Stand By for Good Brews at Glazer's Coffee, Hawaii USA

It was a typical Saturday morning. The work week had been particularly hectic. My attempts to nail that "work-life balance" illusion-thin was exactly that -illusionary and illusive. I just knew one thing:

I was dying for a cup of coffee, in a mug, with a touch of relaxed ambiance that was close by. That place on this Saturday morning would be none other than Glazer's Coffee in Honolulu. 

Please let me in! Ha ha ha! The line was forming as early as 7:30 a.m. for our Saturday morning coffee fix at Glazer's. 

I was invited by a good friend of mine and of Hawaii's legal community. William Stempel is Hawaii's Law Librarian and a local resident of the Moiiliili district of Honolulu. He recommended Glazer's as the change-of-pace I was looking for. We arranged to meet on Saturday morning. 

Glazer's Coffee is located in the Moiiliili section of Honolulu, not far from the main campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. 

We arrived early to find ourselves in company with brave, early morning college students who, like me, were craving our coffee-fix. 

Would I define this as a "hole-in-the-wall" coffee shop? Glazer's Coffee fronts a very busy stretch of South King Street. 

That's Hawaii's law librarian William Stempel who first introduced me to Glazer's Coffee. He brought his morning newspaper, while I came with laptop in tow for another day of writing, blogging and some work. My first impression was how relaxed and mellow this place was. 

Glazer's reputation as "hipster" and "artsy" was confirmed by the atmosphere of the shop. So far, so good. 

 Glazer's offers caffeine-depraved souls like me a diverse selection of coffees. This includes hot or cold expressos, lattes, and teas. The prices are affordable and reasonable. The shop offers a small selection of cookies and bagels with butter or cream cheese, too. 

These are the three times zones at Glazers -and the only ones that matter here. 

Hawaii Law librarian William Stempel treated me to coffee, bagels and creme cheese. Such aloha! Big mahalo! Honolulu's Star Advertiser newspaper was a nice Saturday morning touch. We weren't rushed to leave at all. 

Glazer's Coffee plays a unique blend of hipster, soft jazz and techno-ish rhythm-and-blues tunes. It's mostly very cosmopolitan, more typical of coffee bars I've enjoyed in New York City, Singapore, Los Angeles and elsewhere -not Honolulu. 

Usually only one barista works behind the counter, so sometimes a title patience is needed when ordering. Here are members of the Saturday morning clientele doing just that. There's Bill ordering our coffee, bagel and cream cheese. 

A few students from the nearby main campus of University of Hawaii at Manoa said that Glazer's is a campus favorite. The wall art lends itself to the modern, hipster reputation this shop has earned among its regulars. Splashes of color as I viewed here -along with some of the best air-conditioning I've experienced anywhere in Honolulu- further provided relaxation. 

Elephant's, sheep, cows, dolphins, cows, chickens and rabbits in bold technicolor beamed from the walls. 

One of the whimsical touches at Glazer's are stacks and displayed collections of
vintage cameras and stereo equipment. What's old becomes new again, right? 

Enjoy some deep thoughts by James Charisma. 

Feeling powerless? Glazer's Coffee has a whimsical way of marking the locations of power outlets throughout the bar. That and the free WIFI makes this coffee lover's hub very popular with college students and business professionals like Yours Truly. 

Not quite a Tower of Power but, yes, plug in your laptop at no extra charge. 

I do not think we were here more than a half-hour before I noted that almost every chair in Glazer's was taken. These are college students on a Saturday morning! We thought they slept in on weekends; we did in our day. You know what they say about those who awaken early in the morning: they are the future leaders of the world! I laughed and remarked to Bill that we could be sitting with a future head of industry or a world leader. Bill shrugged and continued scanning his newspaper. 

I hereby pronounced myself a caffeinated happy camper with my official Glazer's coffee mug in hand. Yes, I have been converted. Since my first Saturday morning visit in January 2015 I've returned to Glazer's on Saturday mornings and even on weekdays, when the shop opens at 7:00 a.m. 

My Saturday morning at Glazer's Coffee was pleasant. Duty called me away for the
remainder of the afternoon -but I will be back to Glazer's Coffee. Perhaps I'll see you here? 

Located at 2700 South King Street in the Moiiliili section of Honolulu, Glazer's Coffee is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Fridays 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 11:00p.m.  Parking is a bit limited since it is in the shared lot with Sushi King. There is a conveniently located City Bus stop down the street if you are coming from East Oahu, and another across the street if coming from Waikiki or Downtown.