■ Last call
Full house: Five businesses function together at The Strand
BY AMY LICHTY
PULSE REPORTER
The typical bar includes cheap drinks, loud music and often, ob
noxious drunks. The Strand, at 199 W. 8th Ave., is not your typical bar
—there's coffee and pizza instead of beer and peanuts, and drunks
on the Web instead of in person.
The Strand is compiled of five separate businesses: Cozmic Pizza,
Theo's Coffee House, Indra's Internet Lounge, Window's Booksellers,
and Wipf and Stock Publishers. It might seem nextto impossible to
cram all of these businesses under one roof, but The Strand is a wide
open space with beautifully tall ceilings and plenty of room for every
one to share.
The look of The Strand is enough to set it apart from other bars. Its
entryway, although located on a corner, is rounded. Inside, the colors
that decorate the walls—from peach to sky blue to pea green — are
very calming, and stunning murals that reflect scenic autumn days
paint an equally comforting atmosphere. Huge, cushy couches and
armchairs provide a great place to study, listen to music and have a
cup of coffee. For those looking for entertainment, there are tables
with built-in chessboards and a large stage in the center that hosts a
variety of live music acts.
The smell of pizza is overwhelming, but in a good way. Cozmic Piz
za, which specializes in organic gourmet pizza, offers great food at
decent prices. Salads range from $3.50 to $6.75, but with ingredients
such as artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and
basil/gorgonzola dressing, paying nearly $7 is worth it
Cozmic Pizza also serves focaccias for less than $5, calzones for
$8.75, and of course, a wide variety of pizzas, in either regular or fresh
ground whole wheat crust For only $2.50 patrons can buy a slice of
cheese pizza, and the gourmet pizzas' prices range from $11.50 for a
medium to $22.75 for a large. Toppings such as green peppers,
jalapenos, onions, minced garlic, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini,
spinach, kalamata olives, smoked salmon and pesto, among others,
are all available. Cozmic Pizza also serves a wide selection of organ
ic wines and fresh draft beers made with organic hops and grains.
Theo's Coffee House serves up a mixture of inexpensive coffee
drinks, from a 12-ounce latte for $2 to a 16-ounce mocha for $2.95.
Nicole Barker | Photographer
The Strand hosts a variety of entertainment, including The Middle Eastern Dance Guild of Eugene every third Friday of the month.
Unlike Starbucks, the most expensive drink is the large espresso
shake, which still costs just $4.
Right nextto Theo's Coffee House is Indra's Internet Lounge,
which allows users to purchase minutes for exploring the Web.
Indra's turns The Strand into more than just a restaurant—it can
be a great place to surf the Web and do homework in a chill,
friendly environment.
Myfavorite aspect of The Strand is Windows Booksellers. Beau
tiful old books line the walls begging to be picked up and read. Top
ics range from history, biography, poetry and plays to literary
criticism, bargain fiction, "odds and ends," economics and litera
ture. Most of the books I saw were less than $10, but there's also a
special selection of books that can be purchased for just a dollar.
Because of their age and wide range of topics, these books proba
bly can't be found in many other bookstores in the area, making
Window's Booksellers a wonderfully unique book nook.
All in all,The Strand is very relaxing and laid-back. From fami
lies to students to hippies to yuppies just looking for a great place
to meet up with friends, The Strand is just the place to go.
amylichty@dailyemerald.com
PEACE and WAR
UNIVERSITY
OF OREGON
UO professors of history, literature, religion, and philosophy will lead
discussions on topics related to “Peace and War” on Saturday mornings over
coffee in the elegant Autzen Stadium Club Room. These affordable college
level classes for the community are available at $75 each. A “season ticket”
for all six seminars saves $75. Books are available through the UO Bookstore.
Register at 346-3475 or or visit uoinsight.uoregon.edu.
LIFE OF THE MIND
February 26.10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
A one-day seminar designed to resuscitate the reading and thinking habits of
adults. Based on David Denby’s book, Great Books, about going back to college
as an adult. A great introduction to the other seminars. $35
THE RAGE OF ACHILLES
March 5,12,19, 26,9:30 a.m.-noon
The first and still the greatest book about war
is Homer’s Iliad, the epic of warrior culture.
You will love it as an adult, even if you didn’t
as a student. As hair-raising and relevant as
the daily news, this is the foundation of the
West’s thinking about war. $75
CULTURE OF TOLERANCE
April 2, 9,16, 23, 9:30 a.m.-noon
Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews
and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance
in Medieval Spain was a surprise bestseller in
2002. What is more timely to learn about than
Islam, and tolerance? A highly enjoyable book
about the history and literature of Jews and
Muslims in medieval Spain. $75
VIKINGS
April 30, May 7,14, 21, 9:30 a.m.-noon
Njal’s Saga is the epic story of Iceland's great
est lawyer, a man of peace in a culture of vio
lence—an authentic and absorbing portrait of
Viking life written in the 13th century. How
do you break the vicious cycle of revenge,
when it is the law? $75
3AND OF BROTHERS
une 4,11,18, 25, 9:30 a.m.-noon
Shakespeare’s Henry Vpresents the Hundred
lfears War. Olivier’s stirring 1945 film ver
sion rallied wartime England, but Branagh’s
1989 film is anti-war. Shakespeare: pro- and
mti-war at the same time? Read the play and
watch the films. $75
WAR AND PEACE
[uly 9,16, 23, 30, 9:30 a.m.-noon
It is time—at last—to read Tolstoy’s great
novel War and Peace, or read it again. A
novel so good you need to talk about it with
other readers. Tolstoy has great characters
and stories, but is also exploring the nature
and meaning of history and war. $75
MAHATMA GANDHI
August 6,13, 20, 27,9:30 a.m.-noon
Martin Luther King Jr. learned about non
violence from Gandhi. Read Gandhi’s auto
biography and the Bhagavad-Gita. What is
nonviolence? What did King learn from Gan
dhi? How to confront a violent world with a
vision of peace. $75
UO School of Music World Music Series presents
Classical Husk of North India
Kartik Seshadri, sitar
Arup Chattopadhyay, tabla
Free lecture-demo at 3 p.m. Friday,
Browsing Room, Knight Library
Friday, Feb. 25 • 8 p.m.
BEALL HALL, UO School of Music
$10 General Admission; $8 students
& seniors, available only at the door
Javanese Shadow
Puppet Theater
Don’t miss this fascinating musical-dramatic
performance featuring the world-renowned
puppet master Midiyanto, with
Gamelan Sari Pandhawa.
Saturday, Feb. 26 • 8 p.m.
AGATE HALL AUDITORIUM
1787 Agate Street
$10 General Admission;
$8 students & seniors,
available only at the door
o
UNIVBR3ITY OF OREGON