| rev:text
| - Escape gets a B for effort but a D for execution. I understand that the move to the bizarre new location was one of necessity and not choice, but that doesn't make drinking coffee, studying or knitting there any more appealing or comfortable.
I don't consider myself any kind of connoisseur, but I agree with another reviewer that the coffee tastes sort of bitter and strange. I've also had friends complain about the temperature of the coffee (that is, it isn't hot enough). They no longer offer the delicious pastries from Stella's bakery, although I admit that the Copp's store-brand treats they now have seem slightly fresher than the Stella's did. At least they seem to be serving tea again -- iced tea, anyway. I have a friend who swore she'd never go back after the owner told her they would no longer be serving tea and were focusing on coffee only (this was months ago). They seem to be constantly running out of stuff -- there was no Splenda or whipped cream the last time I was there.
The space and atmosphere are the true problems with the place. The new location is, as I said, very weird and uncomfortable. While the old location was definitely weird, at least it was comfy and homey with soft chairs and tables that didn't look like they were about to collapse. Not as much can be said for the new, smaller location. It's like drinking coffee in an abandoned warehouse. The floors are hard and cold. The tables and chairs are beyond rickety. There's apparently no air conditioning as the doors are kept constantly open, which means there are literally a dozen flies buzzing around you at any given time. And they require you to buy something if you want to access the slow internet -- for two hours at a time.
The constantly blaring jazz music is insufferable. INSUFFERABLE.
The space where you order your drinks/food is a mess. It all seems really dirty and utterly disorganized. The last two times I was there, the credit card machine wasn't working. The first time I ended up paying with a check; the second, I just didn't order (I was there with a knitting group). And speaking of dirty, the carpets in the main room are really disgusting. Are they ever vacuumed?
Some positives to consider: the staff is undoubtedly friendly and accommodating to the point that they can be given the limitations of the space and the recent move. There is outdoor seating. They offer a variety of weekly activities (movie night, open mic). They have been kind enough to accommodate our rather rowdy knitting group during their transitional period.
I have continued to go back to Escape despite the annoying music, the crappy service and the strange rules, but at this point I am just about done. I do still have a knitting group that meets there weekly, but how am I supposed to even buy a drink if the credit card machine isn't working?!
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