Elysian II

New body, same soul.

The second Elysian is finally open, on the corner of Broadway & Ash. For anyone who was confused about the post I made just over a month ago entitled, “Act II“, this is what I was referring to.

I’m not going to ‘review’ the new Elysian or anything like that, so I’ll let the pictures do the speaking and throw in my little sub-thoughts in no particular order.

2 Clovers.

3 group Synesso – no surprise. I like how it’s recessed into the counter.

My favorite thing about it is the height of the ceiling. It’s really low, which usually is not cool, but since the space is so wide, the combination of the two gives it a totally panoramic feel. Then, exaggerating that effect is the entire front wall which is a giant span of windows with seats that leaves you with a wicked widescreen view of Broadway to people-watch through.

From a bird’s eye view, the cafe would look like an L. That window with the bar is the long part of the L, and the picture below would be the base. See that photograph in the top right? Alistair took that himself in El Salvador. It’s really big. Like, my arm’s span big. And you need to see it life size to get the full effect of it, so I don’t want to ruin it by putting a mini version here.

If you are a small child, this is what your view of the same area looks like.

While we were there we had some of JJ’s Aricha No.34 on the clover.

All the counters are made of bamboo.

They said there is still a lot more to come in terms of decor and ’special features’, so I’m sure even the next time I go it will be different – but it already has a great feel to it. Also, they’ve already amassed quite the barista squad. You might recognize some of baristas when you go, more than a few of them have switched over from other cafes around the city. I’d be willing to bet that there will be a more converting as they make their way over to see it.

For anyone wondering what Elysian actually means, it is the name for the final resting place for souls of heroes and the virtuous in Greek Mythology. It can also mean blissful, or delightful.

Makes it that much better, doesn’t it?