See-Scape
See Scape is a cafe, bar, art gallery and gaming lounge that celebrates all things nerdy. Located in the Junction , the eclectic space provides a much needed refuge from the conventional coffee shops, art galleries, and your stepdad who is convinced your Xbox slows down the dishwasher.
Updated: See Scape has moved to 347 Keele St.
Near the entrance, the space has a few large tables, decorated appropriately with steel and caution tape. Opposite the tables are a selection of board games, from the classic ( Connect 4 ) to the popular ( Exploding Kittens ) to the divisive (I no longer trust certain friends after a particularly rousing game of Resistance ).
Interesting works from local artists such as James Minett, Mark Gapuz and Josh Haberman cover the wall - all different, mixed media pieces, including some photos of See Scape server Monica in cosplay.
After the board game space is a little lounge set up with a comfy sofa and big chairs facing multiple TVs attached to a bunch of different gaming consoles from the GameCube to Xbox360 (PS4 to come).
A big glass case displays the 150+ games to choose from, and use of the systems cost $5 for an hour or $10 for the day (board games run you $5 regardless of time).
Opposite the gaming lounge is the most impressive part of the cafe. See Scape owner Sara Nguyen created four different booths, each with their own theme (jungle temple, horror, sorcerer's library and post-apocalypse).
The booths are each decorated extensively in line with their chosen themes and enclosed with spaceship-esque material such that you get a fully immersive experience in each. They even have individual service lights so servers don't disturb you in the middle of one of many Resistance-related arguments.
Finally, the coffee bar is decorated with more art, including Bonnie, a very sexy topless cyborg/robot who I bet is the kind of robot who says she just occasionally does zumba and watches their portions but is really always on the elliptical and using MyFitnessPal and also maybe has botox.
The sci-fi theme of See Scape extends to their coffee, serving up delicious Deadly Grounds Coffee .
They also have some light food, a much healthier menu than I would associate with the cheeto-and-warm-gatorade-fueled gaming sessions of my youth, focused on salads, sandwiches, smoothies and snacks priced at around $10 or under.
In addition to being an art gallery, cafe, bar and gaming lounge, Nguyen is hoping to promote See Scape as a community space. Thursday night at See Scape is Tech Night, hosted by Nathan Tran from Distractional.com . He brings in new technologies (most recently, virtual reality glasses and a hoverboard ) to show off to patrons.
"We want to make it a space for creative types and nerds, fans and artists," said Nguyen. "We just want to make sci-fi more accessible."
Jesse Milns