Gary Syck Every year, in November, I join friends and family for a trip to a secret location in the San Juan Islands. The adventure starts in the dark, with a drive up to Anacortes to catch a ferry to Friday Harbor. This year, the weather was cold and rainy. We had a 20 minute wait in line - just enough time for a latte. The bad news was that the coffee in the ferry terminal is terrible. Still, it was hot, so we reluctantly headed in. That was when my daughter spotted Dockside - a mobile booth set up next to the holding area. We made an immediate course correction.
There was fruit in baskets out front, all the usual coffee add-ons on a counter and a window where an enthusiastic barista greeted us. He bantered his way through taking our orders and assured us that we would have our drinks in (Checks the order list) "Three minutes and twenty eight seconds."
I did not time him, but it was not long before I had my hands warming around a latte that tasted great. Several of the people we would meet on the boat to our secret location joined us to catch up on personal news and drink coffee. Before we knew it, the tannoy blared the announcement that it was time to load. What a great way to pass the time.
I have a few more trips planned this Winter and I am looking forward to the Dockside part of those trips.
