This is a sight that the majority of the JMU student body never got to see. What is this, anyway? What you’re looking at here is the former Taylor Down Under Coffee Bar location, while they were in the process of moving it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Taylor Down Under (hereafter TDU), it’s a popular student hangout for JMU students, and is also the home of the Corner Pocket, and the office of Off-Campus Life. Up until last summer, the TDU Coffee Bar was located along the back wall of TDU, and it was visible from the main entrance for Taylor Hall. The coffee bar served coffee, misspelled cappuccino (it’s spelled “cappucinno” on the menu), cold drinks, various cakes and cookies, as well as biscotti. An A+ operation indeed. Now during the summer of 2000, the TDU Coffee Bar moved into a room off of the Corner Pocket. The large awning you see in the picture at left was placed over the entrance to the room, and the coffee bar in its entirety was moved into the other room. Now you may be thinking, what is the point of moving the coffee bar to a seemingly less visible location? Answer is, more options, as it appears that they have more space to work with now behind the counter and the new coffee flavors and styles, plus, there is one other advantage that has perhaps gone unnoticed by most. There’s seating! These are not the typical TDU seats, here. These are cute little coffee-bar seats. The tables are small and high up, and the chairs are high up to go with it. Goes to show that caffeine is not always as caffeine does. I love the TDU Coffee Bar, and I wish I had more time to grab a cup of joe there more often. The personal touch of having gourmet coffees made with a smile beats the vending machines any day.
