Intellectuals or highly educated people as a group, esp. when regarded as possessing culture and political influence.
I've been to this Coffee Shop about three times now. The Intelligentsia Coffee on Sunset Boulevard. To get technical, it's located in Silverlake. If you're from California or the LA area then you'll probably smirk a little... If you're from any other state in the United States you might be indifferent from this name... And if you're from Silverlake itself, then you might grind your teeth or possibly break the glass vase in near proximity. I don't know to be honest. All I know is that the Silverlake Area is one of the most interesting areas aside from Portland, Oregon that I've ever had the pleasure to visit. The people are actually pretty nice and the atmosphere is eclectic and random.
After having my manager at Peet's Coffee tell me about a restaurant in Chicago that collectively harasses and verbally abuses their customers just for a good laugh, I'd say the LA area and probably all of New York City have warm, fuzzy, and undeniably friendly inhabitants regardless if they say "hi" to you in the elevator.
Handsome Coffee Roasters was actually a much more relaxed coffee shop in my opinion. Part of this is due to it's location. It sits away from the hubbub of LA traffic and noise in the Arts District. The Coffee wasn't nearly as good as Intelligentsia, however their atmosphere and service was impeccable. I would choose Handsome over Intelligentsia any day of the week for a nice calm place to get some studying done or to just relax and take in my surroundings. The most depressing thing about Handsome is that they close at 5pm... I don't even know what to say about that.
