Uther D.'s
Cuba Street in Five Cups of Coffee
- 115Arthur's On CubaWellington CentralYou can get way more than just coffee at Arthur’s but there is a nice, crinkly serenity to sitting at their upstairs window with a long black and watching the world go by.
- 249Fidel's CafeTe AroOne of the few Wellington institutions that lives up to the hype, the coffee is good, the decor is nice and sitting outside on a sunny day with flat white is a dream.
- 332OliveTe AroI like to sit in the very front tables, the ones that seem to be right inside the window-nook-things, and pretend that I’m a living foyer display.
- 412Plum CafeTe AroIf you squint, the seating arrangement could basically be that of a Victorian era orphanage mess hall. Which I think is what the kinds are into these days, right? (The coffee is good too and the service is always speedy. Also, Wifi!)
- 521Let the hipness rub off on you by osmosis and you soy latte your way through an afternoon.
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Where to buy your books
- 130Unity Books WellingtonWellington CentralAh, Unity Books, like a giant literature womb, warm and welcoming at the cusp of Cuba and Courtney. If they don’t have it, you don’t want it.
- 213Pegasus BooksTe AroRespectful and delightfully austere in a lot of ways, the recently moved Pegasus books is a beautiful curated book emporium, striking just the right balance in their stock of quality over quantity.
- 315Arty Bee's BooksWellington CentralA bustling market of pre-loved paperbacks. I’ve wasted many a good hour trying very hard to buy the whole contents of the place. Also, two or three times a year you can play the fund game of working out what the required readings at VUW and Massey were that trimester from what books there are suspiciously large amounts of.
- 43The Children's Book ShopKilbirnieI should be a lame buzz and put - Not just for kids! At the top of this. But that’d be boring. The Children’s Book Shop is for kids, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find stuff to like in there. We all know a million pieces of fiction for young’uns that are just as interesting and satisfying for adults, there are more and more of those than you’d think. And the Children’s Bookshop is the place to find them. Take a kid too though. Or it looks a bit weird.
Uther D.'s
Where To Be Seen Seeing Films
- 112Light House CubaWellington CentralTucked snugly down an alley, the Light House Cuba is your inner city destination for an intimate art house experience.
- 210Paramount CinemaTe AroA steadfast fixture on the Wellington cinema landscape, surrounded on almost all sides by bigger, more commercial cinemas, this pokey fighter in the centre of Courtney Place is always the secret, true heart of the film festival, and is home to the weekly Film Society which every true Wellington Cineast should be a member of.
- 317Roxy CinemaMiramarThe Rozy is the apex of Wellington’s embracing of the high art-low art dichotomy, a high art venue for the lower art entries into the cinematic canon. While far from schlocky, there is something delightful and confusing about the sound of explosions and gunline and pithy oneliners ringing the beautifully restored deco halls.
- 44Penthouse Cinema & CafeBrooklynWay up in the breast of Brooklyn, the Penthouse is another old reliable venue, filled as much with memories of past visits as it is with the more robust and mature entries in the festival and art house canon.
- 56New Zealand Film ArchiveTe AroYou know the films are great because the seats are so uncomfortable.
Uther D.'s
Cafe's I'm Not Cool Enough To Frequent But Hopefully You Are
- 120The glittery sci-fi coffee contraptions are both profoundly alluring and often quite daunting. The sheer glowing intelligence of the baristas and the considered decor make this a cafe so beautiful you fear touching it in case you leave a stain.
- 221It’s probably been there forever now but it still feels like a new arrival, oozing hipness and great coffee in equal measure. The kinda of cafe where in twenty years we’ll discover that geniuses first met at and talked about their favourite National tracks. I think I’m just cool enough to maybe sit outside it but the tables are at weird angles so that’s a bit out of the question.
- 333Flight Coffee HangarTe AroFeeling more like the setting of a charming Dutch short film about hyper-intelligent coffee connoisseurs than an actual place you could actually visit, the Hangar is so swish they actually sell notebooks designed specifically for coffee tasting. Which is amazing and exactly the kind of thing I’d own if I were nearly cool enough to be the kind of person that goes to the Hangar.
- 47Mojo Coffee Old BankTe AroThis is where I’d drink coffee if I had a real job. Just the kind of place people who really know what they’re doing with their life float through and get their morning cups of joe without even thinking about it because they can function normally and don’t obsessively worry about whether or not they’re cool enough to go into certain cafes.
Uther D.'s
The Wellington Theatre Scene
- 112BATS TheatreMount VictoriaIt’ll be 25 in 2014 but it doesn’t look a year over 10, BATS is the fast-beating heart of the young Wellington theatre scene. This co-op based theatre, where anyone - even you - could put on a show for basically no money, is where everyone gets their start. And while the shows that are on maybe on then more shaky side of good, the experimentation, passion and cheap ticket prices more than make up for it. Always lively, BATS is always worth checking out.
- 22Downstage Theatre TrustTe AroIf BATS is the scrappy 18 year old brother, Downstage is the aloof by still smart later-20s sister. Finding all the smart slick shows from around the city and around the country and gives them a second life in the hallowed and intricate Hannah Playhouse. These shows might be a little too cool at times, but there’s always something to think about at the end of them.
- 35Circa Theatre IncTe AroIf BATS and Downstage are the cool kids, Circa is the wise, hip parents. The elder statesmen (at least in feel and tone, Downstage and Circa match each other in actual years) of the scene, Circa’s work will made and well-honed like a solid leather shoe. Their market may skew a bit old, but they are serving their audience what they want the way they want it and props to them for that.
- 45Capital EWellington CentralCapital E has many arms and one of them is being the national theatre for children. Producing some of the most interesting, dynamic and well-made content for children in this country across all media, Capital E’s shows are often so well done that grown-ups have been known to have just as good a time as the littlies.
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Cafes for Smokers
- 149Fidel's CafeTe AroAs of writing this I am 57 days without a cigarette and hard as it is the thing that makes me the saddest is that I now have fewer reasons to sit in Fidel’s wonderful out the back or out the side smoking areas. They’re charming, cosy, and welcoming. I was able to while away wonderful hours filling my lungs with hideous poison gas. What a wonderful place to be for such a terrible reason.
- 232OliveTe AroThe little garden out the back of Olive where the smokers cluster is maybe my favourite little cafe nook in the city. When I’m strong enough I’ll be venturing back their for the sun, the fresh air and maybe a few illicit sniffs of cancer stick fog. It will be torture, it will be bliss. I have had many a wide roaming conversation over a million little coffin nails in that garden.
- 327EspressoholicTe AroThe main let down of some of the entries on this list so far is that they very prone to Wellington’s famously erratic weather. Espressoholic’s two smoking areas are both well covered so if are desperate for your gaspers but aren’t strong enough to brave the rain then Espressoholic is the place for you.
- 436Midnight EspressoWellington CentralThis entry on the list is for the ex-smokers as there is no real smoking area at Midnight Espresso. There is, however, the seats by the front window through which much toxic, delicious smoke from near-by congregated smokers has been known to waft. It’s a good middle step (and also a great place to people watch) towards being free of the demon tobacco.