so I went in through the door facing McDowell...and walked into a performance of a local artist named Serene Dominic who was singing to crowd of teenagers, mostly dressed in black. I then watched the show and found a couch in the middle room with my laptop. I've been there a number of times since.
CCC is definitely a community center of sorts. You get the sense that a lot of folks who don't fit into the mainstream Phoenix scene are really attached to this place as their bastion to be with other like-minded people (hence, CCC lives up to its name). The crowd skews younger - teens/early 20's. Full calendar of events, including spoken word on Wednesdays and loud punk/rock bands other nights.
The service is pretty friendly, but the coffee is just so-so. People also smoke inside, which isn't that great. Although it's not really my scene and I feel old coming here (though no one makes me feel uncomfortable), CCC is a definitely an asset to the young folks who shake their fists at the rest of Phoenix. Definitely gave me hope that not all of the interesting places in this town were going to be found in a strip mall sandwiched between Domino's and your friendly neighborhood check cashing center.