When I was a senior in high school, the only real subjects I studied were the required government/economics and English classes, along with AP Spanish. The rest of my day was spent in 5 different music classes. Additionally, I had a free period, and twice a week, I would spend those 2-3 morning hours with my friend, Thomas J.
Thomas was a year below me in school but had left early and taken the GED. This meant that he had a lot of free time, so when he wasn’t working at the movie theater, we made a tradition of spending these mornings together. Sometimes he would pick me up after zero period band, or other times I would drive out to his part of town. We would often go to Deaf Dog Coffee or Sonoma Bagel Company to get bagels and coffee, and then chill, or go on adventures.
During this year, we were particularly close, and when I think back to senior year, I remember many of the heart-to-heart talks over coffee. I have been a coffee drinker since I was young, and the older I got, the more I discovered how much potential it had to be a social thing. Of course not many teenagers are avid coffee drinkers, but Thomas was, and that made it a special thing we shared together.
It’s now 11 years later. Thomas is married and has two kids and is living in Portland. Meanwhile, I am living on another continent, and our lives have diverged quite a bit. I still consider him a friend, but time and distance and life have changed things. One thing that hasn’t changed is Thomas’ love of coffee. And so while on vacation here in Helsinki, when he recommended that I check out Good Life Coffee (which he visited on a recent trip here), I knew I had to.
The shop is located in a somewhat unassuming building that–from far away–made me think it was a laundromat, with its signage and big, open window. But once I stepped inside, I felt right at home. The design inside is clean, with bold patterns and colors, but not overwhelming. There is also plenty of seating inside and out. They carry coffees from the Nordic countries, as well as heart from Portland. Indie posters from bands like Monsters of Folk, Iron and Wine, and Andrew Bird line the wall, but the music playing was some kind of hip-hop. As for the coffee, they have iced coffee, served in mason jars! I guess you could say that Good Life reminded me of all the things I love about coffee shops back home, and it would probably be a regular hang out for me if I lived in Helsinki.
Good Life Coffee
Kolmas Linja 17
00530 Helsinki
Finland
Monday-Friday: 8:30am-6pm
Saturday: 10am-5pm
Sunday: 12pm-4pm