Tokyo

Don't know what this place is like at peak times, but in the off hours it's quite a cozy little crow's nest. In gothic style. Velvety red and darkly poetic is the basic idea. Plenty of books around to skim through or get intimate with--heavy concentration on the Beat era. A good setting for deep sociological discussions, or late-night political rants.

We'd passed by a number of times, and were both attracted to and repelled by the place. Thought it might be cheesy, though that four-story spiral staircase to the top looked kinda cool. Turned out to be a pretty mellow spot when we finally stopped in. Nice visuals.