"Java City was such a big part of my life at Country Day. I even took a Java City bumper sticker to school with me to remind me of all the fun times my friends and I had there. It was not just a place to go for coffee; it was a place that had character and charm reminiscent of the cafes in Europe. Of course, I am probably being a little too sentimental and nostalgic, but Java City really did give my friends and me a safe place to go to and talk about life during the trying years of high school. Every Friday, we would go for chai tea because out of the three coffee houses in the area, they had the best. When I came back from college for Winter Break, Sarah Kelly [‘06] and I met for tea two or three times a week. I remember there were always these old men who played dominos and sat around all day talking to each other in their native tongue. We never could figure out where they were from, but it was so much fun listening to their banter. I really am going to miss it."

—Laurel Richardson, ‘06

"Ahhh, the memories! I think I visited Java City at least four times a week, if not more. Definitely after school, and even the occasional trips during free period when we weren't supposed to leave campus. I remember sitting outside when it was too hot to be outside at all, sipping lime Italian sodas and complaining about how much homework we had to do that night. It was also the meeting spot for any after-school gathering. Whether it was a movie on the weekend or hanging out after school, everyone said to meet at Java City because it was easiest. Many a fun night started there!"

—Lara Baine, ‘96

"I never really went to Java City."

—Tom Ellison, ‘05



"I had to laugh when I got your question. I graduated from SCDS thanks to the many espressos Courtney Page [‘80] would give us at her father's coffeehouse, Weatherstones (bought by Java City). Sometimes we stayed up all night there writing papers and doing homework. This was 1978-80, so it was well before Starbucks. Did they put a Java City near Country Day?"

—Jane (Sullivan) Garland, ‘80

"omg!!! I can't believe it closed!!! I used to go to Java City almost every day before school to get coffee. I liked going there better than Starbucks because I thought the coffee was better, and I just liked the atmosphere better. The guy in the morning—I think his name was John—always remembered me and I thought that was really cool. Also, that is where me and all the other Country Day graduates hang out when we all come home for breaks. Where are we gonna sit around talking for hours now???? This is devastating."

—Jasmine Kerner, ‘04

"[I didn’t go to Java City] super often because [dean of students] Mr. [Daniel] Neukom cracked down on Loehmann’s trips senior year (that's probably why it went out of business). It was so much fun to talk to [English teacher] Dr. [Ron] Bell [there] when we would do “stealth mode.” He has such a range of knowledge that doesn't get tapped in English class. We would always pick his brain. [Java City’s] also where we were celebrating our senior year being over after the AP Art History Exam when [art teacher Kay] Schweizer came in and told us the slide had been in the wrong order and we had to take the test again. It was severely traumatizing. We all thought that she was joking."

—Laura Murphy, ‘06

"In regard to the Java City anecdote request, I was voted “Java Junkie” my junior year (1995-96), along with Jamel Velji [‘97], Kristen Hughes ['97], and other people whom I cannot recall. Personally, I thought that was a very random honor, but [it] may be amusing in the Octagon article/survey."

—Allison Furry, ‘97

"I would probably go to Java City once a week if not more because it was the only place that stayed open late. I prefer Starbucks, but they don't stay open that late."

—Adam Gaither, ‘06

"We used to go once in a while, but it was more just a presence. I remember when Java City first opened downtown. On summer evenings, people used to sit out on the rocks under the trees just outside the cafe. We used to call them the “seals” because they were beached in clusters all over the place. It was a real phenomenon."

—Larisa Valentin (formerly Lara Malakoff), ‘87

"I live outside of the Sacramento area, and I am shocked by this. Are all Java City's closing or just the one in Loehmann's Plaza? [I went to Java City] every Friday night during school and two-to-three times a week during the summer. [It] was the place to hang out. Being way too young for clubs or bars, this spot was the place to meet people and be seen. I had friends that came from many different schools from around the area to tell stories and dream of our lives to come. We felt like young bohemians in charge of the world. I live far away from Sacramento now, and a Java City coffee stand opened up in my office building. Getting a cup of coffee at the little stand brings me back, just a little bit, to my youth."

—Renoir Pope (eighth grader, ‘85)

"I probably went to Java City once during my whole time in high school. Its closure seems unfortunate, but I am not personally devastated."

—Ciara Wirth, ‘06

"I heard that the Java City near Country Day closed recently. This was rather sad news for me, as I have many fond memories of that cafe. It was a favorite hangout spot after school, doing homework, studying, talking with friends, etc. But even during school, many of us tried to get away from campus, either legally or illegally, to grab a "Black & White on ice," or some other such specialty drink. Whether it was a physical education class "going for a walk" for exercise, or a particularly small AP class sneaking away for a study break, or a run to Ad Litho for the Octagon—with a stop at Java City on the way back to campus—the cafe was always a convenient place to meet with friends or just get away from it all.

I loved Java City, not only for its proximity to campus, but also for its local feel, being a Sacramento start-up that has spread all over the country. (I remember seeing Java City coffee first appear on my university campus at Duke in North Carolina and staring at the logo on the cups with wonder and nostalgia!) The cafe had a very personal feel, not only because it was very easy to run into someone you knew there, on either side of the counter, but also because they displayed artwork of local artists, they had regulars. It had the spirit of Northern California, which for me is very important, as I have left home and gone so far, and miss that feeling.

I hope that students at Country Day today will find a place like Java City that will forever be associated with good times and good friends from Country Day."

—David Russell, '99

"Funny you should ask. I just noticed that the store had closed the other day and it made me feel nostalgic for the days when my then-boyfriend, now husband (David Boyers, '90) and I would go there daily for our white mochas before our law-school classes. We'd stand in line, haggard, trying to think up pneumonics to remember the latest concept in DET's (Decedents, Estates & Trusts) and then we'd digress and people- watch instead, pondering more interesting and important things like, "How can that woman carrying that tiny infant look so fabulous?" "Why does that cashier spell his name JAMEY? Does anyone else in here think that's weird?" "Where does one get a pair of sweats that look so hip?" "Is having a piercing or tattoo a prerequisite to working here?" Yes, my memories of Java City are replete with the trivial and foolish, a.k.a. OUR LIFE BEFORE CHILDREN.

I am sad to see it go, but I have to admit, I haven't stepped foot in that place in years. At least not since the birth of our third child, as our budget no longer includes discretionary cash for fancy coffee drinks, our time no longer available for mindless people watching, and our consciences now cluttered with fear for our environment and global warming caused, in part, by uninhibited paper-cup use. Yes, in our new LIFE WITH CHILDREN, we have matured. Well, not entirely. I still can't help but notice those trim, fabulous- looking people walking around with infants in designer frontpacks."

— Jeanine Boyers (mother of Aidan, ’20)

"Wow! That’s too bad. I didn’t go to Java City very often because I don’t drink coffee, but it always looked busy and full of students working on projects together or hanging out. Peet’s is also close to campus, but it’s very tiny and has horrible parking. I look forward to reading the article."

—Katie O’Banion, ‘04

I went to Java City a few times as a junior and senior at Country Day with my friends Anoosh Jorjorian and former student Maya Contreras. It was the first place I ever went that I considered "cool." It helped that I'd just gotten my driver's license. I remember people there thinking I was older than I was due to the college T-shirts I'd wear.

Now, the Raley's grocery store where I shop has a gigantic mural of the original Java City in their Java City cafe. I tell my daughters "I used to sit right there in the picture."

They don't care. :)

—Marcia Djudzman Zimmerman, '90

It’s sad to hear Java City shut down. I used to go there every day my senior year. I remember going there and getting coffee every morning before calculus so I could sit and drink coffee in class, much to the chagrin of Mr. Romani.

—Robert Wilson, '91

My senior year, I can remember going there almost every day with Mike Bush ['88] (if it's the café I remember...getting older now). The stories I recall are the many times we laughed about how to run to the parking lot, get there and back, and not be late for class.

—Chris Dale, '88



I actually have quite a few memories of the time I spent there. The most vivid are times I went there with Heidi Tash ['00] and we would bum cigarettes off of people because we thought it was cool. I remember going there with Kendall Tobe ['00] after school and just talking. Java City was also a meeting place for the weekends before heading to parties. I was sad to hear that it had closed.

—Marcella Clement-Aja, '00