Cortado & Squid | Quiet Conversations for Sleep

In this episode of The Insomnia Project, a relaxing sleep podcast for insomnia, Marco and Amanda invite you to settle in for a calm conversation that drifts through coffee culture, neighbourhood wanderings, and the curious pleasure of defining everyday things. What begins with a stroll through Geary Avenue—one of the hip neighbourhood pockets near where they live—slowly unfolds into a surprisingly deep dive into the world of coffee. Marco shares the etymology of the cappuccino, which naturally leads the hosts down a conversational side street toward the cortado and other café curiosities.
Along the way, the episode becomes something of a gentle exploration of definitions—some accurate, some enthusiastic attempts—as the hosts reflect on the meanings and origins of words, drinks, and ideas. Amanda shares how she prefers to enjoy her cappuccino, the hosts ponder the New England Pour, and Marco offers his take on what exactly makes a cortado a cortado.
The conversation continues to wander through Geary Avenue’s changing landscape, including the rezoning of industrial areas and the character of neighbourhood spaces. Guest Jennifer joins the discussion to talk about her work as a Field Visual Merchandising Manager for clothing stores in Canada, offering a glimpse into the creative and practical thinking behind retail displays. She also shares a few approachable fashion tips and explains some of the things to consider when thinking about bringing Maine Coon cats into your home.
As always, the episode meanders comfortably through curious topics—from coffee terminology to neighbourhood observations and even a playful debate about Boston squid—creating the kind of relaxed, low-stakes conversation that helps quiet your mind. It’s perfect bedtime listening for anyone looking to unwind, slow their thoughts, and gently fall asleep.
Sneak peek moments in this episode include Amanda mentioning The Arbournaut by Meg Lowman, Marco tracing the origins of the cappuccino and somehow arriving at the word “cupola,” a discussion of how Amanda takes her cappuccino, the hosts exploring the New England Pour, Marco defining a cortado, a look at the character of Geary Avenue and the Boston squid debate, and Amanda reflecting on the rezoning of industrial neighbourhood spaces.
If you enjoy calm conversations about everyday curiosities—from coffee drinks to neighbourhood observations—press play and spend a quiet moment with us.
• Visit our website: theinsomniaproject.com

​Cortado & Squid
(Original airdate: November 3, 2021)

>> Marco Timpano: Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a calm, mundane conversation. And hopefully that will let you drift off and find your way to sleep. Or at least bring you to a state of relaxation. Or at least you know that we are here with you. I'm your host, Marco Timpano, and I'm joined by.


Amanda Barker: There were four lumberjacks at our house last week

>> Amanda Barker: Here I am again, Amanda Barker.

>> Marco Timpano: And Amanda, last week's show, we talked about maples and the Manitoba maple. And one of our listeners, reached out to me and said, oh, I really enjoyed that. Her father is an arborist. And Jess told me that she refers to him as a lumberjack.

>> Amanda Barker: Well, then, Jess, I stand corrected. I guess it was three lumberjacks that we had at our house last week.

>> Marco Timpano: There was actually four.

>> Amanda Barker: There were four.

>> Marco Timpano: There was four. Oh, yeah, there were four. There were. There were four.

>> Amanda Barker: The guy in the tree.

>> Marco Timpano: The guy in the tree.

>> Amanda Barker: The guy we first spoke to. Yes, the older dude.

>> Marco Timpano: And one other guy who.

>> Amanda Barker: And one other guy that liked espresso without milk.

>> Marco Timpano: That's right. We gave them espressos. cappuccinos, actually. Amanda, another one of our listeners. I'm just gonna be talking about listeners, it seems mentioned, that she is this arborist.

>> Amanda Barker: Part two. No, no, we're gonna do more arboring.

>> Marco Timpano: But if you are an arborist, I would love to have you on the podcast because maybe I should see if I could get Jess dad on the podcast.

>> Amanda Barker: You know what? A book has just come out that I've been trying to get, admittedly from the library called the Arbornaut, and it's about an arborist, and she does treetop trekking and very much tells, people that the best way to really foster a sense of appreciation in the environment with their children is to take them treetop trekking. I sort of caught the end of it on a program. So I've been looking for the book because it looks. Looked really interesting to me.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, wow.

>> Amanda Barker: So I share that recommendation. The Arbor. Arborknot.

>> Marco Timpano: The arborknot. Okay, well, if you've read the Arbornaut, tell us what you think of that.

>> Amanda Barker: I don't remember the author's name. maybe she's somebody you'd want to interview as well.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, well, listen. Yeah, I'll look it up in a moment.


One of our listeners said they enjoy when I talk about cappuccinos

so, Amanda, one of our listeners said they really enjoy when I talk about cappuccinos.

>> Amanda Barker: Oh, okay.

>> Marco Timpano: And so, you know, some people, when I talk about food, they're like, oh, it keeps my mind wandering, or I get hungry, but I'm only going to talk about cappuccinos. Now, you may know this, and our listeners may know this, but for those who don't, cappuccino gets its name from the Italian cappuccio, which means, hood. Oh, did you not know that?

>> Amanda Barker: No.

>> Marco Timpano: So Red Riding Hood is cappucciatorosso. Red hooded one, I guess. What? Red hooded,

>> Amanda Barker: And a, cupola. Cupola is.

>> Marco Timpano: No, is not. No, but like, the capuchin monks are the hooded monks. Cupola is like the cupola.

>> Amanda Barker: The, on top of a barn or something?

>> Marco Timpano: No, it's like the rounded roof of barn.

>> Amanda Barker: There was a barn in New Brunswick that had a. We used to drive by it. My mom would always say, I love that cupola. But now I don't know how we said it. I feel like I'm saying it wrong. I know I'm saying it wrong. I think she would say cupola. I know we said it wrong. And then I remember once you didn't correct me, actually. You just said you called it something else. And then I realized that's what it was called. Cupola Coppola.

>> Marco Timpano: No, cupola is, like, around a small room.

>> Amanda Barker: How do you say it?

>> Marco Timpano: Cupola.

>> Amanda Barker: Cupola.

>> Marco Timpano: Cupola, yeah. Cupola.

>> Amanda Barker: I think she would say cupola oh,

>> Marco Timpano: well, that sounds like an Anglicized version of it. But nonetheless, cupola is like a small round dome.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah.

>> Marco Timpano: So, like, you know, when you think of the,

>> Amanda Barker: So that's what I was thinking. Hooded, round. You're doing the same thing with your fingers as you did with capuchin. For some reason, I thought maybe they were connected.

>> Marco Timpano: No, because it's peaked. It's like, peaked like a hood versus rounded like a,

>> Amanda Barker: And isn't that a type of monkey, too?

>> Marco Timpano: The capuchin monkey? Ah, yeah. Because, you know, I think if you watch Friends, Ross's monkey is a capuchin monkey. And it's because its cap, is a different color.

>> Amanda Barker: Who wrote in that he had a pet monkey in that show? Like, who thought, oh, you know what would be really funny? A monkey That.

>> Marco Timpano: I don't know.

>> Amanda Barker: Okay, that.

>> Marco Timpano: I don't know. One of the writers.

>> Amanda Barker: It was a real trope in the 80s, right?

>> Marco Timpano: Monkeys.

>> Amanda Barker: A man and his monkey.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh,

>> Amanda Barker: Like, wasn't there a TV show? Wasn't Clint Eastwood.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, yeah, there was. Well, yes.

>> Amanda Barker: Movie. It's like him and his buddy who just happens to be an orangutan.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah, every which way but loose.

>> Amanda Barker: We don't see those great buddy orangutan. It's probably buddy for the best simian comedies anymore.

>> Marco Timpano: It's probably for the best.

>> Amanda Barker: He's just a man, a truck and a monkey.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, my goodness.


My stomach right now is making noise. Normally, that's verboten on air

So Amanda is actually drinking a, ah, cappuccino that I made her.

>> Amanda Barker: Does that mean I can have a sip of it?

>> Marco Timpano: You can have a sip. Everybody will hear the tingling.

>> Amanda Barker: Normally, that's verboten on air, but here I go.

>> Marco Timpano: Well, the interesting thing is, whenever Amanda brings something into the studio to drink, it's filled with ice, so it just clinkety clanks. Or if you heard that just now,

>> Amanda Barker: There's a cappuccino here. I'll do it again.

>> Marco Timpano: No, you don't have to. I think they heard it the first time.

>> Amanda Barker: Oh, there it is. That's me putting the cup back into the saucer.

>> Marco Timpano: It's as if you try to make as much noise when you join the two together.

>> Amanda Barker: Listen. I make a lot of noise. My stomach right now is making noise. It's figuring itself out.

>> Marco Timpano: That's one of the funny things. When I edit our audio, I'll hear noises, growls and whatnot. And I'm like, oh, I can't take that out. It's just.

>> Amanda Barker: It's just the growling of my insides.

>> Marco Timpano: I'm getting some of the holiday episodes together, and there's one episode where it's like a lot of growling. I think whoever I was doing it with, we were eating or drinking eggnog. Yeah. So there's a lot of stomach growls and whatnot.

>> Amanda Barker: Mine is really crazy today. Sorry. There's one. Did you hear that?

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah, I heard. I certainly heard it.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah, that's because I'm dealing with my, I think swimmer's ear or an ear infection right now. So I'm taking some things to try and bring the swelling down.

>> Marco Timpano: Sure, sure.


How do you generally take your cappuccino

Well, usually we don't talk about ailments here on the insomnia project. Amanda, how do you generally. I just wanted to talk about cappuccino.

>> Amanda Barker: Okay.

>> Marco Timpano: How do you generally take your cappuccino?

>> Amanda Barker: What does that mean? With a smile.

>> Marco Timpano: How do you like it dressed?

>> Amanda Barker: What?

>> Marco Timpano: How do you like your cappuccino to be made? What do you like in it? Have you never heard those terms?

>> Amanda Barker: In terms of a cappuccino? How do I like it? It's not a turkey.

>> Marco Timpano: How do you take your coffee? That would be.

>> Amanda Barker: Well, coffee's different than cappuccino.

>> Marco Timpano: Well, cappuccino is a type of coffee.

>> Amanda Barker: My goodness. Let me just run you through all the versions of things I drink.

>> Marco Timpano: No, who said we were gonna do that?

>> Amanda Barker: Well, okay. Coffee is different than cappuccino. Which do you want me to answer?

>> Marco Timpano: Go, go. Tell us, tell us.

>> Amanda Barker: How do I take a cappuccino? well, I'm going through a sugar free syrup phase.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, I put sugar in that one.

>> Amanda Barker: Okay. Well, that's why it's so tasty. Maybe that's why my stomach is making all these noises. so every few months, I seem to order some sugar free syrup from, I'll just say it. From Amazon. so I have quite a collection going now of different flavors of sugar free syrup. I've noticed that if you use. You really have to use them sparingly or they can wreck a coffee.


Amanda has a heavy hand when she pours a drink

>> Marco Timpano: Something our listeners don't know is that Amanda has a heavy hand whenever she pours something into a drink. So if she ever makes you a cocktail, you will only need one for the night because it's going to be 90% hard liquor.

>> Amanda Barker: I call it a New England pour because my parents.

>> Marco Timpano: I actually called it New England pour because I saw.

>> Amanda Barker: No, I think I turned.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, did you.

>> Amanda Barker: Well, we call it a New England pour because my parents always. Well, not always, but they often, when they drink a cocktail, it's strong.

>> Marco Timpano: Well, I didn't realize that because I had only seen you pour when we have guests over a drink. And I would always be like, that's so much rum in that rum and Coke. Or that's so much vodka in that vodka and tonic. And you'd be like, what are you talking about? The proportions are wrong. And I would always watch our guests take a sip and their eyes would widen and they'd look at them.

>> Amanda Barker: I thought that was the proper expression when one takes a cocktail to have that little. Oh, my.

>> Marco Timpano: It's not. You're supposed to enjoy that.

>> Amanda Barker: I thought I was being a generous

>> Marco Timpano: host, so I just thought, okay, Amanda has a heavy pour, obviously. And then, I went to your cousin's wedding in Salem. Was it Salem?

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah, it was Salem. Yeah.

>> Marco Timpano: And I saw the bartenders pour me a drink, and it was like, oh, it's ingrained in you, from, I guess, a child when you see drinks being poured. so it's clear to me that New Englanders like, we like a stiff cocktail, I think.

>> Amanda Barker: And my parents always did whenever they had a cocktail, it was like, you know, you're having the cocktail for the liquor, I think was always the idea, not for the mix. And often they'll just drink things on the rocks, too. Like, they tend to be that type of people.

>> Marco Timpano: And I always believe you drink the cocktail for the joy of the combination of the alcohol with the mix.

>> Amanda Barker: You have it much more, right? I think you have. I, mean, that's a more balanced approach to any food or drink. But I won't say that I come from a balanced people. Okay, so, you know, more is more. So I think that's really where it comes from.


Tell me about your balanced coffees and how you take them

>> Marco Timpano: Okay, so tell me about your balanced coffees then. You were going to tell me about your coffees, how you take them.

>> Amanda Barker: Okay, so a cappuccino I've been mostly doing with, sugar free syrup. But I will tell you something. I do, and I don't know what this kind of coffee is called. So we will make espresso here in this house, and we'll often make enough for both of us and maybe a little more. Anyway, there's usually some espresso, left in the espresso maker so it goes cold quickly. And so I often will take. I don't like to waste. I'm also very frugal. Maybe again, as a New Englander, we don't waste anything. So.

>> Marco Timpano: That's true. That's very true.

>> Amanda Barker: I just don't like the idea of waste. So I do take the leftover Sorry, that's my stomach. Are you getting all of these noises?

>> Marco Timpano: I don't know. I'll only know once I edit it.

>> Amanda Barker: Let's hope they're soothing for someone. I take the leftover espresso, pour it into our Nescafe, like our little, frother. That will spin, froth and heat it up. I'll pour some sugar free syrup and then a bit of milk and froth the entire thing up versus just frothing up the milk.

>> Marco Timpano: I love that you called it an Escafe because that is not what it is.

>> Amanda Barker: Oh, no, I thought that's what it was called.

>> Marco Timpano: No, Nescafe is a. A brand.

>> Amanda Barker: I thought that was the brand of it. Nescafe. Isn't that what it says on it?

>> Marco Timpano: No, it's Aeroccino is what it is.

>> Amanda Barker: Where did I get Nescafe?

>> Marco Timpano: You're thinking of the, Nespresso machine. It's part of the Nespresso line of.

>> Amanda Barker: Is it, though?

>> Marco Timpano: This one that we have, it's an adjunct to that product.

>> Amanda Barker: Does it say Nescafe on it anywhere?

>> Marco Timpano: Well, Nespresso. I don't know if it's,

>> Amanda Barker: Well, whatever it is. The spinner thing.

>> Marco Timpano: Yes.

>> Amanda Barker: So I put all of them in together and, like, whip them all up ensemble.

>> Marco Timpano: Because it heats it as it froths. Yeah.

>> Amanda Barker: What would that coffee be called when you're frothing the entire thing together?

>> Marco Timpano: New England salvation. I don't know. Since you're trying to reuse it.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah, I don't know. But that's what I'll do in the afternoon to use up the leftover versus separately heating up the espresso again and separately heating up the milk. I'll just kind of put it all together and have a little whatever that is. But I don't know what it is. I don't know what that's called.

>> Marco Timpano: I don't think there's a term for taking old coffee and milk salvation and throwing it into a frother and heating it and reusing it.

>> Amanda Barker: Well, maybe there is and we just aren't aware, but, there's got to be. Coffee's been done every which way.

>> Marco Timpano: I mean, I could look it up.

>> Amanda Barker: What's with cortados? Everyone seems to be drinking cortados these days. Our friends, my sister. Everyone's like, oh, get me a cortado. What's with that?

>> Marco Timpano: Well, I think people want, They want the coffee and they want a bit of milk, but they don't want the volume that is associated with a cappuccino or latte. Latte in particular. And a cortato doesn't have as much foam as a cappuccino does. So for those people who want that.

>> Amanda Barker: Is that what it is? A cappuccino with less milk?

>> Marco Timpano: A cortado is like, espresso mixed with equal amounts of, warm milk. So the warm milk reduces the acidity in the coffee. Okay, so imagine you're getting a shot, let's say an ounce of espresso. You would then be getting an ounce of milk. Whereas in a cappuccino you're getting an ounce of, coffee, you're getting an ounce, maybe an ounce and a half of milk. And you're getting froth, an equal part of froth. So if you can measure froth in an ounce, which I don't think you can, let's assume you're getting an ounce of froth. So equal portions in a latte, you're just getting an ounce of coffee, two to two and a half, maybe even three ounces of hot milk and very little foam on top. So it's for the person who wants to balance the acidity of the coffee and doesn't want the volume that is associated with both the cappuccino and the latte.


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>> Amanda Barker: Okay, interesting.

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>> Marco Timpano: it's generally a stronger. It's a stronger, shot or hit of coffee than the delicate, well balanced coffee of a cappuccino and a latte, in my opinion.

>> Amanda Barker: Cool.

>> Marco Timpano: Does that make sense?

>> Amanda Barker: It does. My brain did that thing where it turns off for a bit.

>> Marco Timpano: I could see you kind of like.

>> Amanda Barker: Can you see you kind of had

>> Marco Timpano: it glazed over like you were done with listening to what I was saying.

>> Amanda Barker: I don't mean to be that person. What do you need?

>> Marco Timpano: I just want a sip of your coffee. I've been talking about coffee for you.

>> Amanda Barker: There was some weird mime and I didn't know what that was.

>> Marco Timpano: I did the international symbol of. Hand me your coffee.

>> Amanda Barker: Give me the coffee I made for you.

>> Marco Timpano: I have to Say it's a pretty decent coffee.

>> Amanda Barker: It's a delicious coffee. The real sugar really seals, the deal.

>> Marco Timpano: It's true.

>> Amanda Barker: but what was I gonna. What were we talking about?

>> Marco Timpano: Cortados and how everyone's drinking them.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah, I'll have to replay that. I missed the whole cortado thing. I don't know, you were telling me and I.

>> Marco Timpano: It's just equal parts coffee and milk. So it's a stronger, It's a stronger coffee drink is basically what I've said. Maybe you drifted off. You drifted off, like what we want our listeners to do.

>> Amanda Barker: You did well, that's what I was thinking. when people explain things to me, we should just do an episode where we explain games to people. Because I cannot stay with that conversation for three seconds. Someone's like, okay, here's how you play this game. Goodbye. My brain leaves the conversation.

>> Marco Timpano: We went to play a, board game with friends yesterday and there's always that element of when they lay out all the pieces of the game. And it's a bit overwhelming because you see so many dice, a bag to put the dice in.

>> Amanda Barker: The learning curve, what symbols mean, all

>> Marco Timpano: these little tokens with numbers on it. You're like, I'm never gonna learn this.

>> Amanda Barker: But you climb the hill and then once you climb the hill, it's fun.

>> Marco Timpano: Right?

>> Amanda Barker: But you gotta climb the hill of like, I don't know what I'm doing.

>> Marco Timpano: You also need friends who are patient and able to sort of walk you through it and not assume that you're gonna get it the first round.

>> Marco Timpano: And they just kind of like, I don't want to say hold your hand, but they guide you in a way that's really lovely. And that's what we did yesterday.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah, they were lovely. It was a lovely game. It was a nice time. They have a new office space and they thought, hey, why don't we christen the new office space with some gaming we should mention.


Geary Avenue only became hip in the last five years

>> Marco Timpano: So where we live in the city, there's a street that has become a very sort of hip and cool street that is within walking distance of where we are. And it's called Geary Avenue. And the interesting thing about Geary Avenue is it only became hip in the last five years. Prior to that it was just a street that had a lot of, car repair. What would you call those? Like automotive repair shops.

>> Amanda Barker: Automotive shops. There was a, A wholesale fish place.

>> Marco Timpano: Monger. Yeah, fish store.

>> Amanda Barker: But it wasn't even a monger. It was like where businesses get their fish.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah. So if you're a restaurant and you want your.

>> Amanda Barker: I'm in the business of fish. And so that's what it was like. You know what?

>> Marco Timpano: It's a great fish shop, by the way.

>> Amanda Barker: Is it?

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, it's wonderful.

>> Amanda Barker: Why don't we go there?

>> Marco Timpano: We should.

>> Amanda Barker: I would happily buy all the. Listen, New England. A, New England poor is based in fish.

>> Marco Timpano: They get Boston squid every week freshly flown to them.

>> Amanda Barker: I don't know if I'd want to eat a squid from Boston, but.

>> Marco Timpano: Okay, well, we get a lot of fish from those waters.

>> Amanda Barker: You want.

>> Marco Timpano: It's not the Boston Squid.

>> Amanda Barker: I want my fish like I want my people from Boston hard around the edges. A lobster is great. I don't know about a squid in those waters.

>> Marco Timpano: I'm just saying it's not in Boston harbor where they fish it. They fish it in the Atlantic. Yeah, but they call it. I think the squid is actually called Boston squid.

>> Amanda Barker: Those are my waters, man.

>> Marco Timpano: Amanda will eat anything that swims in the sea.


I think this happens in a lot of cities, and it's zoning

>> Amanda Barker: Can I tell you I'm watching this. I started watching this show called Saints and Strangers yesterday, which is because I thought there must be a TV show based on the Mayflower, based on those first years of the first settlers and. And the lineage that we learned in school, or I learned in school, anyway. And there is. And it's called Saint and Strangers. But what's crazy about it, it was filmed in. Because I was like, this does not look like Cape Cod to me.

>> Marco Timpano: Okay.

>> Amanda Barker: And it was filmed in South Africa, so that's why it does not look like Cape Cod.

>> Marco Timpano: So the Boston Squid is actually the name of the squid. The Loligo gahai. Cellophopod or cellopod. Oh, wow. I can never say that name. You know, that type of fish.

>> Amanda Barker: Back to GE or are we on Boston Squids now? It's a whole episode. I wanted to just say, because this happens in a lot of cities, and I think it comes down to zoning, I think. And there's a lot of Toronto that's like this. I think New York had this a lot, too. I think most cities do where something is zoned for industrial purposes.

>> Marco Timpano: Yes.

>> Amanda Barker: So again, automotive shops, squid wholesale shop. that place did have a little bakery, but, it was mostly. Not that. It was mostly very industrial kind of feel.

>> Marco Timpano: Oh. And that bakery was for the hardcore.

>> Amanda Barker: Like, for the people that worked in the industrial shops. And then what happens?

>> Marco Timpano: Often you're not getting cortados there.

>> Amanda Barker: No, you're not. although we've had cappuccinos there and they're not bad.

>> Marco Timpano: Well, now that it's become. Geary's become fancy.

>> Amanda Barker: Well, that's just it.

>> Marco Timpano: But I digress. Sorry, you were saying?

>> Amanda Barker: No, no. I don't know why this point is so important to me, but I think what happens is, and I'm thinking the meatpacking district in New York as well, where here you have a neighborhood that's considered pretty rough around the edges for whatever reason. And then what happens is, I mean, just by necessity, we need more places to live. There are more people in the city, the populations grow, People need places to live. And because of that, you lose that industrial zoning if it's kind of considered in the downtown, or in New York's case, if it's on Manhattan, you lose that industrial zoning and you start making it more residential. And as soon as that happens, then you see the cortados come in.

>> Marco Timpano: Right. Well, what I noticed about Geary. So Geary has all those automotive shops, the Boston Squid place. And it has the train tracks right next to it. Right. So it's a rough and tumble kind of place. Not to say that the people who lived around there were rough and tumble. It's just like you said, it was industrial.

>> Amanda Barker: But rough and tumble is, ah, like a flame to the moths that are hipsters. I mean, you just flock there and to artists.

>> Marco Timpano: I think what had happened was a brewery opened up in one of the old automotive shops and then a cool restaurant slash brewery. Place to like, listen to music opened up.

>> Amanda Barker: What? Really?

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah,

>> Amanda Barker: place to listen to music.

>> Marco Timpano: Dufferin. Oh, yeah, it was like the pizzeria place.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah, yeah. Right.

>> Marco Timpano: And so it became a funk place that people were all sort of going to.


Geary Avenue is still a neighborhood in transition

>> Amanda Barker: Back to your. I think we've addressed this, though, use of the word funk. You use it for a lot of different things.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah. When I want to say something's cool.

>> Amanda Barker: Funk, place.

>> Marco Timpano: I call it a funk place. Or funky. So not that they. And they probably did play funk music there too.

>> Amanda Barker: They probably did.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah. So anyways, I think those were the things that ignited the Geary Avenue place to go revolution. And then a cool little pasta shop opened up there. And there's a coffee, a real. A fancy coffee.

>> Amanda Barker: The Cortados. M. Moved in.

>> Marco Timpano: yes, the Cortados all moved in. Now it's.

>> Amanda Barker: They're a nice family.

>> Marco Timpano: And now it's a really interesting part of the city where locals go. I don't think it would be necessarily a tourist attraction.

>> Amanda Barker: No. Right. No, I don't think there's enough. And the Thing is, it's still. And the attraction of it is it is still a neighborhood in transition. There's still an automotive shop there.

>> Marco Timpano: There's three.

>> Amanda Barker: There's still wholesale Boston squid for all your Boston squid needs.

>> Marco Timpano: there's a place where.

>> Amanda Barker: But there's the best pasta. I mean, there's a place where you kind of line up and go. And there's two tables inside and you basically think you're in Rome because the pasta is so wonderful and wonderfully done.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah. They make it that morning.

>> Amanda Barker: And there's two things on offer and you get one of those too. But it's become such an Instagramable thing that people line up for literally hours.

>> Marco Timpano: Yes.

>> Amanda Barker: Which is. Wow.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah.

>> Amanda Barker: But good for them.

>> Marco Timpano: You want to go there when it rains because it keeps a lot of people away. So if you go there, the line is going to be a lot less.

>> Amanda Barker: Those hipster moths don't come out in the rain.

>> Marco Timpano: They don't like to be damp. Well, that's Geary Avenue. There was a honey, place you could get honey.

>> Amanda Barker: Oh, was there?

>> Marco Timpano: And like grow plants, indoor light.

>> Amanda Barker: There was an antiques place where I got a pair of, Ferragamo shoes. I remember. I think they were Ferragamo.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah, they were.

>> Amanda Barker: They're great. I still wear them.

>> Marco Timpano: It wasn't quite an antique shop. It was kind of a, it

>> Amanda Barker: was kind of a catch all. I mean, it was one of those places that had antiques. Cool. Like a cool mid century chair and also some dresses. It was one of those places.

>> Marco Timpano: I don't know if our listeners are going to. Especially our listeners in the UK are going to consider what was being sold there as antiques.

>> Amanda Barker: Well, but in the uk, I mean, they were selling like Chelsea Markets is kind of all that. Right. Isn't that what it's called? Chelsea Markets?

>> Marco Timpano: Oh, I'm not even at hazard to agree or disagree with that.

>> Amanda Barker: No. But there's that big market I remember going to at one point and getting like a vintage coat.

>> Marco Timpano: I would say it's funk antiques is what they were.

>> Amanda Barker: Funk antiques.

>> Marco Timpano: Yeah. It's what they were selling there.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah. Mid century pieces. Whether you wear them or sit in them or whether you just need an ashtray the way they did in the 60s.

>> Marco Timpano: Well, Amanda, if that's what you need, I hope you find it. And I hope you found what you needed from this particular episode because we've come to the end of it.


Thanks to our listeners who told us about arborist and wanting to know more about cappuccinos

Thank you to our listeners who told us about arborist and wanting to know more about cappuccinos. We kind of went down cortado Lane.

>> Amanda Barker: So I don't know if I really told you how I took my cappuccino, how I liked it dressed.

>> Marco Timpano: Well, you have a moment or two to tell us if you want to.

>> Amanda Barker: I'll take it with a smile.

>> Marco Timpano: There you go, sugar.

>> Amanda Barker: Sugar free maple syrup. We've tried cappuccinos with molasses lately.

>> Marco Timpano: I'm not in love with those ones.

>> Amanda Barker: Yeah, I didn't mind it, but there you, go.

>> Marco Timpano: Well, until next time. We hope you were able to listen. Enjoy your cortado and sleep.