A Whole Latte Love At This Yakima Train Station Turned Coffeehouse
Listen
This coffeehouse in Yakima has it all. Great espresso, great ambience and great wifi.
North Town also has a constant line of wedding ceremonies.
Rosa Sanchez and Octavio Gutierrez sip their drinks on a recent snowy evening. And they’re a little giddy.
The couple is here with family, and Octavio jokes in Spanish, “Well we’re just here, out having a little coffee.”
It could be the caffeine or the fact they’re 10 minutes away from saying, ‘I do.’
The Event Room at North Town Coffeehouse in Yakima hosted 374 weddings in 2018. Civil ceremonies that would typically be performed at the Yakima County Courthouse are held here instead. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB
Rosa gets a little more serious and says they’re finally ready to make it official. Right on time, a courthouse judge shows up, and they go meet her at the Event Room, a corner section of the coffeehouse that was host to 374 weddings last year.
North Town sees a lot of sweethearts because the coffeehouse rents a room to Yakima County. Most of the civil ceremonies in the area are performed here instead of the courthouse. Every day from 5 p.m. onward, you can spot eager couples and sometimes entire wedding parties, complete with bouquets and white dresses. It’s a striking contrast to students looking for an empty seat, truckers making a pit stop, or visitors enjoying a quiet moment.
“I see at least two on weekdays, on the weekends we can have up to seven,” says Marlaina Cruz, a barista.
Despite the daily occurrence of seeing couples on all her shifts, there is one pair that’s moved Cruz to tears.
They were in their 1970s and actually met at North Town 50 years ago during a snowstorm. The two drove over from Seattle to celebrate their anniversary and show their kids the site where many of their dates took place.
Back then North Town was actually a train depot. Passenger service ended in 1971, but freight trains still go by several times a day. The railroad tracks are 30 feet from the station, so the sound is hard to miss, a reminder to customers of the station’s more historic days.
It’s just another quirk of this Central Washington coffee house — where caffeine, love and wedding vows are always brewing.
Copyright 2019 Northwest Public Broadcasting
Related Stories:
With Assistance From FEMA, A Mass Vaccination Site Opens In Yakima, And All Are Welcome
What started as a slow trickle of people became a flood of cars over Easter weekend at the FEMA vaccination center in Yakima. And as April 15 approaches (when all adults are eligible for vaccination in Washington), some Seattleites are heading East for a coveted Covid-19 shot. Continue Reading With Assistance From FEMA, A Mass Vaccination Site Opens In Yakima, And All Are Welcome
Central Washington Ramps Up As Agricultural Workers Eligible For Vaccine; FEMA To Help In Yakima
Yakima County will soon get a boost to its existing vaccine distribution at an existing site set up at county fairgrounds. But unlike other sites around the state managed directly through the state, including in the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee and Spokane, the Yakima site will have the support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Continue Reading Central Washington Ramps Up As Agricultural Workers Eligible For Vaccine; FEMA To Help In Yakima
All Washington Counties Can Advance To Phase 2 Reopening As State Fixes Hospital Data
The south-central region of Washington’s 8-region area for coronavirus restrictions can immediately reopen. That news came Sunday from the state Department of Health. It means the counties encompassing Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Ellensburg can advance to Phase 2. Continue Reading All Washington Counties Can Advance To Phase 2 Reopening As State Fixes Hospital Data
