Last Friday, my boyfriend and I went to the Bitter End Coffee House in Downtown Grand Rapids. It’s open 24/7, but I didn’t think that would amount to anything. Come to find out, it was the place to be on a Friday night. We had the strangest experience and saw the most diverse group of individuals. It was unlike anything I had ever witnessed.
The entire time, Shane kept saying how this was a “night we would remember.” I was beyond exhausted and not fully submerged in the experience, but this did not make me blind to what was going on. It truly did feel like a movie. It felt as though we were watching an indie film unfold right before our eyes. Here were the cast members...
The barista: one of the best conversationalists I have ever met… but definitely hyped up on more than caffeine
The couples: there were three “normie” young white couples spending time together over coffee
The ukulele player: a girl with her ukulele (super drunk), accompanied by the tallest gay man and the frumpiest male sidekick
The card sharks: four black men, all in their seventies, playing what we think was rummy, **for hours on end
The gamer: a modern day hippie with dirty long brown hair playing Clash (or something to that effect that Shane identified immediately)
The cross dresser: a man in full drag, complete with a dress, makeup, and floor length coat
The college guys: two “dudes” in flannels studying silently on their Macs
The nerd: an odd looking 25ish year old reviewing never ending med school material, probably a student at MSU’s campus in Downtown GR
The homeless man: a literal hobo wearing neon orange skinny jeans carrying his belonging and staring into the shop with crazy, darting eyes, never passing the doorway
There are so many more characters that I am forgetting, but basically, if you are looking for some high quality people watching and disgustingly strong (hence the name) coffee, head on over to the Bitter End in GR for some Friday night sights.